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  3. 2020年以来碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露跨学科发展趋势报告

2020年以来碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露跨学科发展趋势报告

深度研究Suppr助手发表于 2026年05月06日 15:3415阅读
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1. 2020年以来领域发展的政策背景

1.1 全球气候治理框架下的协同政策体系

2020年以来,全球气候治理进程显著加速,推动了碳市场、气候金融和企业ESG信息披露领域的协同发展。联合国气候大会(Conference of the Parties, COP)在此过程中扮演了核心角色,其通过的各项决议为全球应对气候变化设定了方向性目标和实施框架。例如,《巴黎协定》作为全球气候治理的关键里程碑,其核心在于通过国家自主贡献(NDCs)机制,推动各国制定并实施温室气体减排目标,并要求定期盘点进展,这为后续碳市场和气候金融的发展奠定了基础 1。尽管《巴黎协定》在许多具体议题上尚缺乏明确性,但这反而为成员国在国家层面探索更具操作性的政策工具留下了空间 1。

在此背景下,全球主要经济体纷纷加强了碳市场建设,将其作为实现减排目标的关键工具。欧盟碳排放交易体系(EU ETS)持续深化,并计划扩大覆盖范围和收紧碳配额总量。与此同时,中国全国碳市场的上线运行,标志着全球最大的碳市场正式启动,对全球碳价形成和碳减排路径产生了深远影响 2。这些碳市场的设计,通常包含了配额分配、交易机制、 MRV(测量、报告、核查)体系等要素,旨在通过市场化手段激励企业减排。

气候金融作为支撑气候行动的资金保障,在政策层面也得到了前所未有的重视。国际组织和各国政府积极推动绿色债券、气候债务置换等创新金融工具的发展 34。例如,在COP26等会议上,气候资金的规模和可及性一直是讨论的焦点,旨在确保发展中国家有能力开展气候适应和减缓活动。政策制定者认识到,仅依靠公共资金不足以弥补巨大的气候资金缺口,因此,通过政策引导和激励,吸引私人资本投向气候友好型项目成为气候金融政策的重要方向。其中,发展绿色金融体系以最大限度地发挥政策工具的积极影响,被认为是促进绿色创新和减排的最佳方式之一 5。

此外,企业ESG(环境、社会和治理)信息披露正从自愿走向强制,成为全球监管的趋势。国际财务报告准则基金会(IFRS Foundation)成立国际可持续发展准则理事会(ISSB),旨在制定全球统一的ESG披露标准,这预示着未来企业将面临更加严格和统一的披露要求。例如,美国证券交易委员会(SEC)对气候相关披露的提案,以及欧洲银行在金融动荡期间对ESG策略的重视,都反映出监管机构对提升ESG信息透明度、可比性和可靠性的决心 67。这些政策的出台,旨在将气候风险和机遇纳入企业决策和投资考量,并通过信息披露引导资本流向更可持续的经济活动。全球范围内对ESG报告的需求不断增长,利益相关方要求更相关、准确的数据,同时监管机构也在不断加强要求 8。

总体而言,2020年以来,全球气候治理框架下的政策体系呈现出高度协同的特征,即通过碳市场提供经济激励、气候金融输送资金支持、ESG信息披露保障透明度,共同构建了一个多层次、全方位的气候行动政策矩阵。这些政策相互促进、相互影响,共同推动全球向低碳、可持续发展转型。

1.2 中国双碳目标下的政策演进路径

中国作为全球最大的发展中国家和碳排放国,自2020年提出“力争2030年前实现碳达峰、2060年前实现碳中和”的“双碳”目标以来 9,围绕碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露的政策体系建设步伐显著加快,并逐步形成了具有中国特色的政策演进路径。

在碳市场方面,中国碳市场拍卖机制的设计和试点工作正在不断推进 10。全国碳市场的建立,旨在通过市场机制控制和减少温室气体排放,推动企业主动进行技术升级和能源结构调整。其政策演进主要体现在:初期以配额分配和履约机制为主,逐步探索引入碳期货等金融产品,并不断完善配额分配方法和交易规则,为后续扩大覆盖行业范围奠定基础。

绿色金融改革创新方面,中国政府自2016年起就在多地设立绿色金融改革创新试验区,推动绿色金融产品和服务创新。2020年以来,相关政策进一步细化,例如中国人民银行等部门发布多项指导意见,鼓励金融机构加大对绿色产业的信贷支持,发展绿色债券、绿色保险、绿色信托等产品。研究表明,绿色金融政策显著降低了重污染企业的债务融资成本 11,并能有效提升企业的绿色创新绩效,尤其是在国有企业和外部融资依赖度高的企业中表现更为显著 12。这些政策通过降低绿色项目融资门槛,激励企业开展绿色转型 13。例如,绿色金融政策能够提升制造业的绿色创新效率 14。

在上市公司ESG信息披露方面,中国证监会和沪深交易所逐步强化对企业ESG信息披露的要求。虽然目前尚未强制所有上市公司披露ESG报告,但鼓励和引导企业积极披露已成为主流趋势。例如,2022年,沪深交易所发布了修订后的《上市公司自律监管指引》,明确要求上市公司披露社会责任履行情况,并鼓励披露碳排放信息。这些政策有助于提升环境信息透明度,并对企业财务违规行为产生影响 15。强制披露政策的出台,对于解决信息不对称问题,提升ESG信息的可信度和可比性至关重要 1617。

中国“双碳”目标下的政策体系展现出显著的协同效应和落地要求:

  • 碳市场与气候金融的协同:碳市场为碳排放设定了价格信号,而绿色金融则为企业实现减排目标提供了资金支持。例如,企业可以通过绿色信贷或发行绿色债券来融资,用于碳减排技术的研发和应用,从而降低在碳市场中的履约成本 18。同时,气候金融工具的创新,如转型金融,正在为高碳企业向低碳转型提供资金支持,避免“搁浅资产”的风险。
  • ESG信息披露的支撑作用:ESG信息披露为碳市场和气候金融的有效运行提供了基础数据和透明度保障。企业披露的碳排放数据是碳市场配额分配和履约的重要依据;高质量的ESG报告则能帮助金融机构评估企业的环境风险和绿色投资价值,从而引导资金流向ESG表现优异的企业 19。政策还鼓励企业在ESG报告中涵盖碳中和目标、能源转型路径等关键信息,以提升信息披露的全面性和有效性 20。
  • 政策工具的综合运用:中国在实现“双碳”目标的过程中,注重多项政策工具的协调配合,包括能源转型政策 2122、节能减排政策 23、工业结构调整和低碳技术发展等 9。这种综合性的政策体系,旨在从宏观战略到微观实施层面,全面推动经济社会发展绿色转型。通过法律保障、碳交易市场、企业碳排放标准和公众教育等多种手段,中国正努力构建一个全方位的“双碳”实现路径 9。

总而言之,中国在“双碳”目标驱动下,正逐步构建一个以全国碳市场为核心,以绿色金融为支撑,以ESG信息披露为规范的,多层次、宽领域、强协同的政策体系,以期通过市场化、金融化和规范化的手段,共同推动经济社会的绿色低碳转型。

2. 研究主题演化与跨学科融合特征

2.1 2020年以来的研究阶段划分

2020年以来,碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域的研究呈现出显著的阶段性特征。这一时期全球气候治理的紧迫性日益凸显,特别是在《巴黎协定》深化实施和各国“碳中和”目标驱动下,相关研究迅速增长,并表现出从单一领域关注向跨领域协同融合的演变趋势。根据研究焦点和政策背景的演化,可以将2020年至今的研究大致划分为两个阶段:

第一阶段:2020-2022年为政策响应阶段,核心研究方向围绕单一领域的运行机制构建。
在这一时期,各国政府和国际组织积极出台和完善碳市场、气候金融及ESG信息披露的政策框架,学术研究也主要聚焦于这些单一领域的内部机制、有效性评估及初期影响。

  • 碳市场领域:研究重点关注碳排放交易体系的设计原理、配额分配机制的效率与公平性、碳价格波动的影响因素及其对企业减排行为的激励作用等。例如,中国全国碳市场的上线,引发了大量关于其运行机制、履约成本、对企业竞争力影响以及与区域碳市场协调发展的研究。
  • 气候金融领域:此阶段气候金融的研究仍处于快速发展初期,主要探索绿色金融工具(如绿色债券、绿色信贷)的市场接受度、发行机制、环境效益评估以及如何吸引私人资本参与气候项目。有研究指出,2020年后该领域的研究产出显著增加,表明可持续金融机制的重要性日益提升 24。文献计量分析也显示,这一时期环境金融(environmental finance)的研究,尤其是在气候金融、可持续金融、企业价值、气候风险和绿色债券等新兴主题方面增长迅速 25。
  • ESG信息披露领域:研究集中于探讨ESG评级的差异性、ESG表现对企业财务绩效的影响、自愿性披露向强制性披露转变的挑战以及监管政策对企业披露行为的规制作用。例如,有研究分析了ESG评级标准缺乏共通性导致机构对同一公司看法相悖,以及评级不一致如何影响可持续投资的有效性 26。同时,企业如何响应ESG评级以及其对企业可持续发展表现的影响也受到关注 27。

总体而言,此阶段的研究更多是对政策出台的即时响应和对单一领域基础运行逻辑的深入剖析,旨在为新兴政策的完善提供理论支撑和实证依据。

第二阶段:2023年至今为价值协同阶段,研究重点转向三类领域的联动效应与价值传导机制。
随着各项政策的逐步落地和实践经验的积累,学术界开始更加关注碳市场、气候金融与ESG信息披露之间的内在联系、相互作用及其产生的协同价值。

  • 跨领域融合研究成为主流:研究不再局限于单一工具或政策,而是探讨三者如何共同作用以推动可持续发展。例如,有研究开始关注机器学习在气候金融中的应用,并将其与碳市场、ESG因素及投资等领域结合起来 282930。这表明,研究范式正从孤立分析转向系统性整合,以应对大数据和复杂非线性关系建模的需求。
  • 价值传导机制与有效性评估:本阶段的研究深入探讨了碳定价如何通过气候金融工具引导资金流向,以及ESG信息披露如何提升市场透明度进而影响企业融资成本和投资决策。例如,有研究讨论了ESG不确定性及其对估值的影响,特别是在欧盟银行业中的体现 31。此外,强制性ESG披露政策对缓解信息不对称、提升企业透明度的作用也受到关注 3233。
  • 新兴主题与前瞻性探索:例如,转型金融作为连接传统高碳产业向低碳转型的桥梁,其边界、标准和实施效果成为研究热点。同时,针对“漂绿”(Greenwashing)现象的识别、规制和影响也受到学界的广泛关注,以确保政策工具的有效性和可信度 3435。机构投资者在应对气候变化中的作用,以及ESG评级机构、漂绿现象和ESG产品信任度丧失风险等问题,也成为重要研究方向 36。

