Frequently Asked Questions

There are several:

Our platform is native self-service SaaS (Software as a Service), allowing users to operate completely autonomously without any intervention from technical or sales departments. Moreover, it follows an "in-suite" philosophy, with various interconnected products catering to different needs across various industries and scenarios.

Designed from the ground up, the platform prioritizes usability for Micro and Small businesses and non-expert users, incorporating all best practices in User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design.

Our target market (and consequently the positioning of our products and choice of standards) is exclusively focused on the EU27. Ecomate is specifically developed to assist European businesses in alignment with the objectives of the European Commission. Unlike other rating solutions that use a uniform evaluation model for any country, Ecomate, being region-specific, utilizes benchmark references among countries/regions within the EU27. Additionally, other ESG solutions may not consider company size (from micro to multinational), whereas Ecomate's algorithms differentiate the evaluation clusters based on company size (employees and revenue). This significantly impacts the scoring delivery, resulting in more precise and realistic ratings perfectly tailored to each company's specific context.

Ecomate goes beyond certifications, maintaining an OPEN standard, aggregating over 300 compliances, and adopting a model verified by a decentralized and neutral scientific committee.

Finally, the flexibility of a SaaS and RaaS solution enables high scalability, allowing us to offer products at competitive prices and volume-based solutions to meet all needs.

Ecomate uses a modern and secure infrastructure, with servers located in Germany within the EU27, and is fully compliant with GDPR regulations. It does not export user data outside of the EU27.
For more information, please refer to the dedicated technical page on transparency of the infrastructure and technological architecture.

In order to request a quote, it is necessary to have an active account on our platform. Further information is available on pricing.

Ecomate guarantees that the cloud application is accessible 99.9% of the time, leaving the remaining 0.1% for maintenance work and/or small issues that may arise in a shared environment.
Ecomate provides unlimited technical support for issues related to platform accreditation and navigation. There is an dedicated email address and a phone contact with an in-house operator available 7 days a week, from 9 am to 6 pm continuously.
To request assistance, you must have an active account on our platform, and depending on the level of support required, subscribing to the PREMIUM license for the rating product may be necessary.

As a platform aimed at SMEs, we prioritize protecting your privacy by always giving you the option to choose with whom to share the data from your account.

The VAT number (Partita IVA) is required because we process companies' registration data by querying real-time databases directly connected with the Business Register.
The reason for this integration is not only to provide you with instant and accurate registration (you won't need to enter any personal data) but also to help our algorithms create a specific ESG risk profile for your industry sector, company class (revenue/employees), and location (registered and operational office address).
Ultimately, this integration ensures transparency in our system and helps prevent data entry errors.

Ecomate processes company registration data by querying real-time databases directly connected to the Business Register. For this reason, we cannot directly intervene in the data contained in the digital report, and the update times depend on both the Business Register's timing and any intermediaries involved (e.g., accountants, notaries, or others).
Here are some cases that have been encountered:

Public entities
Associations
Government institutions
Recently established companies
Companies with an undeposited balance sheet or containing formal errors
Self-employed professionals with certain tax regimes
Companies with the legal form "S.R.L.S."
Companies in a state of suspension or liquidation

For each company (VAT number), you can enable up to 5 email addresses (users) to operate on the platform.
Conversely, 1 email address can manage up to 5 companies (VAT numbers).

Minimi:
Risoluzione schermo: 720p (HD)
Browser: 32-bit ; aggiornato al 2014
Ram: 8gb
Sistema operativo: Windows 7, MacOS

Consigliati:
Risoluzione schermo: 1080p (Full-HD)
Browser: 64-bit ; ultima versione
Ram: 16gb
Sistema operativo: Windows 11, MacOS

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If by this, you mean downloading the questions to which you have responded, it is certainly possible. By clicking on the menu's gear icon for each module, you can select 'Download questions in XLS format.'
Unfortunately, it is not possible to obtain an extraction of questions you haven't answered since the questionnaire varies based on revenue/employee class, industrial sector (NACE/ATECO code), and materiality (e.g., modules related to compliance Taxonomy have different questions for 80 industrial sectors).
There are, of course, a set of common questions applicable to all businesses (comprising approximately 50% of the assessment), but we discourage using them outside of our evaluation model.
However, you can view the complete list of materiality topics (which form the basis for developing questions) on the following page open-standard.

Sustainability does not mean (only) complying with minimum regulatory requirements but going beyond...

The free license offers the possibility to measure oneself fully against the 11 thematic sustainability modules and obtain your ESG rating without any time limitations.
The Premium license, on the other hand, provides various second-level insights on compliance and the improvement report with dual materiality. Additionally, you will have access to our phone support at any time regarding the use of the platform.

Unlike credit rating agencies, which are regulated and accredited by ESMA (Regulation (EC) No. 1060/2009), there is no certification body or regulator in the ESG world.
Ecomate, unlike other players in the market, has adopted a decentralized, accessible, transparent, and neutral scientific committee to validate, enhance, and constantly update its rating and risk models. With this approach, when regulations permit, we can effectively become a recognized ESG Rating Agency, meeting all the necessary prerequisites and requirements.
Currently, the approach taken by Ecomate is the one that comes closest to having a regulatory body that evolves the platform through constant implementation of best practices and consultations.
For more information, continue reading on the pages dedicated to ouropen-standard ESG, comitato scientifico.

