Effective date: August 3, 2026
Acceptance of These Terms
By accessing standardesg.org or registering an organization for assessment and certification, you agree to these Terms of Service on behalf of yourself and, if applicable, the organization you represent. If you do not agree, do not use our services.
Who Can Register
Any legal entity, in any industry, may register with Standard ESG for certification. Registration must be made by an individual with authority to bind that entity. You confirm that the information you provide at registration is accurate and that you have the authority to submit it.
Your Account and Roles
Our platform recognizes distinct roles: Company Admin, Company User, Standard ESG Admin, Auditor, and Partner Auditor. Access is scoped to your role and, for company accounts, to your organization's tenant. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account. Notify us promptly of any suspected unauthorized use.
The Certification Service
Standard ESG operates a certification protocol evaluating an organization's sustainability and ethical impact across Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, delivered through industry-specific assessment templates. The service progresses through registration, template binding, a Level 1 questionnaire, internal review, and — at your option — Level 2 document verification and Level 3 on-site assessment, as described in the Standard ESG Certification Protocol. Each certification level yields its own certificate; you are not required to pursue every level.
Assessments are scored against the template version in effect when the assessment begins. Template versions are immutable once published and are content-hashed for traceability, so the specific criteria your assessment was scored against can always be verified.
Accuracy of Submitted Data
You are responsible for the accuracy of all data and documents you submit, including questionnaire answers and evidence uploaded for Level 2 or Level 3. Submitting false, misleading, or fraudulent information is a material breach of these Terms and may result in rejection of your assessment, denial of certification, revocation of an issued certificate, and — where certification has already been issued and relied upon by third parties — such other remedies as are available to us or to affected parties.
Certain findings result in automatic denial of certification at any level regardless of your overall score, including credible evidence or admission of child or forced labour, an undisclosed material legal sanction for environmental crime or corruption, any pillar scoring below the applicable minimum, or failure to complete required indicators. These gates exist to protect the integrity of every certificate we issue, including yours.
Certificates: Issuance, Validity, and Renewal
A certificate is issued for each certification level you complete and pass, subject to internal review (Level 1), document verification (Level 2), or on-site assessment (Level 3) as applicable. Certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue and expire automatically; renewal requires repeating the assessment for your held level against the then-current template version. Certificates and any accompanying reports are retained in your dashboard for the lifetime of your tenant relationship with us.
Revocation
We may revoke a certificate at any time, for cause, including fraud, discovery of a gate violation after issuance, or misuse of your certificate or the Standard ESG badge. Revocation takes effect immediately and is reflected on the public verification page. Revocation does not entitle you to a refund of fees already paid, except as required by applicable law.
Appeals and Complaints
You may appeal a rejection, a score, or a revocation within 30 days of the decision. Appeals are reviewed by a Standard ESG staff member who was not involved in the original decision. Third parties may submit complaints about a certified company through our public site; a substantiated complaint may trigger re-assessment or revocation of your certificate. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of a complaint that may affect your certification status.
Use of Certificates, Scores, and the Standard ESG Badge
If you hold a certificate at Level 2 or above, you may display the associated Standard ESG badge and reference your certification level and score, subject to our separate Certification Mark & Badge Usage Guidelines. You must not represent a certification level or score you do not currently hold, use an expired or revoked certificate as though it were active, or imply that your certification extends to your suppliers or affiliates who have not independently certified.
What Certification Is Not
Standard ESG certification is a proprietary protocol informed by, and compatible with, recognized standards such as ISO 20400, ISO 26000, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, SA8000, GRI, and the IFRS Integrated Reporting Framework. It is not an ISO certification and does not constitute conformity assessment against any ISO standard. Do not represent it as such in your marketing, disclosures, or communications with regulators, investors, or the public.
Confidentiality and Data
Our collection, use, and protection of personal and organizational data, including tenant isolation and what is publicly visible via the verification page, are described in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
Intellectual Property
The Standard ESG name, logo, certification marks, badge designs, and the content of the platform (excluding your own submitted data) are the property of Standard ESG or its licensors. These Terms grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the badge and marks solely as permitted under Section 9 and our badge usage guidelines. All other rights are reserved.
Disclaimers
The certification service is provided "as is." A certificate reflects the certification level and evidence available at the time of assessment; it is not a guarantee of your organization's ongoing conduct, and we make no warranty that certification will result in any particular commercial, regulatory, or financial outcome. Level 1 certificates in particular are explicitly based on self-declared data that has not been independently verified.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:
Standard ESG's total liability arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the certification service, however arising (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise), will not exceed the total fees you paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
Neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, business, or goodwill, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability that cannot be limited or excluded as a matter of applicable law, including liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or gross negligence, or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.
Suspension and Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account for breach of these Terms, including submission of fraudulent data, misuse of the badge or marks, or non-payment of fees. You may close your account at any time; certificate and record retention after closure is described in our Privacy Policy.
Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Before either party commences court proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the certification service through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) chosen by the Standard ESG. Subject to that requirement, and to any mandatory consumer-protection rules that may apply, the state and federal courts located in Sheridan County, Wyoming have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute not resolved through ADR.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "Last updated" date above, and, where required, we will provide additional notice before the change takes effect.
Contact Us
Standard ESG, 32 N Gould St, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States. For legal questions about these Terms, contact [email protected]. For general support, contact [email protected].