总而言之,从2020年到2022年,研究主要聚焦于碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露各自的独立机制和政策响应;而2023年至今,研究则更侧重于探索这三者之间的协同作用、价值传导路径以及在实现“双碳”目标过程中的整体效能,体现出更为成熟和综合性的研究视角。

2.2 跨学科融合的核心特征

碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露这三个领域,其研究的快速发展和演化,显著体现出跨学科融合的趋势。这不仅是由于解决气候变化这一复杂全球性问题需要多维度视角,更在于这三个领域本身就具有高度的交叉性和关联性。具体而言,该领域的研究广泛吸纳了环境科学、金融学、管理学、法学等多个学科的理论与方法,形成了独特的融合逻辑和应用场景。

环境科学在这一融合中扮演了基础性角色。碳市场和气候金融的核心目标是应对气候变化,这离不开对温室气体排放的准确量化、气候变化影响的科学评估以及减排技术的环境效益分析。环境科学提供了碳排放核算(如碳足迹分析37)、气候模型预测、生态系统服务价值评估等方法,为碳配额设定、绿色项目筛选和气候风险评估提供了科学依据。例如,通过生命周期评估(LCA)等环境科学方法,可以识别企业产品或服务的全生命周期碳排放,进而指导企业制定减排策略并纳入ESG信息披露。

金融学是气候金融和碳市场运作的内在逻辑支柱。金融学理论,包括资产定价、风险管理、投资组合理论、公司金融等,被广泛应用于碳市场中的碳价格波动分析、碳资产的风险收益评估、气候债券和绿色信贷的定价机制研究。气候金融作为一个新兴的跨学科研究领域,其文献数量在过去十年中呈指数级增长,尤其关注企业社会责任、气候谈判、天然气价格波动以及成本比较等主题25。近期的研究热点则聚焦于气候金融、可持续金融、企业价值、气候风险和绿色债券等25。金融工程和计量经济学方法用于分析绿色金融工具的有效性、气候风险的传导机制以及转型金融的资金配置效率。例如,研究探讨了金融科技(Fintech)如何通过缓解融资约束、提高能源效率和促进绿色创新来降低企业碳排放38。

管理学则侧重于企业层面的战略响应、内部治理和运营优化。ESG信息披露本身就是公司治理(Governance)的重要组成部分,管理学理论如利益相关者理论、资源基础理论、制度理论等,被用来解释企业进行ESG披露的动因、披露内容对企业声誉和市场价值的影响、以及如何构建有效的可持续供应链管理体系。研究发现,ESG披露能提升企业经济、环境和社会的可持续发展绩效39,并对企业价值产生不同程度的影响,例如通过增加利益相关者的信任40。此外,管理学也关注企业在碳市场中的碳资产管理策略、减排成本控制以及如何将环境目标融入企业战略决策。演化博弈论等管理学方法也被用于分析能源利用领域的企业行为决策,例如在碳减排和新能源发展中的策略选择41。

法学与政策科学为整个框架提供了制度保障和规制逻辑。碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露的有效运行,离不开健全的法律法规和政策体系。法学研究关注碳交易法律框架的构建、碳排放权的法律性质、气候金融产品的合规性以及ESG信息披露的强制性与自愿性边界。政策科学则分析不同国家和地区的政策效果、政策工具的协同性、以及国际气候合作中的法律和政治挑战。例如,对中国碳排放交易方案的构建研究42以及碳排放交易计划是否能产生波特效应的探讨43,都离不开对政策法规的深入理解。

这种多学科融合的优势在于能够提供一个更全面、更系统的视角来理解和解决复杂问题。环境科学确定了问题和目标,金融学提供了实现目标的经济激励和资源配置手段,管理学指导企业如何在微观层面响应和执行,而法学与政策科学则构建了宏观的制度保障和运行规则。这种融合促使研究从单一维度的效率分析转向多维度的可持续性考量,使得研究成果更具实践指导意义和政策应用价值。

3. 代表性研究成果与核心观点

3.1 碳市场领域核心研究结论

碳市场作为一种市场化的环境规制工具,其设计和运行机制的有效性一直是学术界关注的焦点。自2020年以来,随着全球碳市场体系的不断完善,特别是中国全国碳市场的启动,相关研究在碳定价机制的减排效应、碳配额价格波动影响因素以及区域碳市场联动路径等方面取得了显著进展。

碳定价机制的减排效应是碳市场研究的核心议题之一。普遍的共识是,碳市场能够通过设定碳排放的价格信号,激励企业采取减排行动。当碳配额不足时,企业需要在减排投资和购买碳配额之间进行权衡。如果碳价格不高,企业倾向于购买碳配额;而当碳价格显著升高时,企业则更愿意增加产品环境质量的投入,推动自身减排44。这种机制能够有效促进企业进行技术创新和生产流程改进,从而实现温室气体减排。研究指出,碳交易市场能够有效促进节能减排,并且市场机制的作用优于政府直接干预45。中国碳市场试点也表明,碳交易政策对企业的碳排放强度、二氧化硫排放和工业废水排放均具有显著的减排效果,尤其是在电力行业,减排效果更为明显46。然而,也有研究指出,碳市场减排效应的实现,高度依赖于配额的合理分配、履约机制的有效性和市场流动性。不合理的配额分配可能导致市场失灵或企业“漂绿”行为。

碳配额价格波动影响因素是另一个重要的研究方向。碳价格不仅反映了碳排放的稀缺性,也受到多种宏观经济、政策和市场因素的影响。研究发现,能源价格(如原油价格)、政策调整(如碳配额总量设定)、经济周期以及金融市场状况等都会对碳价格产生显著影响47。例如,可再生能源股票、原油期货和碳配额之间存在动态溢出效应,且在不同时间尺度上表现出复杂关系48。短期内,可再生能源股票对碳价格有显著溢出效应,而长期来看,能源价格、气候和政策等因素对碳配额价格影响更大48。此外,投资者情绪、宏观经济冲击、以及国际碳信用市场的灵活性和价格差异49也会对碳价格波动产生影响。精确预测碳价格波动对于市场参与者的决策和政策制定至关重要47。

区域碳市场联动路径的研究日益增多,尤其是在中国这样拥有多个区域碳市场试点并向全国统一市场过渡的国家。研究发现,不同碳市场之间存在显著的溢出效应,即一个市场的碳价格波动会影响其他市场的价格50。这种联动效应可以通过信息传导、投资者行为趋同以及政策协调等途径实现。例如,中国各区域碳市场之间存在复杂的动态溢出效应,这对于理解全国碳市场建成后的价格发现机制和风险管理具有重要意义50。未来的研究将更加关注如何通过优化市场设计、加强信息披露和完善监管体系来促进区域碳市场之间的有效联动,从而提高整个碳市场体系的效率和稳定性。

共识与争议:

  • 共识:碳市场作为一种重要的减排工具,其通过价格信号引导企业减排的机制是有效的4445。碳价格波动受到多方面因素影响,包括能源价格、政策和市场情绪等4748。区域碳市场之间存在联动效应50。
  • 争议:碳市场减排效应的量化评估方法仍需完善,尤其是在排除其他减排政策影响方面。关于碳市场最优配额分配方式、碳金融工具的引入以及如何有效管理碳价格波动风险等问题,学界仍存在不同的观点和实证结果。例如,在碳配额分配方面,虽然总配额数量对减排至关重要,但具体的分配方法(免费分配与拍卖)对企业行为和市场效率的影响仍有待深入研究51。此外,如何平衡减排效益与经济成本、如何避免碳泄漏(carbon leakage)等问题,也始终是碳市场研究面临的挑战。

总体而言,碳市场领域的研究正从基础机制分析逐步深化到多因素耦合、跨市场联动及政策效果评估等更为复杂的层面,为碳市场体系的持续优化和全球气候治理目标的实现提供了坚实的理论支持。

3.2 气候金融领域核心研究结论

气候金融作为连接环境目标与经济活动的桥梁,其在推动全球绿色转型中的作用日益凸显。2020年以来,随着气候变化紧迫性的加剧和可持续发展理念的深入人心,气候金融领域的研究成果显著丰富,特别是在创新金融工具的实施效果、气候风险的金融传导路径以及转型金融的边界与标准等方面形成了诸多核心结论,明确了工具创新的核心方向。

绿色债券等创新金融工具的实施效果是气候金融研究的重点之一。绿色债券作为一种专门为资助环境友好型项目而发行的债券,其有效性受到了广泛关注。研究普遍认为,绿色债券能够有效引导资金流向可再生能源、节能环保等绿色产业,提高能源利用效率 52。例如,有证据表明,绿色债券在降低企业融资约束、促进绿色创新方面发挥了积极作用 53。在亚洲地区,政策支持,如降低发行成本的补贴和税收优惠、协调机构的建立以及国际合作和标准化,对促进企业绿色债券的发行尤为重要 54。此外,绿色债券的发行也有助于提升企业的环境绩效和市场形象,吸引社会责任投资者。然而,也有研究指出,绿色债券市场仍面临“漂绿”风险、标准不统一和市场流动性不足等挑战,需要进一步完善监管机制和信息披露标准。

气候债务置换(Debt-for-Nature Swaps, DNS)作为一种创新的气候金融工具,旨在通过减免发展中国家部分债务以换取其对环境保护的投入。该工具在早期被认为是一个有前景的机制,可以解决发展中国家的双重危机——债务危机和环境退化 55。虽然其操作复杂且规模相对有限,但近年来,随着对自然资本和生物多样性保护的重视,气候债务置换再次受到关注,并出现了新的发展,例如伯利兹在2021年完成的债务置换协议,旨在支持其海洋保护工作 56。研究表明,气候债务置换能够为受援国提供资金用于环境保护项目,减轻其财政负担,并有助于实现可持续发展目标 57。然而,其成功实施依赖于透明的治理、有效的项目管理和国际社会的持续支持。

气候风险的金融传导路径是理解气候变化对金融体系影响的关键。气候风险,包括物理风险(如极端天气事件造成的资产损失)和转型风险(如政策变化、技术突破导致的资产贬值),可以通过多种途径传导至金融系统。研究发现,这些风险可能导致资产搁浅、信贷风险增加、保险损失扩大,甚至引发系统性金融风险。例如,银行体系对气候风险的暴露、不同行业对转型风险的敏感性以及气候事件对宏观经济稳定性的冲击等,都是当前研究的热点。气候相关金融信息披露工作组(TCFD)的建议,旨在通过要求企业披露气候相关风险,帮助市场更准确地评估风险和分配资本,从而促进向低碳经济的转型 58。这表明,信息透明度在气候风险传导和管理中扮演着核心角色。

