How we maintain impartiality
ESG Boosters operates a commercial business. We are transparent about how we earn revenue — and equally transparent about the structures we have put in place to ensure that commercial relationships never affect the integrity of our scores.
The ESG Boosters ESG Impact Score is always produced before any commercial arrangement is discussed or agreed with the product company. This sequencing is non-negotiable — it is the foundation of every score we publish.
A score produced after a commercial arrangement is agreed is not an independent score. It is a paid endorsement. ESG Boosters does not produce paid endorsements.
The following principles govern our assessment process without exception.
Scoring always precedes commercialisation
No listing fee, partnership arrangement, or affiliate agreement is discussed or agreed before the ESG Impact Score is finalised and the draft report is approved by the product company. The sequence is fixed: assessment → draft report → factual review → commercial discussion. It never runs in the other direction.
Scores are not adjustable through commercial pressure
Product companies may request a factual review of the draft report — to flag errors of fact or provide additional evidence that was not available at the time of submission. They may not request that scores be adjusted, dimensions be reweighted, or bands be changed for any commercial reason. Such requests are declined and documented.
Listing type does not affect score
Whether a company chooses Score & Report only, Listed Partner, or Exclusive Partner has no bearing on the score they receive. A company that declines to publish its score receives the same assessment as one that takes a full Exclusive Partner arrangement. The methodology applies identically in all cases.
Affiliate and referral arrangements are disclosed
Where ESG Boosters earns a referral fee or affiliate commission from purchases made through the platform, this is disclosed on the relevant product listing page and in the associated ESG Impact Report. Disclosure is mandatory — not optional. The existence of an affiliate arrangement does not affect the score awarded to that product.
All commercial relationships are disclosed
The nature of ESG Boosters' commercial relationship with each listed company — Score & Report only, Listed Partner, or Exclusive Partner — is stated on every product listing page. Buyers can always see the commercial context in which a listing appears.
The table below summarises every type of commercial relationship ESG Boosters may have with a listed company, what it involves, and whether it affects the scoring process.
| Relationship type | What it involves | Affects score? | Disclosed on listing? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment fee | 2,500 EUR paid by product company to initiate the assessment. Payable regardless of score outcome. | Never | Yes |
| Listed Partner fee | 1,500 EUR listing + 1,500 EUR/year renewal. Paid after the score is agreed and the company decides to publish. | Never | Yes |
| Affiliate / referral arrangement | ESG Boosters earns a referral fee when buyers purchase a product through a platform link. The buyer receives a preferential price. ESG Boosters does not add a margin to the buyer price. | Never | Yes — on listing page and in report |
| Exclusive Partner arrangement | A deeper commercial sales partnership — individually negotiated. ESG Boosters acts as a preferred procurement channel for the product. | Never | Yes — on listing page and in report |
Understanding the assessment sequence makes it clear why commercial pressure cannot influence scores — the decisions are made at different points in the process.
Assessment sequence — fixed and non-negotiable
What an affiliate arrangement means
For selected products, ESG Boosters has an affiliate or referral arrangement with the product company. This means that when a buyer purchases the product through a link on the ESG Boosters platform, ESG Boosters receives a referral fee from the product company.
This fee is paid by the product company — not by the buyer. The buyer's price is not increased as a result of this arrangement. In all cases where an affiliate arrangement exists, this is clearly disclosed on the relevant product listing page and in the full ESG Impact Report.
The existence of an affiliate arrangement has no bearing on the ESG Impact Score awarded to that product. The score is produced before the commercial arrangement is agreed, and the methodology applies identically whether an affiliate arrangement is in place or not.
The ESG Boosters price guarantee
For products where ESG Boosters has an Exclusive Partner arrangement, we have negotiated directly with the supplier to ensure that buyers who purchase through the ESG Boosters platform receive the most competitive price available — better than they would obtain through any other channel.
Exclusive Partner products are clearly identified on listing pages with the Exclusive Partner badge. To access the preferential pricing, follow the purchase link on the product listing page or contact ESG Boosters directly.
ESG Boosters earns a referral fee on completed Exclusive Partner purchases. This fee is disclosed on the listing page. It does not affect the price you pay as a buyer, and it does not affect the score we have awarded to the product.
Factual review — what is permitted
After receiving a draft ESG Impact Report, the product company has the right to request a factual review. The following types of request are considered:
Permitted: Corrections to factual errors (e.g. a certificate number recorded incorrectly, a case study location misstated). Submission of additional evidence that was not included in the original assessment but is relevant to one or more scoring dimensions. Clarification questions about how a specific piece of evidence was assessed.
Not permitted: Requests to change the score on the basis of disagreement with the methodology. Requests to change the score on the basis of commercial considerations ("we are considering a Listed Partner arrangement — can the score be adjusted?"). Requests to omit negative findings from the report. Requests to change dimension weightings for a specific product.
All factual review requests are documented. Where additional evidence is submitted and assessed, the resulting score change (if any) is noted in the report. Where requests are declined, the reason is communicated in writing to the product company.