Maala – Business for Social Responsibility – is a non-profit corporate membership organization promoting sustainability and corporate responsibility in Israel. Founded in 1998, Maala is considered as the Israeli standards-setting organization, annually publishing the Maala ESG Index on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Maala also serves as a ‘hub’ of the Israeli CSR community within Israel and in representing Israel within global CSR and sustainability networks.
Key work & activities
Corporate Network
Comprised of around 130 of Israel’s leading large and mid-size companies, the network serves as a platform for networking, mutual learning and being part to the Israeli ESG and sustainability community.
Maala ESG Index
Maala has developed an ESG rating system that annually rates around 25% of the largest companies in Israel. The rating serves as a management system to implement and measure Environmental, Social and Governance standards (ESG). The uniqueness of the system is both in the process that determines local priorities and in the computerized model that does the analysis.
Release of the Maala ESG Index results, 2018. Photo: Ilan Spira
Based on the annual rating, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) has created a family of ESG Indexes, comprised of two Tel Bond Maala indices (Tel Bond-Shekel Maala SRI; Tel Bond-CPI Linked Maala SRI), alongside the “TA-Maala” ESG Equity index. Since its launch in 2005, the TA-Maala index has outperformed the traditional market indices.
Global Network
Maala is part of a global network of organizations promoting ESG and sustainability, including: BSR, UN Global Compact, Globescan, CECP Global Exchange, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – Global Network, GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), and CSR360.
Maala International Conference
The Maala International Conference is the main annual arena for the ESG community in Israel. The conference is uniquely designed as a gathering of professional and theme-based ‘communities’, each advancing sustainability values & priorities amongst global and Israeli businesses. With the overall theme of ‘Innovation for Good Life’, the conference has established itself as a Gateway to ESG and sustainability in Israel, featuring hundreds of participants from Israeli and global businesses, investors, civil society and government.
Maala International Conference, 2018. Photo: Netanel Tobias
The conference’s first day is comprised of short power-presentations and ‘fire-chats’, followed by multiple dialogue sessions. The second day offers field tours that showcase a range of innovative Israeli sustainability models, including in social innovation, corporate approaches to helping workers learn new skills, and sustainable business models in food, healthcare, water, smart cities and more.
Maala-Globescan Radar – public expectations of businesses
Maala-Globescan Radar is a global public opinion survey analyzing societal attitudes, expectations and trust of businesses, as well as material issues on the public agenda. The Israeli survey questions have been adapted from the international GlobeScan Radar methodology by Rotem AR Advanced Marketing Research. The survey, which has been conducted annually since 2014, links between public expectations and businesses’ “social license to operate” – a term that embodies a component of legitimacy awarded be the public to any business, beyond formal regulations and licensing.
CSR professionals training course
Maala, in collaboration with BDO Israel, operates an annual training course for CSR professionals. The course is comprised of meetups and talks with leading CEOs and executives in the Israeli market; visiting corporate sites; learning about CSR and sustainability best-practices in Israel, and more.