转型金融的边界与标准成为新兴的研究焦点。转型金融旨在支持高碳行业逐步向低碳甚至零碳经济转型,而非简单地“绿色排斥”。由于其服务的对象主要是那些目前排放量大但有减排潜力的企业,转型金融在定义、标准制定和实施上面临更多挑战。研究致力于明确哪些活动和项目可以被视为“转型”,以及如何避免“漂绿”行为。这包括制定可量化的转型路径、建立健全的披露框架和第三方验证机制。例如,欧洲央行强调了转型金融在支持企业实现气候目标中的重要性,并指出了其在银行投资组合风险管理中的作用。确定转型金融的明确标准和分类体系,是确保其有效支持真实减排、防止资源错配的关键。

核心方向:
综合来看,气候金融工具创新的核心方向包括:

  • 标准化与透明化:通过制定统一的绿色金融和转型金融标准,提高信息披露的透明度和可比性,减少“漂绿”风险,提升市场信心。
  • 风险管理与定价:发展更精细化的气候风险评估模型和定价机制,将气候风险充分纳入金融机构的决策过程,引导资本有效规避和管理气候风险。
  • 多元化工具与市场拓展:在绿色债券和气候债务置换的基础上,开发更多样化的金融产品(如可持续发展挂钩贷款、气候保险、碳远期/期货等),并积极拓展新兴经济体的气候金融市场,提升其可及性。
  • 技术融合与数字化:利用金融科技、人工智能和区块链等技术,提升气候金融的效率、透明度和可追溯性,例如,通过大数据分析辅助气候风险评估和绿色项目筛选。

这些研究共同推动了气候金融理论和实践的进步,为全球应对气候变化提供了重要的金融解决方案。

3.3 ESG信息披露领域核心研究结论

企业环境、社会和治理(ESG)信息披露已成为全球资本市场和企业可持续发展领域的热点。2020年以来,随着投资者对可持续投资的日益关注和监管机构对信息透明度要求的提升,ESG信息披露领域的研究取得了显著进展,主要集中于ESG评级差异的成因、ESG表现对企业价值的传导机制以及强制披露政策的实施效果等方面。

ESG评级差异的成因是当前研究的突出问题之一。多项研究指出,不同ESG评级机构对同一公司给出的评级往往存在显著差异,这种“聚合混淆”(Aggregate Confusion)现象引起了广泛关注 596061。造成这种差异的原因主要包括:

  • 理论化问题(Theorization Problem):评级机构对ESG概念的定义和构念存在差异 5960。例如,一家机构可能更侧重碳排放,而另一家则可能更关注劳工权益。
  • 可比性问题(Commensurability Problem):衡量ESG表现的方法和指标体系不统一 5960。不同的数据源、权重分配和计算模型导致了结果的不可比性。有研究将ESG评级差异分解为范围(Scope)、衡量(Measurement)和权重(Weight)三个维度的贡献,发现衡量差异贡献了56%,范围差异贡献了38%,权重差异仅贡献6% 61。
  • 透明度问题(Transparency Problem):评级机构在数据来源、权重和方法论方面缺乏透明度,使得用户难以理解其评估逻辑和确保公司真实ESG表现被充分考虑 5960。
  • 行业和区域差异:不同行业和地区的企业面临的ESG风险和机遇不同,评级机构在评估时可能未能充分考虑这些异质性。

这种评级差异给投资者带来了困惑,也使得企业难以理解如何有效提升其ESG表现,甚至可能加剧“漂绿”(Greenwashing)行为,即企业在环境声明和实际行动之间存在不一致 6263。因此,学者们呼吁建立更统一的ESG评估框架和更高的透明度。

ESG表现对企业价值的传导机制是ESG信息披露研究的另一个核心议题。尽管学术界对于ESG表现与企业价值的具体关系尚未达成完全共识(存在促进、抑制或不相关三种观点) 6465,但多数研究倾向于认为良好的ESG表现能够正向影响企业价值。其传导机制主要包括:

  • 财务绩效提升:ESG表现优异的企业通常在运营效率、风险管理和创新能力方面表现更好,从而提升了财务绩效,进而反映在企业市场价值上 6667。例如,有研究发现ESG表现能通过提高公司财务绩效来提升公司市场价值 67。
  • 融资约束缓解:良好的ESG表现有助于企业获得更低的融资成本和更充裕的融资机会,吸引绿色投资者和负责任投资者 6468。
  • 创新能力增强:关注ESG的企业往往更注重绿色创新和技术升级,这不仅有助于应对环境挑战,也提升了企业的长期竞争力和可持续发展能力 646669。
  • 声誉和品牌价值:积极的ESG表现能够提升企业声誉,赢得消费者和利益相关者的信任,从而带来更高的品牌溢价。
  • 风险管理:有效的ESG管理能够帮助企业识别和规避环境、社会和治理方面的风险,降低潜在的法律诉讼、罚款和运营中断等风险,从而提高企业韧性。

然而,也有研究发现,对于重污染企业而言,ESG信息披露政策可能在短期内抑制其企业价值,这可能是由于披露增加了合规成本或揭示了潜在的环境负债 69。此外,不同所有权性质(如国有企业与非国有企业)和区域的企业,ESG表现对股票回报的影响也存在异质性 66。

强制披露政策的实施效果方面,随着全球监管机构逐步从鼓励自愿披露转向推行强制披露,研究开始评估这些政策的实际影响。强制披露政策旨在提升信息透明度、可比性和可靠性,解决信息不对称问题 69。研究表明,强制性ESG披露有助于投资者做出更明智的决策,并可能影响企业的碳排放和环境绩效。例如,国际财务报告准则基金会(IFRS Foundation)和欧洲财务报告咨询组(EFRAG)已采取措施,提出更符合可持续发展和环境改进需求的披露标准 70。

然而,强制披露也面临挑战,例如:

  • 数据质量与可比性:即使是强制披露,如果缺乏统一的标准和强有力的审计机制,披露信息的质量和可比性仍可能不足,难以满足投资者需求 71。
  • 合规成本:强制披露会增加企业的合规成本,特别是对中小企业而言,这可能构成负担 69。
  • “漂绿”风险:一些企业可能采取象征性披露而非实质性行动来应对强制要求,即出现“漂绿”现象 6263。

当前ESG体系建设的核心痛点:

  • 标准不统一与可比性差:这是ESG评级差异的根本原因,也导致投资者在进行可持续投资决策时面临挑战。
  • 数据质量与透明度不足:企业披露的数据往往缺乏精细度、标准化和第三方验证,影响了信息的可靠性和决策价值。
  • “漂绿”问题突出:企业通过虚假或误导性信息来营造环保形象,损害了ESG投资的公信力,也阻碍了真正的可持续发展 6263。
  • 量化评估的挑战:ESG因素的非财务性质使得其量化评估和财务影响的识别面临困难,特别是在衡量社会和治理维度时。
  • 信息不对称与信息鸿沟:大型企业和新兴市场企业在ESG信息披露能力和水平上存在差异,加剧了市场的信息不对称。

综上所述,ESG信息披露领域的研究正努力探明如何构建一个更加科学、透明和有效的披露体系,以更好地引导资本流向可持续发展,并确保企业在追求经济效益的同时,切实承担起环境和社会责任。

4. 研究数据与方法的创新进展

4.1 核心数据体系的构建与完善

碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域的快速发展,离不开日益完善的数据体系支撑。这些数据不仅是学术研究的基础,也是政策制定和企业实践的重要依据。近年来,围绕碳市场交易与减排核算数据、气候金融工具发行与资金流向数据、以及企业ESG披露与评级数据,都取得了显著的进展,同时也在数据的校准方法和应用边界方面形成了共识。

4.1.1 碳市场交易与减排核算数据

碳市场交易数据是分析碳价格形成机制、市场流动性、履约成本和减排效应的关键。这类数据主要包括碳配额的分配量、实际交易量、交易价格、每日结算价、履约率等信息。全球主要的碳排放交易体系(ETS),如欧盟ETS、美国加州ETS以及中国全国碳市场,都设有公开的数据平台,提供历史和实时的交易数据。

  • 数据源与发展现状:

    • 官方交易平台:各碳市场运营机构如欧洲能源交易所(EEX)、中国碳排放权交易系统等,是直接的数据来源。它们通常提供每日、每周或每月的交易快照和历史数据。
    • 行业数据库和分析机构:如Refinitiv Eikon、Bloomberg Terminal、IHS Markit等,整合并处理了全球各碳市场的交易数据,提供更便捷的查询和分析工具。
    • 国家统计局和环境部门:发布各行业的温室气体排放清单和碳强度数据,为碳配额的初始分配和减排效果的核算提供宏观依据。
  • 校准方法与应用边界:

    • 排放核算与报告(MRV)体系:为了确保数据的准确性和可比性,各碳市场均建立了严格的MRV体系。企业需按照统一的标准(如IPCC国家温室气体清单指南)报告排放数据,并经过第三方核查机构的验证。这有助于校准企业自报数据的准确性,并识别潜在的虚报或漏报行为。
    • 数据粒度与频率:交易数据通常是日度或更高的频率,适合进行短期价格波动分析和市场效率评估。而排放数据往往是年度数据,更适用于评估长期减排趋势和政策效果。
    • 应用边界:碳市场交易数据主要反映了碳配额的供需关系和市场对碳价的预期,但其减排效应的评估需要结合生产数据、能源消耗数据和宏观经济变量进行综合分析,以排除其他因素的影响。同时,交易数据不直接反映企业的创新投入或技术升级,这需要结合其他维度的数据进行深入挖掘。

4.1.2 气候金融工具发行与资金流向数据

气候金融旨在引导资本流向气候友好型项目和活动。这方面的数据主要包括绿色债券、绿色贷款、气候保险、气候基金等各类绿色金融产品的发行规模、投资方向、资金流向以及环境效益等。

  • 数据源与发展现状:

    • 金融机构和交易所:如彭博(Bloomberg)、路孚特(Refinitiv)等金融数据提供商,以及各主要证券交易所,都提供了绿色债券和绿色贷款的发行信息、条款、承销商以及后续表现数据。
    • 国际组织和倡议:如气候债券倡议组织(CBI)、国际资本市场协会(ICMA)等,发布绿色债券市场年度报告和指南,并维护绿色债券数据库。这些组织对绿色金融产品进行分类和认证,提高了数据的可靠性。
    • 政府和监管机构:各国央行、金融监管机构会发布绿色金融发展报告和统计数据,有时也包括对绿色信贷投放规模、不良率等指标的统计。
    • 气候资金数据库:如UNFCCC下的气候资金跟踪平台,以及其他非政府组织维护的数据库,追踪全球气候资金的承诺和实际流向,特别是在发展中国家的投资情况。
  • 校准方法与应用边界:

