Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency INDEX (CST INDEX®), formerly known as Romania CSR INDEX (2016-2020), is the most important and complex ranking in the sustainability field in Romania. The ranking takes into account mainly the companies that have more than 500 employees, more precisely more than 750 companies in Romania, and also smaller companies, that have less than 500 employees, which apply in order to be evaluated according to the scorecard.

    Information regarding the methodology:

    Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency Index (CST INDEX ®) 2024 has 11 sections:

    1. Sustainability Governance
    2. Diversity Policy
    3. Economic Impact
    4. Climate Change & Energy
    5. Environmental Governance
    6. Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Policy
    7. Responsible Employer
    8. Product & Marketing Responsibility
    9. Investments in Communities
    10. Supply Chain
    11. Impact and Material Topics – Industry-based DMA (Disclosure on Management Approach)

     

    Notes on Romania Corporate Sustainability & Transparency Index 2024 Methodology:

     

    1. For the 2024 Romania CST INDEX, we will take into account the public information reported by companies for FY 2023. The sustainability report can be published up to 2 weeks after the results of Romania CST INDEX are published if our agency has access to the report and all the information needed to evaluate beforehand the company’s performance and level of transparency.
    2. For each indicator included in the 11 categories (1-11), the maximum score awarded can be 4 points and it is obtained if the company communicated both narrative information (1 point), performance indicators, progress obtained and targets achieved (KPIs) (2, 3 or 4 points).
    3. Each category has a different weight depending on the industry to which the company belongs. This weight is essential for calculating the final score of each company.
    4. The score for certain indicators, marked in the evaluation sheet with the mention: “Not Applicable”, is calculated according to the relevance of the respective indicator for the industry of which the company is part.
    5. Specifically, if at least 10% of the companies in the industry have published information about that specific indicator, these companies receive 1 point or 2/3/4 points, depending on the information provided. Companies that have not published data do not receive points, so they are not scored when calculating the final score. If no company in the respective industry has published data, the indicator is not taken into account for the final score and no company is thus losing points.
    6. If no evaluated company in a specific industry has published information for 2023 for a specific indicator that is marked compulsory, then the indicator becomes optional and points will not be lost for this indicator.
    7. The information that will be taken into account for the Romania CST Index, especially information about policies, materiality and stakeholder engagement, will not be older than 3 years.
    8. Romania CST INDEX is aligned to the most important standards or references at international level used in the sustainability industry. Two of the most important references are Directive 2014/95/EU – also called the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Regarding the reporting of sustainability information, the index is aligned with GRI Universal Standards 2021, the most widely used reporting standards worldwide. In addition, there is alignment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, United Nations Global Compact, Dow Jones Sustainability Index methodology, London Benchmarking Group, Social Return on Investment or ISO 26000.

    You can find more information about Romania CST Index 2023 in this flash report  Report_Romania_CST_Index_2023.

     

    SUSTAINABILITY INDEX MAGAZINE

     

    The bilingual yearbook that brings to the forefront top performers in sustainability according to Romania CST INDEX ranking, as well as the latest trends and innovations in corporate sustainability from local and international experts.

    • In 2024 The Azores Sustainability & CSR Services agency launched the second edition of the Sustainability Index Magazine, a Romanian-English bilingual yearbook that aims to present the current status of corporate sustainability in Romania.
    • In the magazine, the readers may find the results of the only corporate sustainability index in the country, Romania CST INDEX, company profiles as well as interviews with national and international experts, educational articles, and case studies.
    • The publication aims to promote corporate sustainability as a responsible business management practice, as well as to help companies develop a better performing strategy based on aggregated market information.

    Thus, Sustainability Index Magazine follows in the footsteps of Community Index Magazine, the bilingual yearbook that contains the results of COMMUNITY INDEX ® the only ranking of programs and projects carried out by companies in Romania to invest in their communities, launched in 2019.

    The publication can be useful not only to professionals in the field, but also to local and multinational companies, investors, universities, PR agencies, and authorities.

    The magazine has been offered free of charge until now to help raise the level of market know-how. It is offered in print and digital format, as a flipview, and can be viewed here:

    Sustainability Index Magazine 2024: https://sustainabilityindex.ro/sustainability-index-magazine-2024-web/

    Sustainability Index Magazine 2023: https://sustainabilityindex.ro/sustainability-index-magazine-2023/

     

    For more information about Romania CST INDEX, the methodology and the indicators that are used, please contact us at office@sustainabilityindex.ro.