Eligibility, scope and use of the ESG Recognition
Summary
Below you can find an explanation of what the ESG Recognition issued by DNV represents, who is eligible to receive it, and how its scope and validity should be interpreted. You can also find more details on how stakeholders can check the current status of the recognition and the management system certificates on which it is based.
What the ESG Recognition means
The ESG Recognition is issued by the relevant legal entity within DNV Business Assurance Group (“DNV”) to eligible management system certification customers. It confirms that the company named in the recognition operates certified management systems that support its environmental, social and governance commitments.
The ESG Recognition should be understood as a recognition of eligible certified management systems. It is not a verification, assessment or rating of the company’s overall ESG performance against a specific ESG model, framework, set of metrics or performance criteria. It also does not constitute advice or a recommendation on which to base business, financial or investment decisions. Interested parties seeking verification against a specific ESG model, framework or set of metrics should carry out their own independent due diligence.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for an ESG Recognition issued by DNV, a company must hold, at a minimum, valid management system certifications, issued by DNV, covering all three ESG dimensions. These include ISO 14001 for Environmental Management in the environmental dimension, ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management in the social dimension, and ISO 9001 for Quality Management in the governance dimension.
Additional eligible management system certifications held by the company may also be included under the relevant environmental, social or governance dimension.
Scope and interpretation
The management system certificates included in an ESG Recognition may have scopes that do not cover the company’s entire organization. The applicable certificates and their respective scopes should therefore be considered when interpreting the ESG Recognition.
Validity and certificate status
The ESG Recognition remains valid only for as long as the company continues to fulfil the applicable eligibility criteria. If a required management system certificate expires, is suspended, withdrawn or otherwise ceases to be valid, this may affect the company’s eligibility for the ESG Recognition.
Each ESG Recognition has a unique reference number stated under “Our ref.” The “Place and issue date” identifies when and where the specific recognition was issued, while the “First issue date” indicates when an ESG Recognition was first issued to the company.
How to check current information
The validity and status of an ESG Recognition and the management system certificates included in it can be checked by scanning the QR code displayed on the recognition. The QR code provides access to DNV’s online checker, where the current digital version and the relevant management system certificate details can be viewed.
If an ESG Recognition or a management system certificate is no longer valid, including where it has been suspended or withdrawn, its current status will be displayed in DNV’s online certificate checker.
A printed or downloaded copy of an ESG Recognition may not reflect changes made after it was generated. The current information displayed through DNV’s online checker takes precedence when determining validity and certificate status.
Use of the ESG Recognition
The ESG Recognition must not be altered, modified or presented in a way that could misrepresent its meaning, validity, scope or the management system certifications on which it is based.
References to the ESG Recognition must not imply that DNV has verified, assessed, rated or endorsed the company’s overall ESG performance.
