Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

The iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA.US) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) designed to provide investors with exposure to Ethereum.

The provided articles are primarily prospectuses and financial details for this investment product. The company's business model as an ETF does not involve consumer lending, deposit services, or other direct financial services to individuals that would typically generate data for the KPIs under the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value. Consequently, there is no evidence in the provided materials to score any of the KPIs in the rubric, as they are not applicable to the nature of ETHA.US's operations.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

ETHA.US (iShares Ethereum Trust) is a financial instrument, specifically an exchange-traded fund (ETF), designed to hold Ethereum.

As a financial trust, ETHA.US does not have its own operational workforce or employees. Therefore, all KPIs related to fair pay and worker respect, which pertain to a company's direct workforce and labor practices, are not applicable to ETHA.US.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

The iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA.US) is an ETF tracking a digital asset, Ethereum. As such, it does not procure or trade physical commodities, leading to N/A scores for KPIs related to physical supply chains like fair trade certification, traceability coverage, materials risk index, and supplier diversity spend.

BlackRock, the manager, reported zero modern slavery or related issues through its Whistleblower Program in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and states no incidents were reported in its 2024 Modern Slavery Statement. BlackRock also maintains processes to assess slavery and human trafficking risks in its supply chain. However, only 75% of BlackRock Australia's high-risk suppliers responded to a questionnaire in 2022, and 29% in 2023, which is the closest available proxy for ethical clause coverage in contracts, indicating that not all suppliers have confirmed adherence to ethical terms. No specific data on audit frequency or remediation speed for BlackRock's suppliers is provided.

Honest & Fair Business

BlackRock has a Global Policy for Reporting Illegal or Unethical Conduct, stating it will not retaliate against employees for good faith reports and allows anonymous reporting to regulators.

However, a former BlackRock vice president sued BlackRock for $20 million, claiming he was fired after objecting to a colleague's self-dealing, which suggests potential issues with the policy's practical application. BlackRock also has a Global Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy prohibiting payments to influence public or private sector persons. The lawsuit alleges "illegal self-dealing" related to a $2 million contract awarded to Rightpoint, which could indicate a breach of anti-corruption principles.

Kind to Animals

The iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA.US) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that provides exposure to the price of Ethereum. The provided articles consistently state that there is no information available or that the metrics are not applicable to the company's operations. As a financial instrument, ETHA.US does not engage in activities such as product manufacturing, animal testing, animal agriculture, or sourcing of animal-derived ingredients. The fund explicitly states it "does not seek to follow a sustainable, impact or ESG investment strategy."

Therefore, all KPIs related to animal welfare are not applicable to its core business model.

No War, No Weapons

ETHA.US is an iShares Ethereum Trust, a financial instrument designed to provide investors with exposure to the price of Ethereum.

As an investment trust, its core business does not involve operational activities such as arms manufacturing, defense contracts, R&D of dual-use technologies, direct sales, procurement, or lobbying. Consequently, all KPIs related to military, defense, or conflict-facilitating operations are not applicable to its business model.

Safe & Smart Tech

The Trust's Ether Custodian keeps all private keys in cold storage, generated offline, and protected by multiple encrypted private key shards, indicating early adoption of enhanced encryption standards for critical assets.

Private keys are generated in offline computers or devices not connected to the internet, enhancing authentication security. The Sponsor believes these security procedures are reasonably designed to safeguard the Trust’s ether, and critical vulnerabilities are patched within 3-7 days on average. The Ether Custodian’s internal audit team performs periodic internal audits over custody operations, and external SOC attestations cover private key management controls. The Prime Execution Agent, Ether Custodian, and Ether Trading Counterparties have adopted and implemented anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs. The Trust’s activities are limited to issuing, selling, delivering, receiving, buying, and selling ether for Baskets, indicating good data minimization practices. All aspects of the CF Benchmarks Index Methodology, which the Trust uses, are publicly available on the Index Provider's website.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The provided article focuses exclusively on the energy consumption and carbon emissions of the Ethereum blockchain network, particularly after 'The Merge'.

It explicitly states that it does not contain data relevant to waste management or sustainable products for ETHA.US. As ETHA.US is a financial instrument (an ETF), many of the KPIs related to physical products, packaging, and waste management are not applicable to its direct operations. No evidence was found to assess ETHA.US against any of the KPIs for the 'Zero Waste & Sustainable Products' ethical value.