    • 绿色标准与认证:绿色金融产品的“绿色”属性需要通过严格的标准和第三方认证来界定,例如CBI的绿色债券标准、ICMA的绿色债券原则等。这些标准有助于校准资金投向的真实环境效益。
    • 资金用途追踪:研究需要追踪绿色金融工具所募集资金的具体投向,并通过项目层面的环境效益评估(如减少的碳排放量、节约的能源量)来验证其有效性。
    • 应用边界:气候金融数据主要反映了资金在绿色领域的配置情况和金融机构的参与程度。但要全面评估气候金融对气候目标实现的影响,还需要结合项目所在地的实际减排数据、经济社会效益以及政策环境进行多维度分析。同时,识别“漂绿”行为也需要依赖细致的资金流向和项目核查数据。

4.1.3 企业ESG披露与评级数据

企业ESG信息披露数据是衡量企业可持续发展表现的关键,它包括企业在环境、社会和治理方面的政策、实践、绩效指标以及对外沟通的内容。ESG评级数据则是第三方机构对企业ESG表现进行评估和打分的量化结果。

  • 数据源与发展现状:

    • 企业年报与可持续发展报告:上市公司发布的年度报告、社会责任报告、可持续发展报告是第一手披露数据。随着强制披露要求增多,这些报告的标准化和数据质量正在逐步提升。
    • ESG评级机构:MSCI、Sustainalytics、S&P Global(RobecoSAM)、Refinitiv(Asset4)、KLD(Kinder, Lydenberg, and Domini)等是主要的ESG评级机构,它们通过收集企业公开信息、媒体报道、NGO报告等数据,结合自身方法论对企业进行ESG评级,并提供相应的原始数据和衍生指标 61。
    • 学术研究数据库:部分学者通过手工收集或利用自然语言处理(NLP)技术从公开文本中提取ESG相关信息,构建了定制化的ESG数据集。例如,DynamicESG数据集通过分析新闻文章动态提取ESG评级,为研究新闻媒体对ESG评级的影响提供了资源 72。
    • 区块链技术:一些研究探索利用区块链技术提高ESG数据披露的透明度、可追溯性和安全性,但目前仍处于早期阶段 73。
  • 校准方法与应用边界:

    • 披露框架与标准:全球报告倡议组织(GRI)、可持续会计准则委员会(SASB)、气候相关财务披露工作组(TCFD)以及国际可持续发展准则理事会(ISSB)等机构发布的披露框架和准则,为企业提供了标准化报告的指导,有助于提升数据的可比性和质量。研究者在处理ESG数据时,往往需要对照这些标准进行校准和归一化。
    • 评级差异的校准:鉴于ESG评级之间存在显著差异(“聚合混淆”),研究者在应用评级数据时需要特别注意。常用的校准方法包括使用多个评级机构的平均值、主成分分析(PCA)来提取共同因子,或深入分析评级方法论差异,并选择最符合研究目的的评级数据。
    • 应用边界:企业ESG披露和评级数据是评估企业可持续发展水平和风险的重要工具。它们可以用于研究ESG表现对财务绩效、融资成本、创新能力、企业声誉等的影响。然而,ESG数据主要反映了企业的过去和当前表现,对于预测未来的可持续发展趋势和潜在风险仍存在一定局限性。同时,要识别“漂绿”行为,需要结合企业实际行动和第三方独立评估进行深入分析。

综合来看,这三类核心数据体系的构建与完善,为碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露的跨学科研究提供了日益坚实的基础。未来的挑战在于如何进一步提升数据的标准化、精细化和可信度,并更好地整合不同来源的数据,以支持更深入、更全面的跨学科分析。

4.2 跨学科研究方法的应用

碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域的跨学科研究,不仅体现在理论框架的融合上,更在于研究方法的多元化和创新性应用。面对复杂的问题背景和多维的数据特征,研究者们积极引入和发展了计量经济学因果识别方法、自然科学碳核算方法以及大数据与人工智能技术,极大地拓展了研究的深度和广度。

4.2.1 计量经济学因果识别方法

计量经济学因果识别方法是探究政策效果、市场机制和企业行为之间因果关系的核心工具。在碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露领域,由于政策干预和市场事件的发生往往是非随机的,传统的回归分析可能面临内生性问题,导致因果推断的偏差。因此,研究者广泛采用准实验方法来识别净效应。

  • 应用场景:

    • 政策评估:评估碳交易政策、绿色金融政策或强制ESG披露政策对企业碳排放、经济绩效、融资成本或绿色创新等变量的净影响。例如,使用双重差分法(Difference-in-Differences, DiD)比较实施碳市场政策前后,受监管企业与未受监管企业(或在未实施政策地区的企业)之间的差异,从而识别政策的平均处理效应。
    • 市场机制分析:分析碳配额分配方式、交易规则变化对碳价格波动、市场效率或企业履约行为的影响。例如,利用断点回归设计(Regression Discontinuity Design, RDD)评估特定政策门槛(如对达到一定排放量的企业实施强制披露)对企业行为的因果效应。
    • ESG表现与企业价值:探究企业良好ESG表现(如获得高ESG评级)与公司财务绩效、股票回报或融资成本之间的因果关系,而非仅仅是相关关系。固定效应模型、工具变量法(Instrumental Variable, IV)等常用于处理遗漏变量偏误和反向因果关系。
  • 创新方向:

    • 多期双重差分与合成控制法:面对多时间点、多主体受政策影响的复杂情境,多期DiD和合成控制法(Synthetic Control Method)能够更准确地构建反事实情景,评估异质性政策效应。
    • 机器学习与因果推断结合:将机器学习算法用于预测潜在结果、识别异质性处理效应,或辅助选择最优的因果模型,以提升因果推断的准确性和稳健性。
    • 更精细化的微观数据:结合企业层面的详细生产数据、排放数据、财务数据和ESG披露文本数据,进行更深入、更细致的因果机制分析。

4.2.2 自然科学碳核算方法

自然科学碳核算方法是确保碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露数据准确性和可靠性的基石。它主要涉及温室气体排放的测量、报告和核查(MRV),以及环境效益的量化评估。

  • 应用场景:

    • 碳排放量化:企业碳排放量的核算(如范围一、范围二和范围三排放)、产品碳足迹评估、项目温室气体减排量计算。这对于碳配额的初始分配、交易以及绿色金融项目的环境效益评估至关重要。
    • 环境效益评估:评估绿色债券资助的可再生能源项目、节能改造项目等所实现的二氧化碳减排量、能源节约量或污染削减量。
    • 生态系统碳汇测量:评估森林、湿地、农田等生态系统在固碳方面的潜力及其对气候变化的贡献。
  • 创新方向:

    • 高精度遥感与GIS技术:利用卫星遥感数据、地理信息系统(GIS)对土地利用变化、森林覆盖、农业排放等进行大尺度、高精度监测和评估,提高碳汇和排放量的核算效率和准确性。
    • 物联网(IoT)与传感器技术:在工业生产、交通运输、农业等领域部署IoT传感器,实现温室气体排放的实时监测,提高数据的及时性和精确性,支持动态碳核算。例如,物联网和人工智能技术可以优化供应链可持续性并减少物流和运输中的温室气体排放 74。
    • 生命周期评估(Life Cycle Assessment, LCA)的深化:将LCA方法与投入产出模型、物质流分析等结合,对产品或服务的全生命周期环境影响进行更全面的评估,为企业ESG披露提供更可靠的数据支持。
    • AI与大数据驱动的排放预测:利用机器学习算法分析历史排放数据、生产数据、天气数据等,预测未来排放趋势,为碳市场配额管理和企业减排计划提供决策依据。石油和天然气行业也在探索利用物联网、人工智能和大数据分析等先进IT解决方案来减少排放 75。

4.2.3 大数据与人工智能技术

大数据与人工智能(AI)技术为碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露领域的复杂问题提供了新的解决方案,尤其在处理海量非结构化数据、发现隐藏模式和进行智能决策方面展现出巨大潜力。

  • 应用场景:

    • ESG数据分析与评级:利用自然语言处理(NLP)技术自动从企业报告、新闻媒体、社交媒体等非结构化文本中提取ESG相关信息,构建更全面、实时性更强的ESG数据库。机器学习算法可以用于构建更客观、一致的ESG评级模型,减少人工主观性,并识别“漂绿”行为。
    • 气候风险评估与预测:结合气象数据、地理数据、经济数据和金融数据,利用机器学习算法构建气候风险模型,预测极端天气事件对资产价值、企业运营和金融机构风险暴露的影响。AI可以帮助增强气候建模、优化能源系统、改善农业实践以及支持碳捕获和储存工作,从而减轻全球变暖的影响 76。
    • 碳市场价格预测与策略优化:利用深度学习等算法分析碳价格的历史数据、宏观经济指标、能源价格、政策新闻等,预测碳价格走势,为企业碳资产管理和投资决策提供支持。
    • 智能合约与区块链:利用区块链技术提高碳交易的透明度、可追溯性和安全性,防止双重计算和欺诈。智能合约可以自动化碳配额的分配、交易和履约过程,降低交易成本。
    • 供应链可持续性管理:通过大数据分析和AI优化物流路线、库存管理和能源消耗,从而降低供应链中的碳排放,提升整体可持续性绩效 74。
  • 创新方向:

    • 可解释AI(Explainable AI, XAI):开发可解释的AI模型,以理解模型在ESG评级、气候风险评估或碳价格预测中做出决策的依据,增强模型的透明度和可信度。
    • 联邦学习与隐私保护:在保护数据隐私的前提下,实现不同机构间(如金融机构与企业、政府部门)的数据共享和模型协同训练,以应对数据孤岛问题。
    • 数字孪生(Digital Twin)技术:为物理资产或系统(如工厂、城市)创建数字孪生,实时模拟其碳排放、能源消耗和环境影响,为优化决策提供虚拟测试平台 74。
    • 知识图谱与智能问答:构建ESG、气候金融领域的知识图谱,通过智能问答系统为政策制定者、投资者和企业提供定制化的信息和洞察。

这三种方法体系并非相互独立,而是相互补充、深度融合的。例如,计量经济学可以利用大数据进行因果识别,而碳核算的数据精度则会影响计量经济学和大数据分析的结果。这种跨学科方法的协同应用,使得研究能够更全面、更准确地理解碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域的发展规律和内在逻辑,从而为实现可持续发展目标提供科学的决策支持。

5. 企业层面的落地应用场景与实践

5.1 碳市场参与下的企业碳资产管理

随着全球及区域碳市场的逐步建立和完善,企业对碳排放管理的需求已从单纯的合规成本转向了积极的碳资产管理,将其视为提升竞争力和创造新价值的重要战略组成部分。在高排放行业,如电力、钢铁、水泥、石化等,企业参与碳市场已成为日常运营的关键一环。这主要体现在碳配额管理、碳资产开发与交易、以及减排成本核算等多个层面,并在此过程中实现企业价值的转化。

1. 碳配额管理
碳配额是企业在碳市场中合法排放温室气体的凭证。对高排放企业而言,高效的碳配额管理是降低合规风险和成本的基础。这包括:

