Finding Emerging ESG Issues Using Datamaran
AEP uses Datamaran to spot human rights as an emerging priority, leading to its first-ever human rights policy in under a year.
Results
"Datamaran made it possible for us to bring forward different issues like human rights and environmental justice. Once we had the tool, we really embedded it in how we share with the executive team."
Overview
American Electric Power (AEP) owns and operates the largest electric transmission system in the US, with distribution networks across 11 states. To identify pressing emerging ESG issues and strengthen its policies, AEP turned to Datamaran for its first materiality assessment.
Challenge
Climate remains a central priority for AEP, but the company needed to stay ahead of ESG risks and opportunities beyond it — in a landscape where ESG regulation has grown roughly tenfold over the past five years.
Solution
AEP's first materiality assessment with Datamaran let the team benchmark its position against peers and identify material issues through deep research into evolving legislation. A Corporate ESG Committee now uses Datamaran to monitor the ESG landscape continuously, working alongside an Enterprise Sustainability Council, an ESG Subcommittee focused on sustainable finance, and a Risk Executive Committee handling climate and ESG risk reporting.
Impact
The assessment surfaced human rights as one of the most prominent emerging issues facing AEP. That insight led directly to the company's first human rights policy, disclosed in its Corporate Sustainability Report roughly a year after the initial assessment — from insight to executive approval.
Results
- Human rights identified as a top emerging issue and translated into policy within about a year
- More than 250 ESG metrics now tracked in AEP's ESG Data Center
- Datamaran insights embedded directly in executive-team reporting
Looking Ahead
AEP continues to rely on Datamaran to monitor the ESG landscape and bring emerging issues — like human rights and environmental justice — into executive-level decision-making before they become urgent.
