ESG has gained a lot of attention in recent times. Today, it is not just investors concerned about sustainable and responsible businesses but employees and consumers too.
This growth in Environmental, Social, and Governance aspects in the corporate world points to one thing; ESG is here to stay and will only grow in the future.
So, what can we expect from the future of corporate ESG? Here are some things we will likely witness from the ESG space going forward:
Greater Technological Advancements & Implementation
Technology is already playing a huge role in corporate ESG. For example, there are already tools and technologies that are helping companies become more energy efficient.
Now, as technology advances, more so in the data analysis space, we are going to see more companies embrace ESG practices in their strategy. Cutting-edge technologies such as AI and machine learning will help businesses quickly and efficiently analyze their sustainability data to figure out where they need to improve.
So, technology will definitely fast-track ESG implementation and, more importantly, drive more corporate transparency and accountability.
Consumers Will Continue to Push ESG Adoption
With greater access to information, more people are learning about their role in environmental and social sustainability. Now, consumers are paying more attention to brands they buy from and are actually willing to even pay a bit more for products and services from ethically responsible companies.
As consumer awareness grows, brands that demonstrate strong environmental awareness and corporate social responsibility will be more likely to attract more customers, retain them, and, more importantly, survive in the future. On the flip side, those that shove ESG to the back seat will struggle to remain competitive and may even lose their market share.
Impact Investors and Shareholder Activists Will Shape the Future of ESG
Perhaps the biggest transformation in the ESG space will come from impact investing and shareholder activism. Impact investing can be defined as the practice of investing in companies, organizations, and funds that prioritize making a positive environmental and social impact on top of generating good financial returns. Shareholder activists have a similar goal as impact investors and use their equity to push organizations to make more environmentally and socially sustainable decisions.
Both terms were once seen as a fad. But the trends have only gained momentum with time and will likely continue growing. So, companies that want to attract investors and satisfy their key stakeholders must commit more substantially to ESG initiatives.
The Future of Corporate ESG Is Promising
Investors, consumers, and other stakeholders are awakening to the growing need to adopt more sustainable business practices for a better world. So, ESG is quickly becoming necessary in a business’s strategy for survival and growth. In the future, we can expect to see more ESG implementation and advancements.
As a company, now is the time to start thinking about how you can adopt ESG initiatives in your operations to align with your investors’ and target market’s values.