Today, in such a fast-paced and ever-changing world, the market is showing clear signs of needing less and less of an approach where a company undergoes a often forced and single-certification path to obtain a certification or a "seal" that is then displayed on the walls or website of the company and forgotten for several years. Ecomate does not intend to issue certifications because our evaluation model is based on a dynamic and real-time approach, in line with an increasingly demanding market. This is possible thanks to the aggregative technological architecture of the open-standard ESG, comitato scientifico.

However, it is possible to obtain certification and/or validation for the data entered in the products based on self-assessment (ESG SME Rating and ESG Rating) by undergoing a physical inspection/audit by a third-party organization selected from our approved list. comitato scientifico

Thanks to the contribution of the crowdsourced Scientific Committee, various experts have reviewed (and continue to review) the questions and answers in the self-assessment questionnaires.
1) There are no open-ended questions (where users can write freely and a human interprets), but only qualitative questions with single or multiple choice options, as well as quantitative questions with validated entries.
2) Prior to data entry in the questionnaire, a psychological lever is used to notify users that our algorithms are equipped with an anti-fraud system and encourage them to respond with maximum transparency. The improvement solutions presented after the measurement rely on the user's declaration, and providing incorrect information could result in missing out on numerous business opportunities (or risk mitigation) presented in the improvement reports.
3) In the case of detected fraud, the user will receive a warning on the platform, and if part of a business network or sponsored license, they may be reported to the network or license sponsor and placed on the ESG grey-list.
4) The data entered is equivalent to a scenario where a doctor asks a patient to take a blood test, and the patient alters the results. In such a case, how could the doctor help?
5) Due to random sample checks conducted annually and possible physical inspections by third parties, we reserve the right to request documentation supporting the user's declarations at any time.
6) Each user has a public URL (e.g., ecomate.eu/company/rossi-srl/) with partial scoring, allowing stakeholders to contribute by reporting anomalies. The company that creates the business network can decide whether to enforce the publication of all users or leave the decision to the individual.
7) A multi-level anti-fraud system is employed, including:
7a) Mapping algorithm through an expert system, detecting "unusual" or "contradictory" user paths (e.g., it is unusual for a small company with 3 employees to declare insurance and additional benefits typically implemented by a multinational, resulting in a yellow light on our admin backend).
7b) Multi-level algorithm for cross-checking with data from the business register and open-data sources.
7c) With the help of machine learning, anomalous user paths are integrated into a new verification system that continuously improves the entire algorithm (from late 2022).

Scroll down to the page dedicated to this product, where you will find a dedicated section with more information. ESG Rating

You can find an up-to-date list by clicking on the button "List of all supported standards" on the page. OPEN-STANDARD

The questions always refer to the same VAT number (and the main Ateco/NACE code of the activity). Therefore, if the company has multiple locations, you need to verify if they belong to the same VAT number. If the company has different locations in Italy under the same VAT number, these locations should be integrated during the completion of the Ecomate questionnaire.
If there are locations with different VAT numbers (or locations abroad), they need to be registered separately on the platform.

You can access all the information on the scoring calculation mechanism with complete transparency on the page OPEN-STANDARD

Our PAI collector - the SFDR completion bar present in the Rating dashboard - displays the information available for PAI (Principal Adverse Impact) purposes after answering certain questionnaire modules. It is relevant for companies monitored by an investment fund under the SFDR regulation. If you currently do not have asset managers and investment funds among your shareholders, the PAI collector still serves as a valuable tool in the search for future investors. To complete the PAI Collector, it is not necessary to respond to all questionnaire modules, but only the following ones:

Energy (E)

Environment (E)

Social responsibility (S)

Professional ethics (S)

Transparency (G)



While the average time to complete all modules is around 3 hours in order to get ESG-rated, by only submitting the above 5 modules, it should take you about 1 hour to only disclose the PAI KPIs.

We are working so that it will be possible shortly.

Even though we are aware that our customers might appreciate the addition of a dashboard to manage the issues identified post-assessment, at the moment, we have decided to postpone the development of this functionality for the following reasons:

a) We are not a consulting company, and we believe that each business activity in our country is unique. This uniqueness is not only related to classification variables (industry, revenue, employees) but also extends to territorial characteristics and other governance aspects that make our country diverse yet complex. Therefore, we currently do not have the ambition to suggest the priority to assign to resolving the issues. We believe sustainability is a process of comprehensive and conscious change that should be experienced across all levels and shared by all stakeholders through all thematic areas simultaneously.

b) Following the open-standard philosophy, the tool has been designed and balanced to allow interaction with consulting companies (marketplace) that often act as intermediaries. We believe they can provide greater support throughout this process of change.