  • 配额核算与预测:企业需要精确核算自身的历史排放量,并根据生产计划、技术改造、市场需求等因素,预测未来的碳排放需求。这有助于评估现有配额是否充足,或是否存在盈余。
  • 履约管理:确保在规定时间内完成碳配额的清缴履约,避免因未能履约而导致的罚款和声誉损失。这需要建立完善的内部流程和责任机制。
  • 内部碳价模拟:一些领先企业会在内部设立虚拟碳价,将碳成本纳入投资决策和运营考核中,激励各业务单元主动寻求减排机会。

2. 碳资产开发与交易
碳资产不仅是负担,更是可以创造价值的资产。企业可以通过以下方式开发和管理碳资产:

  • 减排项目开发(CCERs/自愿减排量):对于配额外减排或通过特定项目实现的额外减排量,企业可以将其开发为核证自愿减排量(CCERs)等碳信用产品。例如,通过投资可再生能源项目、节能改造、甲烷回收等,产生的减排量经备案核证后,可在碳市场出售以获取收益。这些项目的实施还能带来额外的环境效益和经济效益。
  • 碳配额交易:企业根据自身的排放预测和市场碳价走势,灵活进行碳配额的买卖。当拥有富余配额时,可以在市场出售以获取利润;当配额不足时,则通过购买来满足履约要求。这要求企业具备对碳市场供需关系和价格波动的专业判断能力。虽然碳排放权交易机制旨在通过市场手段推动碳减排并可能促进技术创新,但在某些情况下,如针对特定制造业的试点政策,其对企业生产率的“波特效应”或对经济、社会和环境的协调发展尚未完全显现 77。
  • 碳金融工具利用:随着碳市场的发展,碳金融产品日益丰富,例如碳远期、碳期货、碳期权等。企业可以利用这些工具进行风险管理(如对冲未来碳价上涨风险)或进行投机性交易以获取更高收益。

3. 减排成本核算与效益评估
企业在参与碳市场时,需要系统地核算减排成本,并评估碳市场参与带来的经济和环境效益:

  • 边际减排成本分析:企业需要评估不同减排措施的成本效益,例如技术升级、燃料替代、能效提升等,选择最优的减排路径。
  • 碳成本内部化:将碳排放的外部成本内部化为企业经营成本,促使企业在产品定价、投资决策和供应链管理中充分考虑碳因素。
  • 综合效益评估:除了直接的财务收益(出售富余配额)和成本节约(避免罚款),企业还需要评估参与碳市场带来的其他效益,如提升企业绿色形象、吸引绿色投资、增强市场竞争力等。

新能源汽车等行业的案例说明企业参与碳市场的价值转化路径:
以新能源汽车行业为例,虽然其本身通常不属于碳市场的直接履约主体(如电力、水泥等高排放行业),但其产品制造过程和产业链上下游环节与碳市场紧密相关,且其“双积分政策”(乘用车企业平均燃料消耗量与新能源汽车积分管理办法)与碳市场具有异曲同工之处,均旨在通过市场机制促进低碳转型。

  • 制造商视角:新能源汽车制造商通过研发和生产更高效的电动汽车,减少了车辆使用阶段的碳排放(若充电能源来自清洁电力)。虽然这部分减排量不直接在碳市场交易,但其产品对传统燃油车的替代,有助于整个社会的碳减排。同时,新能源汽车企业自身在生产环节的碳排放,也可能被纳入地方或全国碳市场。例如,通过采用可再生能源、优化生产工艺、供应链的低碳管理,制造商可以减少自身的碳足迹,若能生成可交易的碳信用(如CCER),则可实现价值转化。此外,其产品带来的环境效益也提升了企业在ESG评级中的表现,从而吸引可持续投资者。
  • 电池及零部件供应商视角:新能源汽车电池、电机等关键零部件的生产属于高耗能环节。这些供应商如果被纳入碳市场覆盖范围,同样需要进行碳配额管理和减排。通过技术创新,如研发更高能量密度、更长寿命的电池,或改进生产工艺以降低能耗和碳排放,这些企业不仅能降低自身履约成本,还可能通过出售富余碳配额或CCERs实现额外的收入。
  • 价值转化路径:新能源汽车企业通过技术创新实现产品本身的低碳化,以及通过生产过程的低碳化,不仅能满足日益严格的环境法规要求,还能在碳市场中获得经济效益(若能生成可交易碳信用)。更重要的是,这些努力提升了企业的ESG表现,使其在绿色金融市场中更具吸引力,例如更容易获得绿色贷款或发行绿色债券,从而降低融资成本。同时,良好的减排表现和ESG形象也有助于吸引消费者,提升品牌价值和市场份额。

综上所述,碳市场参与下的企业碳资产管理不再是被动的合规行为,而是企业实现绿色转型、提升长期价值、构建可持续竞争优势的战略性选择。通过精细化管理、积极开发和利用碳资产,企业能够在应对气候变化挑战的同时,抓住绿色发展带来的新机遇。

5.2 气候金融工具的企业端应用

气候金融工具为企业实现可持续发展目标和绿色转型提供了多元化的资金支持。随着全球对气候变化应对的共识加深,以及金融市场对ESG因素的重视,绿色债券、可持续发展挂钩债券(Sustainability-Linked Bonds, SLBs)和转型贷款等创新型金融产品日益成为企业融资的重要选择。这些工具不仅能为企业的绿色项目和低碳转型提供资金,还能提升企业在资本市场的形象和竞争力。

1. 绿色债券(Green Bonds)
绿色债券是一种专门用于资助环境友好型项目或活动的债券。其核心特征在于“募集资金用途”(Use of Proceeds)的限定性,即所募资金必须用于绿色项目,如可再生能源、能源效率、污染防治、可持续水资源管理、绿色建筑、生态保护等。

  • 企业应用场景:

    • 可再生能源项目:电力企业发行绿色债券,为太阳能电站、风力发电场、水电站建设提供资金。
    • 节能减排改造:工业企业为设备升级、工艺优化以降低能耗和排放而发行绿色债券。
    • 绿色建筑开发:房地产企业为建设符合绿色建筑标准的新项目或改造现有建筑而融资。
    • 污染防治设施:制造业企业为建设废水、废气处理设施或固体废弃物资源化项目筹集资金。
    • 绿色交通:交通运输企业为电动汽车、公共交通基础设施建设发行绿色债券。
  • 适用条件与实施效果:

    • 适用条件:企业需拥有明确的绿色项目组合,且这些项目符合国际或国内认可的绿色标准(如气候债券倡议组织CBI的标准、国际资本市场协会ICMA的绿色债券原则等)。同时,需要进行独立的第三方认证或评估,以确保其“绿色”属性的真实性。
    • 实施效果:绿色债券有助于企业拓宽融资渠道,吸引专注于可持续投资的投资者群体,可能获得更低的融资成本(“绿色溢价”)或更灵活的融资条款。同时,发行绿色债券能够提升企业的绿色形象和市场声誉,向利益相关者展示其在可持续发展方面的承诺。研究表明,绿色债券在降低企业融资约束、促进绿色创新方面发挥了积极作用 78。

2. 可持续发展挂钩债券(Sustainability-Linked Bonds, SLBs)
与绿色债券不同,SLBs的资金用途不限于绿色项目,而是将债券的财务特征(如票息率)与发行人预设的可持续发展绩效目标(Sustainability Performance Targets, SPTs)挂钩。如果发行人未能达到这些目标,债券的票息率可能会上调;反之,则可能保持不变或下调。

  • 企业应用场景:

    • 全公司范围的减排目标:钢铁、水泥等高排放行业企业设定公司层面的碳排放强度下降目标,并将其作为SLBs的绩效目标。
    • 能源效率提升目标:制造业企业设定单位产品能耗降低目标。
    • 水资源管理目标:快消品企业设定生产过程中水资源消耗强度降低目标。
    • 废弃物管理目标:零售企业设定减少废弃物产生量或提高回收率目标。
  • 适用条件与实施效果:

    • 适用条件:企业需要有清晰且可量化的可持续发展战略,并设定具有挑战性、科学基础且可验证的SPTs。这些目标通常需要与企业的核心业务和重大可持续发展议题紧密相关,并由第三方进行验证。SLBs要求对合格的经济活动和关键绩效指标有共同的理解,以科学为基础的目标作为最佳实践,并需要借款人消除“漂绿”担忧 79。
    • 实施效果:SLBs为企业提供了更大的资金使用灵活性,适合那些尚未有足够绿色项目但致力于整体可持续发展转型的企业。它通过经济激励机制促使企业主动改进其可持续发展绩效,并向市场展示其转型决心。对于投资者而言,SLBs提供了与企业可持续发展绩效挂钩的投资机会。然而,SLBs的有效性高度依赖于绩效目标的科学性和透明度,存在“漂绿”的潜在风险,因此目标设定和验证机制至关重要。

3. 转型贷款(Transition Loans)
转型贷款是近年兴起的一种金融工具,旨在支持那些目前碳排放较高但有明确意愿和计划向低碳经济转型的企业。它介于传统融资和绿色融资之间,目标是促进高碳产业的“棕色”向“绿色”的过渡。

  • 企业应用场景:

    • 高碳行业的低碳转型:煤炭、石油、天然气等能源企业,以及重工业企业(如钢铁、化工),通过转型贷款融资,用于淘汰落后产能、升级清洁生产技术、开发碳捕获利用与封存(CCUS)技术或向新能源业务拓展。
    • 能源结构调整:电力公司从燃煤发电转向天然气或可再生能源发电的转型项目。
    • 交通运输电气化:物流公司采购电动卡车或建设充电基础设施。
  • 适用条件与实施效果:

    • 适用条件:企业需要制定详细、可信且与《巴黎协定》目标一致的转型路径图,包括明确的减排目标、技术路线图、资金需求和时间表。金融机构在提供转型贷款时,会对其转型计划进行严格评估。
    • 实施效果:转型贷款能够为难以获得纯绿色融资的高碳企业提供关键的资金支持,帮助它们逐步实现脱碳。这有助于避免“搁浅资产”的风险,并促进整个经济系统的低碳转型。对于金融机构而言,提供转型贷款是其支持实体经济绿色转型、履行社会责任的重要方式。然而,转型贷款的标准和分类仍处于发展初期,需要避免沦为“漂绿”的工具,确保资金真正流向有意义的转型活动。

综上所述,绿色债券、SLBs和转型贷款各自具有鲜明的特点和适用范围。企业在选择这些气候金融工具时,需要结合自身的业务性质、绿色转型阶段、融资需求和可持续发展目标,选择最合适的工具,并通过透明的信息披露和严格的绩效管理,确保资金的有效利用和环境效益的实现。

5.3 ESG信息披露的企业落地实践

随着全球范围内对可持续发展和企业社会责任关注度的提升,以及监管机构和投资者的双重压力,企业ESG(环境、社会和治理)信息披露已从过去的自愿行为逐渐演变为强制性要求。企业在这一转型过程中,不仅要应对日益复杂的披露标准,更要将其ESG理念融入日常运营和战略决策中。实践中,这主要体现在ESG报告编制、ESG表现的价值链传导和供应链ESG管理体系搭建等方面,共同构成了企业ESG建设的核心落地路径。

