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
Attribute Cleartraced Human Analyst Legacy Data Provider In-house AI Tool
Accuracy 100% — AI + human review Variable — human, inconsistent Variable — human, black box Unverified outputs
Company coverage Unlimited Moderate — scales with headcount Moderate — large-cap focus only Limited — fixed at setup
Datapoint coverage Unlimited — 250+ plus custom Moderate — flexible, but slow Limited — fixed schema Limited — fixed at build
Update frequency Continuous — AI agents track financial calendar dates 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

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

Unlimited


Moderate

Scales with headcount


Moderate

Large-cap focus only


Limited

Fixed at setup

Datapoint coverage



Unlimited

250+ plus custom


Moderate

Flexible, but slow


Limited

Fixed schema


Limited

Fixed at build

Update frequency



Continuous

AI Agents track financial calendar dates


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

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

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?+
You can, but it requires significant engineering investment, ongoing maintenance, and a dedicated validation layer to ensure accuracy. Most in-house AI tools lack the human verification step needed for regulatory-grade data. Cleartraced provides a ready-made solution with continuous updates, unlimited coverage, and zero client-side labour.

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.