The Pragmatic Sustainability Era: Aligning Purpose, Performance, and Value
Sustainability has entered a new era
The 2025 Biennial Global Investor and Corporate Sustainability Survey, supported by Corbin’s proprietary Voice of Investor® research, delivers a comprehensive perspective on sustainability sentiment, priorities, and performance across global capital markets.
Investors who believe integrating ESG into core business strategy will lead to outperformance in long-term, with an additional 10% expecting it in the medium term
Investors that report ESG is a factor in investment decisions; 28% report it is important or critical
Corporates that report anti-ESG activism / political discourse has not led to change internally
Corporates who note that sustainability work is continuing as before or ramping up, even amid a complex backdrop
Sustainability has entered a new era
The 2025 Biennial Global Investor and Corporate Sustainability Survey, supported by Corbin’s proprietary Voice of Investor® research, delivers a comprehensive perspective on sustainability sentiment, priorities, and performance across global capital markets.
The findings illuminate alignment and disconnects between corporate practice and investor expectations, what areas matter most, and how leaders can focus on meaningful relevance, amidst a complicated backdrop, to create competitive advantage and value.
The survey reflects input from 85 institutional investors representing more than $4.3 trillion in combined assets under management, with an average tenure of over 14 years, along with 40 corporate leaders across sectors and market capitalizations from ~$200 million to $100 billion, including leaders in Sustainability, Governance, and Investor Relations.
Key Findings:
- Recalibration, Not Retreat: While external communications have become more measured in specific areas, 97% of corporates report that momentum on internal sustainability initiatives is holding or strengthening
- Governance Anchors Analysis: 68% of investors reaffirm Governance as the most important ESG pillar, with the need for high-quality environmental data growing in the face of new reporting requirements
- Focus on Value Creation: 55% of investors believe companies integrating ESG into strategy will outperform in the long term — up sharply from 39% in 2023 – with an additional 10% seeing value in the medium term
- Disconnect on Alpha: 51% of investors now see ESG as a contributor to alpha and total shareholder return, up from 29%; this compares to just 16% of corporates, down from 33% in 2023
The findings illuminate alignment and disconnects between corporate practice and investor expectations, what areas matter most, and how leaders can focus on meaningful relevance, amidst a complicated backdrop, to create competitive advantage and value.
The survey reflects input from 85 institutional investors representing more than $4.3 trillion in combined assets under management, with an average tenure of over 14 years, along with 40 corporate leaders across sectors and market capitalizations from ~$200 million to $100 billion, including leaders in Sustainability, Governance, and Investor Relations.
Key Findings:
- Recalibration, Not Retreat: While external communications have become more measured in specific areas, 97% of corporates report that momentum on internal sustainability initiatives is holding or strengthening
- Governance Anchors Analysis: 68% of investors reaffirm Governance as the most important ESG pillar, with the need for high-quality environmental data growing in the face of new reporting requirements
- Focus on Value Creation: 55% of investors believe companies integrating ESG into strategy will outperform in the long term — up sharply from 39% in 2023 – with an additional 10% seeing value in the medium term
- Disconnect on Alpha: 51% of investors now see ESG as a contributor to alpha and total shareholder return, up from 29%; this compares to just 16% of corporates, down from 33% in 2023
About Corbin Advisors
Corbin Advisors is a strategic investor relations and investor communications advisory firm with a track record of supporting our publicly traded clients in creating sustained shareholder value. Our approach leverages decades of Voice of Investor® (VOI) research and data-driven insights; capital markets expertise and deep best practice knowledge; and a proven playbook and passion for client outperformance. We are a trusted advisor and partner to boards of directors, executive leaders, and investor relations professionals, serving a broad range of companies globally across sectors, sizes, and situations. Through defining the standard of excellence and challenging conventional thinking, we enable our clients to boldly differentiate their equity brand, maximize valuation, and build more durable franchises.
Corbin Advisors. Outperformance Built on Trust®.
About Corbin Advisors
Corbin Advisors is a strategic investor relations and investor communications advisory firm with a track record of supporting our publicly traded clients in creating sustained shareholder value. Our approach leverages decades of Voice of Investor® (VOI) research and data-driven insights; capital markets expertise and deep best practice knowledge; and a proven playbook and passion for client outperformance. We are a trusted advisor and partner to boards of directors, executive leaders, and investor relations professionals, serving a broad range of companies globally across sectors, sizes, and situations. Through defining the standard of excellence and challenging conventional thinking, we enable our clients to boldly differentiate their equity brand, maximize valuation, and build more durable franchises.
Corbin Advisors. Outperformance Built on Trust®.