1. 强制披露要求下的企业ESG报告编制
在全球监管趋严的背景下,企业编制ESG报告已成为一项重要的合规工作,其目的在于向投资者和其他利益相关者透明地展示企业在环境、社会和治理方面的表现。

  • 披露框架与标准的选择:企业在编制ESG报告时,需要选择或遵循特定的披露框架和标准。目前国际上主流的框架包括全球报告倡议组织(GRI)标准、可持续会计准则委员会(SASB)标准、气候相关财务披露工作组(TCFD)建议以及国际可持续发展准则理事会(ISSB)发布的可持续披露准则等。例如,美国证券交易委员会(SEC)已开始全面改革ESG披露规则,以提高气候相关风险及其他ESG信息披露的标准化和可比性,ISSB也致力于制定全球统一的ESG披露标准,以提高信息的可比性和可靠性 80。欧洲的银行在强制性披露要求下,也根据不同的ESG报告指南(如GRI、ACT、ISO 26000)进行披露,尽管不同地区银行的合规程度存在差异 81。
  • 实质性分析:企业需要进行实质性分析,识别对其业务和利益相关者而言最重要的ESG议题。这有助于企业将资源集中在最关键的领域,并确保披露的信息具有相关性和决策有用性。
  • 数据收集与管理:编制高质量的ESG报告需要系统化的数据收集和管理体系。这包括建立内部数据统计流程、使用专业软件进行数据管理、以及确保数据来源的可靠性和一致性。
  • 第三方鉴证与审计:为提高ESG报告的可信度,越来越多的企业选择聘请第三方机构进行鉴证或审计。这有助于增强报告的公信力,并降低“漂绿”(Greenwashing)的风险。

2. ESG表现的价值链传导
企业的ESG表现并非孤立存在,而是通过其价值链向上传导至投资者,向下传导至消费者和供应商,从而影响企业的整体价值和竞争力。

  • 对投资者价值传导:良好的ESG表现能够向投资者传递企业长期可持续发展的信号,吸引负责任投资(Responsible Investment)资金。研究表明,ESG信息披露能够显著提升企业价值,其机制之一在于缓解了企业的融资约束 82。此外,有证据显示,在经济冲击期间,ESG表现优异的公司展现出更强的韧性,获得了投资者的正向回报 83。对于中国重污染企业而言,ESG披露政策可能短期内会抑制企业价值,但长期来看,其能促进企业技术创新,从而带来价值提升 69。
  • 对消费者和市场的传导:消费者对具有社会责任感和环保意识的品牌日益青睐。企业通过在产品设计、生产和营销中融入ESG理念,能够提升品牌形象和消费者忠诚度,从而转化为市场份额和盈利能力。
  • 对员工和人才吸引的传导:良好的ESG表现有助于吸引和留住优秀人才,提升员工满意度和组织认同感 84。员工普遍倾向于在重视可持续发展和企业社会责任的企业工作。
  • 对供应链伙伴的传导:企业通过自身在ESG方面的实践,可以影响和引导其供应链伙伴提升ESG表现。这包括制定供应商行为准则、开展ESG审计、提供能力建设支持等,共同构建可持续的价值链。

3. 供应链ESG管理体系搭建
供应链是企业ESG风险和机会的重要载体。搭建健全的供应链ESG管理体系,对于企业实现全面的可持续发展至关重要 85。

  • 供应商筛选与评估:企业在选择供应商时,不仅要考虑成本、质量和交期,还要将供应商的ESG表现纳入评估体系。这包括其环境管理体系、劳工实践、商业道德等。
  • 行为准则与合同约束:制定明确的供应商行为准则,要求供应商遵守环境法规、劳工标准、反腐败等要求,并通过合同条款进行约束。
  • ESG审计与绩效改进:定期对关键供应商进行ESG审计,识别风险和改进机会。对审计发现的问题,与供应商共同制定改进计划,并提供必要的支持。
  • 信息共享与合作:与供应商建立开放的沟通渠道,共享ESG信息和最佳实践。通过合作,共同推动供应链的绿色化和可持续发展。例如,有研究探讨了企业社会责任(CSR)对企业绿色供应链效率的影响,发现内部CSR的履行显著提升了绿色供应链效率,而外部CSR的影响则更为复杂 86。
  • 风险预警与应急机制:建立供应链ESG风险预警系统,对气候变化、劳工权益纠纷、合规问题等潜在风险进行监测,并制定应急预案,以应对突发事件。

企业ESG建设的核心落地路径:
企业ESG建设的落地并非一蹴而就,而是一个系统性的、持续改进的过程。其核心路径可以总结为:

  1. 战略融合:将ESG理念融入企业核心战略和业务决策,而非仅仅作为独立职能存在。
  2. 治理先行:建立健全的ESG治理架构,明确董事会、管理层及各部门在ESG方面的职责,并确保资源投入。例如,董事会的专业知识,尤其是在行业经验方面,可以促进企业ESG战略的形成和环境创新 87。
  3. 数据支撑:构建科学、准确、可追溯的ESG数据收集、分析和管理系统。
  4. 透明披露:依据国内外相关标准,编制高质量、可信赖的ESG报告,并积极争取第三方鉴证。
  5. 价值链管理:将ESG要求延伸至供应链上下游,推动整个价值链的协同可持续发展。
  6. 持续创新:通过绿色技术创新和商业模式创新,提升企业的环境和社会绩效,实现经济效益与社会效益的统一。
  7. 文化塑造:培育全员参与的ESG文化,将可持续发展理念根植于企业每个员工的日常行为中。

通过以上路径的实践,企业不仅能够满足外部的披露要求,更能够将ESG转化为内生动力,提升自身的可持续发展能力和市场竞争力,实现长期价值创造。

6. 现存问题与未来发展机会

6.1 当前领域发展的核心痛点

尽管碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域在政策框架、研究深度和企业实践方面取得了显著进展,但其发展过程中仍然面临诸多核心痛点。这些问题不仅影响了现有机制的效率和有效性,也为未来的可持续发展转型带来了挑战。

1. 碳市场流动性不足
许多碳市场,特别是一些新兴或区域性的碳市场,普遍存在流动性不足的问题。这主要表现为:

  • 交易量不活跃:部分碳市场交易参与者数量有限,交易频率不高,导致市场深度不足,买卖价差较大。例如,有研究指出了中国碳市场在流动性、价格波动性以及市场效率方面仍存在改进空间 88。
  • 价格发现机制不完善:低流动性使得碳价格难以充分反映供需关系和减排成本,容易受到少数大额交易或外部信息的影响而产生剧烈波动,降低了市场参与者的价格预期稳定性 89。
  • 金融产品创新不足:与成熟金融市场相比,碳市场中的碳期货、碳期权等衍生品发展滞后,限制了企业进行风险管理和套期保值的工具选择。
  • 深层原因:
    • 配额分配制度:过多的免费配额分配可能导致企业持有充足配额,缺乏交易意愿,从而抑制市场活跃度。
    • 覆盖范围有限:初期碳市场往往只覆盖少数高排放行业,导致市场规模相对较小。
    • 信息不对称:市场透明度不足,参与者对市场信息掌握不均,也可能影响交易活跃度。
    • 监管框架不完善:缺乏清晰、统一的监管规定可能增加市场不确定性,降低投资者信心。

2. 气候金融转型标准不统一
气候金融领域,尤其是转型金融,在定义、标准和分类上存在显著的不统一,这严重阻碍了其有效发展和“漂绿”风险的防范。

  • “绿色”定义模糊:对于哪些项目或活动可以被认定为“绿色”或“转型”,国际上尚未形成普遍接受的统一标准。不同的国家和组织有不同的分类体系和合格性标准,这增加了跨国投资的复杂性,也为企业和金融机构带来了合规成本。
  • “漂绿”风险加剧:由于缺乏统一、严格的标准,一些企业和金融机构可能利用模糊的定义进行“漂绿”行为,即宣传其产品或服务具有环保特性,但实际环境效益不明显甚至有害 9091。这损害了气候金融的信誉,降低了投资者对绿色投资的信心。
  • 数据可信度问题:气候金融项目所报告的环境效益数据可能缺乏第三方独立验证,使得其真实性和可信度受到质疑。
  • 深层原因:
    • 利益多元化:不同利益相关方(如政府、企业、金融机构、环保组织)对“绿色”和“转型”的理解和期望不同,难以达成一致。
    • 技术复杂性:许多绿色技术和转型路径仍在发展中,其环境效益难以精确量化和标准化。
    • 缺乏强制性监管:在许多地区,气候金融产品的发行和披露仍以自愿性原则为主,缺乏强有力的强制性监管和惩罚机制。

3. ESG披露信息可比性弱
企业ESG信息披露的快速发展伴随着信息可比性不足的问题,这给投资者评估和比较企业表现带来了巨大挑战。

  • 披露标准多样化:全球存在多种ESG披露框架和标准(如GRI、SASB、TCFD等),企业可根据自身情况选择性披露,导致信息内容、格式和计量方法各不相同 92。
  • 数据质量不一:不同企业在ESG数据收集、处理和报告方面的能力和投入差异巨大,导致披露信息的颗粒度、完整性和准确性参差不齐。
  • 评级差异显著:不同的ESG评级机构采用不同的方法论、数据来源和权重,对同一企业给出的ESG评级存在巨大差异,这种“聚合混淆”使得投资者难以依赖单一评级做出决策 6193。
  • “漂绿”现象难以识别:一些企业可能选择性披露积极信息,规避负面信息,或提供缺乏实质性内容的“口号式”披露,增加了识别“漂绿”的难度 91。
  • 深层原因:
    • 非财务信息固有特性:ESG信息多数为非财务信息,其量化和标准化本身就比财务信息更具挑战性。
    • 披露强制性程度不同:部分地区仍以自愿披露为主,企业披露意愿和深度受限。即使是强制披露,其具体的披露要求和监管力度也存在差异 94。
    • 第三方鉴证缺失:许多ESG报告缺乏独立的第三方鉴证,降低了报告的公信力。

这些核心痛点表明,尽管碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露取得了长足发展,但要充分发挥其在推动可持续发展中的作用,仍需在政策协同、标准统一、信息透明度和市场机制完善等方面持续努力。

6.2 学术研究的未来方向

鉴于当前碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域发展中的痛点,学术研究未来应聚焦于填补现有空白,提升理论和实践指导价值。以下是几个重要的未来研究方向:

1. 三类领域联动机制的深入剖析
尽管已有研究开始关注碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露之间的互动,但其内部的复杂联动机制、价值传导路径以及相互强化或制约的效应仍有待深入挖掘。

