Minerva Analytics - Controversial Products
Data category
- Environmental data
- Governance data
- Indices/Exchange data
- Research data
- Social data
The data offers solutions for:
- Investment decisions and portfolio insight
- Norms-based screening
- Reporting: CSRD
- Reporting: EU Regulations
- Reporting: ISSB standards
- Reporting: Impact
- Reporting: Other Regulations
- Reporting: SEC climate
- Reporting: SFDR
- Reporting: TCFD
- Reporting: UN SDGs
Who are the data users?
- Financial institutions
- Government
- Investors
- Trustees
Brief description of the data offering
The Minerva Controversial Products Framework enables the identification of corporate involvement in business activities widely viewed as ethically or socially contentious. These include tobacco, thermal coal, civilian firearms, controversial weapons, and other high-risk sectors such as adult entertainment, gambling, and private prisons.
Each category is defined using transparent and consistent criteria, typically based on company revenue from specific products or services. These are applied through a rules-based methodology embedded in Minerva’s internal research and screening process, which systematically assesses company exposure across a range of controversial sectors.
While the framework offers comprehensive coverage, decisions on whether to exclude identified companies are tailored to the values, regulatory obligations, and investment strategy of each client. This ensures that screening remains both methodologically robust and aligned with stakeholder expectations.
In the context of index construction, the framework enables the application of quantitative thresholds to identify companies whose business models are materially exposed to contentious products or services. These thresholds are calibrated to reflect investor expectations and regulatory norms, supporting targeted exclusions and risk management within ESG index strategies.
Controversial products represent one of the three foundational pillars of the Minerva Nexus ESG Framework, alongside Norms Screening and SDG Mapping Alignment. They are defined as products that pose material, reputational, or financial risks due to widespread investor perception of them as offensive, harmful, socially unacceptable, or ethically objectionable.
Examples of controversial business activities screened for index exclusion include:
- Companies deriving revenue from the production or sale of tobacco products;
- Entities involved in thermal coal extraction or coal-fired power generation;
- Manufacturers or distributors of civilian firearms;
- Producers of controversial weapons, including cluster munitions and landmines;
Additional categories assessed include adult entertainment, gambling, private prisons, fossil fuel, high-emission power generation (as defined by EU regulatory intensity benchmarks), nuclear energy, cannabis, uncertified palm oil, and expanded tobacco classifications such as alternative smoking products.
This structured approach ensures that ESG indices compiled using the Minerva Nexus Framework are not only aligned with investor values but are also resilient to reputational and regulatory risks.
Where and how do you source your data?
We use online media, NGO data, corporate disclosures and official government sources These are screened weekly for potential controversies.
What is the cost for your data offering?
Pricing for this solution is available upon request.
Contacts
+44 1376 504500