The logics behind ESG ratings are not very different from those of financial ratings; they are never fully aligned with each other.
It is not possible to compare the results obtained with other ESG rating providers because companies/agencies do not have mutually communicative evaluation models.
It is essential to be cautious when comparing two or more ESG rating tools, and usually, the best approach is to seek the advice of an expert. Often, ESG solutions approach customer needs in different ways based on their specific application areas, resulting in products with different input/output logics that are not directly comparable. For instance, it is not possible to compare an "unsolicited" rating solution with a "solicited" one, just as it is challenging to compare an ESG-default probability scale designed for a specific regulatory context (e.g., Italy-EU) with one meant for an international context.

Certainly, the current assessment includes branches on industry, turnover, employees, and territory. However, if you have a specific need for the creation of an assessment/scoring exclusively calibrated on one or more variables, you can purchase the ESG Vertical product, which can already communicate with monitoring through ESG Monitor.

The maintenance of rating products is continuous and daily: we constantly engage with the technical-scientific committee for updates on new regulatory themes, implementation of new questions/KPIs related to classification variables (industry, revenue, employees, and territory), as well as the integration of information on impacts and double materiality contained in the improvement report.

Even though ESG topics are complex and constantly evolving, Ecomate simplifies them as much as possible, and our platform is designed from the ground up to allow anyone, even without any expertise, to carry out their measurement entirely autonomously. Not only that, but during the guided process, companies will find educational information to understand the regulatory context better, along with a collection of links for further insights. Our mission is to make sustainability accessible to all companies, thus eliminating the costs of the initial measurement process. However, Ecomate constantly collaborates with partners from the scientific committee, including small to medium consulting firms that distribute our products and can provide additional support for those who need ongoing guidance, delegating the implementation of strategies/tools.

The platform remains a valuable tool for both businesses and professionals who work with them.

Ecomate is born with the specific purpose of creating an open-standard where users (with their feedback) and experts all contribute to continuous improvement (crowd philosophy).

If you are companies with expertise in one of the ESG categories and a materiality area, you can join our scientific committee (see the specific section from the open-ESG menu).

If, on the other hand, you are companies without specific expertise in ESG topics but still want to contribute with ideas or report anomalies, industry characteristics, or applicability of questions/answers, please follow these steps:

- Open the relevant thematic module and precisely indicate the question you want to leave a comment on using the link "Send us your opinion."
- Click on the module menu's gear icon from the dashboard and select "Leave feedback."

Yes, it is possible through the ESG Vertical product.

For positioning reasons and to avoid conflicts of interest, we have chosen not to offer consulting services ourselves.
However, among the members of our Scientific Committee, there are numerous consulting firms located throughout Italy that will be more than happy to assist you. Please navigate to the open-standard > scientific committee section to browse the list and find the most suitable partner for your needs.

Due to the current extreme scarcity of precise ESG data in the market and the inability to compare results from different rating tools, we have decided to rely exclusively on our internal database as a reference. This means that the statistical relevance is directly proportional to the number of companies present in our platform.
To make the analysis more accurate, however, we offer the possibility to compare not only with the overall results of other companies but also within your own class (micro, small, medium, etc.), within your specific industry NACE code, and even with your competitors (the intersection of your class and industry).

Excluding national and European regulations, when Ecomate and the scientific committee integrate a new compliance (a certification or an international standard), they evaluate the following variables:
- Market and dissemination
- Potential conflicts of interest

We have chosen (both for market and technical reasons, as well as ethical considerations) to divide the product by company class. The first one is a product specifically designed for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs - 95% of Italian and European companies), while the second one has been specially developed for Corporate companies (>250 employees and €50 million in annual turnover). Furthermore, in line with our mission and vision, we aim to provide maximum support to SMEs in the country. Therefore, we offer a product at a significantly lower price to SMEs compared to Corporate companies.

For official references regarding the classification of SMEs, you can consult the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_and_medium-sized_enterprises

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For sure! The Ecomate platform is flexible and adapts to every need! Call us and ask us about the Monitor.

Yes, we automatically calculate all 18 mandatory KPIs. In our Rating, we also map information for optional SFDR KPIs (Article 9 funds).

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Unlimited: considering the type of product and subscription, and the fact that the contents of the assessment are managed and customized by you, we don't believe there should be any limitations imposed by us.
Naturally, there is a technical limitation regarding anti-spam measures for massive invitations, which is set at 99,999 invitations. If, for any reason, you need to exceed this limit, please contact us, and we will find a solution, as always!

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You can find the list of indicators that belong to common materiality for all sectors, approximately 50 KPIs, in the methodological document available on the product's related page.

Yes, the 9 KPIs for physical risk and 1 KPI for transition risk are included.

This depends greatly on the country (or region) where the company is located. For example, countries like Italy have higher average physical risks compared to other countries, but generally, Southern European countries are the most at risk as they are economically less developed on average and further from the strategic objectives of the European Commission.
Since our calculation model is calibrated based on the goals of the EU 2030 Agenda, the algorithm will also give relevance to political-economic factors of the country or region where, unfortunately, the company operates.

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