  • 传导效应与协同效应的量化研究:如何精确量化碳市场价格信号通过气候金融工具(如绿色信贷、绿色债券)传导至企业投资决策,以及ESG信息披露如何调节这种传导效应?例如,企业在碳市场中的履约压力如何影响其绿色金融工具的采纳意愿和规模,而ESG评级又如何反作用于企业在碳市场中的表现和融资成本?这需要构建更复杂的计量经济模型,并结合微观企业数据进行实证分析。
  • 溢出效应与反馈机制:研究一个领域的变化如何对其他两个领域产生溢出效应,以及是否存在正向或负向的反馈循环。例如,强制ESG披露政策的出台是否会提高气候金融产品的需求和发行量?气候金融的快速发展是否反过来会影响碳市场的定价效率和流动性?以及碳市场运行的有效性如何提升ESG信息披露的质量和可信度?
  • 多工具组合的优化策略:探索在不同发展阶段和行业背景下,碳市场、气候金融和ESG披露政策的最佳组合模式,以实现最大的减排效益和经济效益。这可能涉及系统动力学模型或计算一般均衡模型来模拟不同政策组合的效果。

2. 数字技术与领域融合的深远影响
数字技术,特别是大数据、人工智能和区块链等,对碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露领域具有革命性影响,但其潜力尚未完全释放,相关研究仍处于早期阶段。

  • AI在气候风险评估与管理中的应用:研究如何利用人工智能(机器学习、深度学习)处理非结构化数据(如卫星图像、新闻文本、企业报告),以更准确、实时地评估物理风险(如极端天气事件对资产的冲击)和转型风险(如技术变革、政策调整对企业盈利的影响)。这包括开发更精细的气候情景分析模型、智能风险识别系统和预警机制。
  • 区块链在碳信用和ESG数据中的应用:探索区块链技术如何提升碳信用(包括CCERs和国际碳信用)的透明度、可追溯性和防伪能力,从而增强碳市场的公信力。同时,研究区块链在ESG数据披露中的应用,以确保数据来源的真实性、不可篡改性,并促进数据共享和互操作性。
  • 大数据驱动的ESG评级与“漂绿”识别:利用大数据分析企业公开报告、社交媒体、供应链数据等,构建更全面、动态且客观的ESG评级体系,以减少现有评级机构的“聚合混淆”问题。同时,开发基于AI的“漂绿”识别模型,通过文本分析和行为模式识别,揭示企业虚假或误导性环境声明。

3. 不同区域政策效果的比较研究
全球不同国家和地区在碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露方面采取了多样化的政策路径,对这些政策效果进行深入比较,能为政策优化提供重要借鉴。

  • 政策有效性与适应性分析:比较不同碳市场设计(如配额分配机制、覆盖行业范围)对减排效果、经济竞争力的影响,尤其要考虑发展中国家和发达国家的不同国情。例如,中国与欧盟碳市场在机制设计、运行效果和对企业影响方面的异同。
  • 气候金融政策的区域差异:分析不同国家绿色金融发展模式的优势与挑战,以及其对绿色创新和低碳转型的影响95。研究不同监管环境下,绿色债券、转型金融等工具的发行规模、融资成本和环境效益的差异。
  • ESG强制披露政策的跨国比较:比较不同国家或地区强制ESG披露政策对企业信息透明度、投资者决策、公司治理和可持续发展绩效的影响。评估何种强制披露框架能更好地平衡合规成本与信息价值,并有效促进企业可持续性表现。例如,俄罗斯公司在非强制ESG披露背景下的实践,与欧盟强制披露制度下的企业行为差异,可以提供重要的比较视角96。
  • 政策协同与国际合作机制:研究如何通过国际合作,实现碳市场互联互通、气候金融标准统一和ESG披露框架的趋同,以构建更高效、公正的全球气候治理体系。例如,在“一带一路”倡议下,绿色金融如何促进沿线国家的低碳创新和环境绩效。

这些研究方向的深入探索,将有助于克服当前领域发展的痛点,为构建更健全、更高效的碳市场、气候金融和ESG信息披露体系提供科学依据,从而加速全球实现可持续发展目标。

6.3 产业实践的未来机会

在碳市场、气候金融与企业ESG信息披露领域,随着政策环境的日趋完善和技术进步的加速,蕴藏着巨大的产业实践机会。这些机会不仅能为相关市场主体带来经济效益,也将有力推动全球向绿色低碳经济转型。

1. 碳衍生品市场发展

目前,多数碳市场仍以现货交易为主,流动性不足是普遍痛点。未来,随着碳市场规模的扩大和机制的成熟,碳衍生品市场将迎来广阔的发展空间,为市场参与者提供更丰富的风险管理和投资工具。

  • 市场空间与需求:

    • 风险管理需求:企业面临碳价波动带来的履约成本不确定性,需要通过碳期货、碳期权等衍生品工具进行套期保值,锁定未来成本或收益。这将显著降低企业参与碳市场的风险,激励更多企业进入市场。
    • 投资需求:投资者可以通过参与碳衍生品市场,实现对碳资产的投资,获得资本增值收益。同时,碳市场与传统金融市场的联动性增强,也将吸引更多机构投资者配置碳资产,进一步提升市场流动性。
    • 价格发现功能:活跃的碳衍生品市场能够提供更有效的价格发现机制,形成清晰的碳价格预期,为企业的长期减排投资提供更明确的信号。
    • 创新服务:衍生品市场的发展将催生一系列创新服务,包括碳资产管理、碳金融咨询、碳风险评估等,为各类市场主体提供专业化支持。
  • 发展方向参考:

    • 交易所与金融机构:应积极推出更多样化的碳衍生品合约,完善交易规则和清算结算机制,提升市场透明度和监管水平。金融机构可开发与碳衍生品挂钩的结构性产品,满足不同风险偏好投资者的需求。
    • 企业:应加强碳资产管理能力建设,培养碳金融专业人才,利用衍生品工具管理碳风险,并探索将碳资产纳入企业资产负债表,进行有效估值和管理。

2. 转型金融工具创新

转型金融作为连接高碳行业向低碳转型的重要桥梁,其工具创新是实现“双碳”目标的关键,尤其是在现有绿色金融产品难以覆盖的领域。

  • 市场空间与需求:

    • 高碳行业转型融资:传统高排放行业(如钢铁、水泥、化工、交通运输等)面临巨大的脱碳压力和转型资金缺口。转型金融工具能够为这些行业的生产工艺改造、能源替代、碳捕集利用与封存(CCUS)等技术升级提供量身定制的融资方案。
    • 技术创新支持:支持低碳和零碳技术的研发与商业化应用,例如氢能、储能、新型核能等前沿技术。
    • 避免“搁浅资产”:通过转型金融,引导资本投向具有转型潜力的现有高碳资产,避免因气候政策和技术进步导致的资产提前报废,减少经济损失。
    • 金融机构业务拓展:转型金融为银行、基金等金融机构提供了新的业务增长点,拓展了其在可持续金融领域的服务范围。
  • 发展方向参考:

    • 标准制定者与监管机构:需要加速制定统一、清晰的转型金融分类标准和披露要求,明确转型路径和绩效衡量指标,有效防范“漂绿”行为。
    • 金融机构:应积极开发多元化的转型金融产品,如转型贷款、转型债券、转型基金等,并加强对高碳行业转型路径的评估能力。同时,可探索创新融资模式,如政府和社会资本合作(PPP)模式,吸引更多社会资本参与。
    • 企业:高碳企业应制定清晰、可信的低碳转型战略和路线图,主动与金融机构沟通,争取转型金融支持,加速技术升级和产业结构优化。

3. ESG数字化披露服务

随着ESG信息披露的强制化和复杂化,以及投资者对数据质量和可比性要求的提高,ESG数字化披露服务市场将迎来爆发式增长。

  • 市场空间与需求:

    • 企业合规需求:企业面临多重披露标准(如ISSB、GRI、SASB、TCFD等)和日益严格的监管要求,需要高效、准确地收集、管理和报告ESG数据。数字化工具能够帮助企业自动化数据流,减少人工错误,提高披露效率和质量。
    • 数据分析与洞察:投资者和评级机构需要海量、高质量的ESG数据进行分析和决策。数字化平台能够提供数据可视化、绩效分析、同业对标等功能,帮助用户从数据中获取有价值的洞察。
    • “漂绿”识别与风险管理:利用人工智能、大数据分析等技术,对企业披露信息进行智能审核,识别潜在的“漂绿”行为,评估ESG风险,提升信息的可信度。
    • 供应链ESG管理:数字化工具可以帮助企业追踪和管理供应链上下游的ESG表现,实现对供应商的透明化评估和绩效改进。
  • 发展方向参考:

    • 科技公司与软件服务商:应加大研发投入,开发集ESG数据收集、管理、报告、分析于一体的SaaS(软件即服务)平台,提供定制化的解决方案。例如,利用AI和NLP技术从非结构化文本中提取ESG信息,提高数据处理效率。
    • 咨询机构:可与科技公司合作,将专业知识与数字化工具相结合,为企业提供ESG战略咨询、数据治理、报告编制和鉴证等一站式服务。
    • 数据提供商:应提升ESG数据的覆盖面、颗粒度和实时性,并通过技术手段提高数据的可比性和标准化,为市场提供高质量的ESG数据产品。
    • 企业:应积极拥抱数字化转型,投资ESG数据管理系统,提升内部数据治理能力,将ESG绩效管理融入日常运营。

这些未来发展机会的抓住,不仅有助于相关市场主体在绿色经济转型浪潮中占据先机,也将共同构建一个更加高效、透明和可持续的全球经济体系。

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参考文献

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Lara Santos Zangerolame Taroco, Ana Cecília Sabbá Colares
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Lan Yi, Zhi-Peng Yang, Zhi-Kai Zhang, et al.
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The carbon market is regarded as one of the important means to achieve China's dual carbon target. It has ancillary effect for reducing air pollution while regulating carbon emissions since climate change and air pollution share the same origin and homology. Research on how to design the carbon market mechanism in order to maximize the synergistic effect of reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution will have a very important practical impact for China. This study conducts a theoretical analysis of the collaborative emission reduction path of China's carbon market, and constructs an Energy-Economy-Environment (3E) model of the collaborative emission reduction effect of carbon trading system based on System Dynamics. After analyzing the feedback path of the core cycle of the model and verifying its performance, three main policy factors in the carbon market are explored, and their effects under the dual objectives of emission control and economic development are comprehensively evaluated. This study suggests that the exploration of the potential of carbon market for collaborative governance should be accelerated, and ensure the orderly expansion of coverage and precise setting of limits, so as to ensure the smooth achievement of carbon reduction targets while guaranteeing the social and economic development.

