Last Updated July 13, 2023
Markets rise and fall, and investment trends come and go. While these short-term fluctuations have an impact on a company’s day-to-day stock valuation, they do not accurately reflect the long-term investment potential of an organization.
When investors want to lock in a company’s future stability and growth potential, one of the best measures available is the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) profile.
This regularly updated post will serve as your hub to find the latest news and trends around ESG, and what business leaders need to know.
What Is ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)?
ESG is a framework for evaluating a company’s long-term health and prosperity as defined by its environmental, social, and governance behaviors. While each component is evaluated individually, investors are looking for strong performance in all three areas:
- Environmental: Management of an organization's direct and indirect environmental impact.
- Social: Assessment of an organization’s relationships with its employees, customers, suppliers, partners, and communities as well as the social impact of its operations on the surrounding area.
- Governance: How a company’s leadership and the board of directors run the organization, including business ethics and oversight of environmental and social impacts.
ESG Trends and News
ESG investing is becoming a standard practice around the world, primarily driven by a mix of investor demand and increased regulation.
Other key drivers of ESG adoption include consumers becoming more conscious of the environmental and social impacts of their purchasing decisions, stakeholders exerting pressure on companies to enact more sustainable practices, and a demonstrated correlation between strong ESG performance and financial outperformance over the long term.
With so much changing in the ESG landscape, keeping up with news and trends is more important than ever. Check this space regularly, as we’ll update it on a routine basis to capture important developments in this fast-changing market.
Emerging Trends in ESG Governance for 2023
Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, March 26, 2023
Expanding on a memorandum by Maureen Bunjo and Kristen Sulivan of Deloitte & Touche LLP, as well as research from many other thought leaders in the ESG field, this post offers a detailed overview of emerging trends for the governance pillar of ESG in 2023.
5 Sustainable Investing Trends for Companies and Investors
Morgan Stanley, February 1, 2023
Highlights of the top five sustainable finance trends for 2023, as identified by sustainability leaders at Morgan Stanley. The trends include the need for capital to drive systemic sustainability improvements, the focus on addressing the intersections of sustainability issues, the demand for better impact and performance data from retail investors, the changing landscape for institutional investors in sustainable investing, and the integration of ESG as a top-down strategy for companies.
Blues of Green Roles: India Inc Struggles With ESG Talent Gap
The Economic Times, India, July 3, 2023
In what is sure to be a trend that repeats globally, the surging demand for skilled professionals in climate science and ESG standards in India is being met with a significant shortage of qualified candidates. To bridge the talent gap, companies are providing executive training and collaborating with experienced firms.
Analysis: Top Client ESG Concern Is Regulatory Compliance
Bloomberg Law, May 18, 2023
Abigail Gampher, Legal Analyst at Bloomberg Law explains how the delays in the SEC's climate rule and various state legislative proposals are creating uncertainty in the ESG regulatory landscape, driving corporations to seek legal guidance on ESG regulation and associated risks to their reputation.
ESG Impact Must Be Central to Brand Reputation to Withstand Shifting Cultural Landscapes
PR News Online, June 26, 2023
This public relations perspective on ESG examines the growing pressure on organizations to address their ESG initiatives in light of increasing social issues such as diversity and climate change. It highlights the shift of ESG from a financial topic to a central theme in political news coverage and the rising focus of business leaders on social impact and ESG thought leadership.
IIA ESG Global Survey Reports ESG’s Future in Global Investment Portfolios Rises
Monitor Daily, June 30, 2023
An overview of the Index Industry Association's (IIA) third annual ESG Global Survey of Asset Managers, which reveals that asset managers are increasingly prioritizing ESG criteria in their investment strategies, with the majority stating that ESG has become more important over the past year. The survey also explores the expansion of ESG into asset classes such as commodities and the impact of emerging technologies on ESG measurement and reporting.
ESG Resources and Additional Reading
Want to explore the topic of ESG more in-depth? We’ve pulled together some resources to get you started.
- ESG: Your Guide to Next-Level Sustainability (Ebook)
- Gain a deeper understanding of what ESG is and why it has become a key framework in evaluating the health and resiliency of a business’s operations.
- Guide to Creating an ESG Action Plan (Guide)
- A thorough guide on how to create your own ESG action plan. This ebook includes examples of completed action plans and a template for laying out your own action plan.
- The Difference Between ESG and SRI, and How They Impact Investing (Antea Group Blog, September 6, 2022)
- Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) are not the same. Learn how these business sustainability terms differ.
- 10 Top Newsletters Addressing Key ESG Topics (Antea Group Blog, July 25, 2022)
- Stay up to speed on the fast-changing world of environmental, social, and governance with this rundown of ESG trends and developments
- ESG Due Diligence: How Proposed Regulations Are Driving Action (June 7th, 2022)
- Proposed regulations and guidelines will lead to more stringent ESG reporting requirements for organizations around the world. Learn more about what’s coming.
- The Crucial ESG Topics to Focus On Right Now (Antea Group Blog, January 16, 2022)
- ESG casts a wide net. In this post we explain how to prioritize and strategize successfully.
- How to Use ESG Risk Analysis to Identify Investment Opportunities (Inogen Alliance Blog, January 13, 2023)
- Learn how ESG risk analysis relates to profitability, and why a strong ESG rating correlates with a good investment opportunity.
- How to Use ESG Risk Analysis to Identify Investment Opportunities (Inogen Alliance Blog, November 8, 2022)
- ESG has become an integral part of sustainable business practices. Learn more about how your organization can benefit.
- CSR vs ESG: Global Perspectives on These Approaches (Inogen Alliance Blog, October 22, 2022)
- Businesses often lack clarity around the difference between CSR and ESG, often driven by regional variations in understanding, policies, and practices.
- Shifting Mindsets to ESG Approaches in Business (Inogen Alliance Blog, August 8, 2022)
- Guest Author Dan Bena, Purpose and ESG Executive, focuses on how one major aspect may be missing in achieving sustainable results and becoming a leader in the ESG space: shifting mindset.
- ESG drivers highlight value of cross-border partnerships (Inogen Alliance Blog, May 10, 2022)
- Forming partnerships with firms based in other countries helps consulting firms to expand the expertise on offer and provide a more localized service wherever the client is operating, especially so when it comes to ESG consulting.
- Global ESG Trends in 2022 (Inogen Alliance Blog, April 19, 2022)
- This article explores some of the most pressing ESG trends and insights discussed at the Inogen Alliance Spring Meeting across the global environment, health, safety, and sustainability consultants.
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