How to get ESG data

ESG Data Provider Comparison:
AI vs Manual vs Legacy

Manual collection has been the industry benchmark for ESG data, but it’s hitting its limits. Below we compare four approaches across accuracy, coverage, traceability, and cost.

ESG Data Provider Comparison
AttributeCleartracedHuman AnalystLegacy Data ProviderIn-house AI Tool
Accuracy100%: AI + human reviewVariable: human, inconsistentVariable: human, black boxUnverified outputs
Company coverageUnlimited: any disclosing companyModerate: scales with headcountModerate: large cap and listed focusLimited: fixed at setup
Datapoint coverageUnlimited: Any, currently 250 pre-trained and growingModerate: flexible, but slowLimited: fixed schemaLimited: fixed at build
Update frequencyContinuous: AI agents track financial calendar datesLimited: manual, ad hocLimited: annual cyclesModerate: requires redeployment
Source traceabilityFull: click-to-source on every datapointPoor: analyst-dependentNone: black box methodologyPartial: depends on implementation
Labour intensivenessNone: no client effortVery high: full-time team neededModerate: low, with hidden overheadHigh: high build + maintenance

Attribute

Cleartraced

Cleartraced

AI + Human = Best

Human Analyst

In-house research team

Legacy Data Provider

The usual suspects…

AI

In-house AI Tool

Internally built pipeline

Accuracy

100%

AI + human review

Variable

Human, inconsistent

Variable

Human, black box

Unverified

Unverified outputs

Company coverage

Unlimited

Any disclosing company

Moderate

Scales with headcount

Moderate

Large cap and listed focus

Limited

Fixed at setup

Datapoint coverage

Unlimited

Any, currently 250 pre-trained and growing

Moderate

Flexible, but slow

Limited

Fixed schema

Limited

Fixed at build

Update frequency

Continuous

Report release dates are automatically tracked

Limited

Manual, ad hoc

Limited

Annual cycles

Moderate

Requires redeployment

Source traceability

Full

Click-to-source on every datapoint

Poor

Analyst-dependent

None

Black box methodology

Partial

Depends on implementation

Labour intensiveness

None

No client effort

Very High

Full-time team needed

Moderate

Low, with hidden overhead

High

High build + maintenance

Ratings reflect general market observations. Specific capabilities vary by vendor and use case. Book a call to discuss your specific needs.

Why accuracy and source traceability matter

Proprietary scores and estimates no longer meet the standard. Regulators expect source-traceable raw data. For example, under the EBA’s ESG risk management guidelines, banks must demonstrate that their ESG data is verifiable and audit-ready.

Read about EBA guidelines →

The cost of manual ESG data collection

Whether done in-house or through a legacy vendor, manual data collection is limited by human capacity. Coverage is capped by headcount, updates lag by months, and scaling requires linear cost increases. AI-powered extraction removes these constraints.

How our technology works →

Choosing the right approach for your institution

The right ESG data solution depends on your coverage needs, compliance requirements, and internal capacity. Cleartraced offers unlimited coverage, continuous updates, and audit-grade traceability, without internal infrastructure.

Explore our ESG data service →

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Why is AI-extracted ESG data more accurate than manual collection?+
AI extraction eliminates human transcription errors: misread numbers, unit mix-ups, and misclassified metrics. Combined with human-in-the-loop verification, AI-powered platforms like Cleartraced achieve near-perfect accuracy while maintaining full source traceability for every datapoint.
What is the difference between Cleartraced and legacy ESG data providers?+
Legacy providers typically rely on manual data collection, deliver proprietary scores rather than raw data, and offer no source traceability. Cleartraced uses AI to extract structured datapoints directly from company disclosures, with every value linked to its exact source page and paragraph. No scores, no proxies, no black boxes.
Can I build my own in-house AI tool for ESG data extraction?+
Recent advances in AI and automation have significantly lowered the barrier to building software, and AI agents now support decision-makers across many functions. Building a harnessed, perfected and scalable solution that simply does not accept errors, and that operates independently on any format, any company big or small, and any language, is a different undertaking. We started building ours in early 2024 and still have loads of improvements ahead that we look forward to. Using Cleartraced means no engineering investment, no ongoing maintenance and no validation layer to staff, with continuous updates and unlimited coverage from day one.
Cleartraced logo

Still not convinced?

This is the future of ESG data.
Let us show you.

Book a meeting and we’ll walk you through Cleartraced with your actual companies and datapoints, including a free sample dataset so you can judge the quality yourself.