The Big So What™

Part 3 of our 4-part ESG Series focuses on activating a compelling sustainability narrative in the dynamic ESG landscape.

As a reminder, our 2023 Global ESG Survey polled and interviewed 155 institutional investors and 103 IR and C-suite executives globally between March 14 and May 17 across more than 30 focus areas relating to ESG.

According to our proprietary research:

• 65% of corporates report receiving more questions in the last 12 months about ESG from investors
• Nearly half of all corporate ESG actions registered double-digit increases in corporate activity vs. our 2021 Study, led by 89% identifying ESG factors, 80% publishing an ESG report, and 76% conducting ongoing ESG dialogue with investors
• Nearly all communication channels registered an increase in ESG messaging incorporation vs. our 2021 Study, led by 16-point increases in both the Investor Presentation and the Annual Report
• According to corporate issuers, leading ESG communication channels are the Corporate Website (96%), the ESG Report (87%), and the Investor Presentation (74%)
• As for investors, leading sources for ESG information are the ESG Report (72%), Investor Presentation (48%), and the Earnings Call (45%), the latter being a notable disconnect between the two camps – #3 for investors but #9 for corporate issuers in terms of importance
• While the ESG Report is cited by investors as the leading source of information used to evaluate a company’s ESG progress and efforts, just 20% report always reading it, emphasizing the need to distill key ESG messaging throughout various communication channels

If you’d like to learn more about our industry-leading ESG research and/or our valued-added ESG Advisory Services, contact us by filling out the form below.