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Preeya Mohan
This perspective paper explores the potential of climate finance to support Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) efforts in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Through a content analysis of sixteen Caribbean countries NDCs, it provides, first, a comprehensive overview of SIDS countries’ perspectives on climate financing needs for mitigation and adaptation activities in meeting their climate targets. Second, the paper examines whether Caribbean SIDS acknowledge a role for domestic financing and international and domestic fiscal policy reform within their NDCs, as a way to address climate change mitigation and adaption. The analysis of Caribbean SIDS NDCs reveals that only eight countries provide clear cost estimates for mitigation activities, five for adaptation and one with a combined cost. This gives a total of US$51.3 billion for the combination of Caribbean countries across their NDCs. The majority of climate change activities identified in the NDCs are conditional on the provision of international climate finance. While some countries discuss domestic sources of finance, few note the need for domestic fiscal policy reform to counteract direct and underlying drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction. The findings suggest that, while much attention is directed to inadequate quantities of international climate finance, fiscal policy and the use of domestic finances are important for realizing transformative change and yet receive little attention from in-country policymakers.Key policy insights Caribbean SIDS suffer from a significant climate finance gap.Caribbean countries cannot remain dependent on international climate finance and must pursue more innovation and diversified options to achieve climate goals.Caribbean countries struggle to use domestic policy and investment options to align finance and incentives to promote their climate goals.The region faces challenges inherent in aligning domestic fiscal policies and other economic and regulatory incentives, as well as private sector investment, to complement and augment international climate finance objectives.

4Developing a Green Bonds Market: Lessons from ChinaOpenAlex

Lin Lin, Yanrong Hong

5The impact of green technology innovation on carbon dioxide emissions: The role of local environmental regulationsOpenAlex

Kaiwen Chang, Lanlan Liu, Dan Luo, et al.
Environmental pollution has become a global issue attracting ever-increasing attention. Green technology innovation (GTI) is considered an effective strategy in countering this problem and helping achieve sustainability goals. However, the market failure suggests that intervention from the government is necessary to promote the effectiveness of technological innovation and hence, its positive social impacts on emissions reduction. This study investigates how the environmental regulation (ER) influences the relationship between green innovation and CO2 emissions reduction in China. Employing data from 30 provinces from the period 2003 to 2019, the Panel Fixed-effect model, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), the System Generalised Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) and the Difference-In-Difference (DID) models are applied to take issues relating to endogeneity and spatial impact into consideration. The results indicate that environmental regulations positively moderate the impact of green knowledge innovation (GKI) on CO2 emissions reduction but have a much weaker moderation effect when green process innovation (GPI) is considered. Among different types of regulatory instruments, investment-based regulation (IER) is the most effective in promoting the relationship between green innovation and emissions reduction, followed by command-and-control-based regulation (CER). Expenditure-based regulation (EER) is less effective and can encourage short-termism and opportunistic behaviour among firms, who can accept the paying of fines as a cheaper cost over the short-term than investment in green innovation. Moreover, the spatial spillover effect of green technological innovation on carbon emissions in neighbouring regions is confirmed, in particular when IER and CER are implemented. Lastly, the heterogeneity issue is further examined by considering differences in the economic development and the industrial structure across different regions, and the conclusions reached remain robust. This study identifies that the market-based regulatory instrument, IER, works best in promoting green innovation and emissions reduction among Chinese firms. It also encourages GKI which may assist firms in achieving long-term sustained growth. The study recommends further development of the green finance system to maximise the positive impact of this policy instrument.

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Hans Bonde Christensen, Luzi Hail, Christian Leuz
Abstract This study collates potential economic effects of mandated disclosure and reporting standards for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability topics. We first outline key features of CSR reporting. Next, we draw on relevant academic literatures in accounting, finance, economics, and management to discuss and evaluate the potential economic consequences of a requirement for CSR and sustainability reporting for U.S. firms, including effects in capital markets, on stakeholders other than investors, and on firm behavior. We also discuss issues related to the implementation and enforcement of CSR and sustainability reporting standards as well as two approaches to sustainability reporting that differ in their overarching goals and materiality standards. Our analysis yields a number of insights that are relevant for the current debate on mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting. It also points scholars to avenues for future research.

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Laura Chiaramonte, Alberto Dreassi, Claudia Girardone, et al.
This paper investigates the joint and separate effects of Environmental (E), Social (S), and Governance (G) scores on bank stability. Using a sample of European banks operating in 21 countries over 2005-2017, we find that the total ESG score, as well as its sub-pillars, reduces bank fragility during periods of financial distress. This stabilizing effect holds strongly for banks with higher ESG ratings. These results are confirmed by a differences-in-differences (DID) analysis built around the introduction of the EU 2014 Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). Our evidence also reveals that, in times of financial turmoil, the longer the duration of ESG disclosures, the greater the benefits on stability. Finally, we show that the ESG-bank stability linkages vary significantly across banks' characteristics and operating environments. Our findings are robust to selection bias and endogeneity concerns. Overall, they support the regulatory effort in requiring an enhanced disclosure of non-financial information.

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Renu Gupta, Ameeta Motwani
The paper describes the development of reporting on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) issues in India and analyse the current situation with respect to ESG reporting.This paper uses a review of academic studies on sustainability/ESG reporting practices among Indian companies as well as surveys undertaken by professional accounting and credit rating firms such as KPMG, PWC, Ernst & Young and CRISIL.While a few large Indian companies have been reporting on their ESG performance for quite some time now, many more have begun reporting in recent years as it allows them to showcase their commitment towards the sustainability agenda.The rising trend in ESG Disclosures is a result of the increasing demand from stakeholders for relevant and accurate data on the one hand and the increasing regulatory imperatives on the other.The lack of regulatory requirements so far has resulted in less attention being paid to the E and S issues as compared to the mandatory G factors.A systematic study of the developments in Sustainability/ESG reporting in the context of India specially after the recent changes in the regulatory landscape is expected to add to the knowledge on the subject.Massive environmental changes happening across the globe, technological advances and the global pandemic have brought about a noticeable change in the way stakeholders assess the resilience and sustainability of businesses.The conventional financial metrics reported by corporates are no longer perceived as tools to understand the value a company can create and the business corporates are expected by stakeholders and regulators to report about the Environmental, Social and Governance aspects of their business.This study highlights the need for understanding the large part of corporate reporting which has not yet been incorporated into the mainstream accounting and reporting knowledge and curriculum frameworks.

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Yao Wang, Chi-hui Guo, Can Du, et al.
Climate change is a common problem in human society. The Chinese government promises to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and strives to achieve carbon neutralization by 2060. The proposal of the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutralization has led China into the era of climate economy and set off a green change with both opportunities and challenges. On the basis of expounding the objectives and specific connotation of China's carbon peak and carbon neutralization, this paper systematically discusses the main implementation path and the prospect of China's carbon peak and carbon neutralization. China's path to realizing carbon neutralization includes four directions: (1) in terms of carbon dioxide emission control: energy transformation path, energy conservation, and emission reduction path; (2) for increasing carbon sink: carbon capture, utilization, and storage path, ecological governance, and land greening path; (3) in key technology development: zero-carbon utilization, coal new energy coupling, carbon capture and storage (CCUs), energy storage technology and other key technology paths required to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutralization; (4) from the angle of policy development: formulate legal guarantees for the government to promote the carbon trading market; Formulate carbon emission standards for enterprises and increase publicity and education for individuals and society. Based on practicing the goal and path of carbon peak and carbon neutralization, China will vigorously develop low carbon and circular economy and promote green and high-quality economic development; speed up to enter the era of fossil resources and promoting energy transformation; accelerate the integrated innovation of green and low-carbon technologies and promote carbon neutrality.

10Auction mechanism design of the Chinese national carbon market for carbon neutralizationOpenAlex

Wenjun Wang, Xujie Zhao, Qiaqia Zhang, et al.
The carbon market auction mechanism is an important policy tool for carbon pricing and a key mechanism that supports carbon emission neutralization, especially for China. A few systematic studies exist on China’s carbon market auction mechanism. This article focuses on the five auction mechanisms in Chinese pilot emission trading schemes (ETS), reviews the structures and bidding situation of the five-pilot auction mechanism, extracts the similarities, and analyzes their different features, such as auction mode, bidding scale, participants, pricing mode, auction frequency, and so on. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of the carbon allowance auction mechanism in the Guangdong pilot ETS of China, including its development and the evolution of the key elements, its operational effects, and related disputes. Finally, this study puts forward the trend forecast and suggestions for the Chinese allowance auction mechanism, such as the time window of launching national allowance auctions, the most likely auction mode, carbon pricing, and bidding revenue management. Carbon pricing by auction is the most powerful policy tool for addressing carbon emissions reduction and implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact.

11Does green financial policy affect debt-financing cost of heavy-polluting enterprises? An empirical evidence based on Chinese pilot zones for green finance reform and innovationsOpenAlex

Jinyan Shi, Conghui Yu, Yanxi Li, et al.

12The impact of green finance policy on green innovation performance: Evidence from Chinese heavily polluting enterprisesOpenAlex

Kaiwen Chang, Dan Luo, Yizhe Dong, et al.
Green innovation (GI) is increasingly recognised as an effective strategy for tackling climate change, mitigating environmental issues, and promoting sustainable development. Using panel data of the Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2019, this study adopts the difference-in-differences approach to assess the impact of the green finance policy (GFP) initiated by the Chinese government in 2012 on the green innovation performance of firms. The findings reveal that the GFP significantly boosts the green innovation performance of heavily polluting enterprises (HPEs). Notably, this effect is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and firms with high dependence on external finance. Compared with penalty-based regulations, incentive-based and voluntary environmental regulations demonstrate more significant moderating effects on the relationship between the GFP and green innovation performance for HPEs. We also identify improved efficiency in the usage of green investments as a potential mechanism through which the GFP enhances the green innovation performance of HPEs. Further comparative analysis shows that green enterprises can achieve simultaneous improvement in both the quality and quantity of green innovation, whereas HPEs predominantly exhibit enhancements in innovation quantity. To maximise the GFP's positive effects, it is recommended to facilitate more targeted bank lending towards HPEs to support their structural transformation. Additionally, the coordinated deployment of diverse environmental policy instruments is advised to exploit their synergistic effects.

13Can green finance policies affect corporate financing? Evidence from China's green finance innovation and reform pilot zonesOpenAlex

Tao Zhang

14Effects of the green finance policy on the green innovation efficiency of the manufacturing industry: A difference-in-difference modelOpenAlex

Mei Ling Wang

15ESG disclosure and corporate financial irregularities – Evidence from Chinese listed firmsOpenAlex

Xueying Yuan, Zhongfei Li, Jin-Hua Xu, et al.

16Institutional framework of ESG disclosures: comparative analysis of developed and developing countriesOpenAlex

Monica Singhania, Neha Saini
With enhanced global scrutiny in the backdrop of climate change, we attempt to identify the importance of the ESG framework during Covid-19 pandemic to produce guidelines for future sustainability practices. A comprehensive review of literature on ESG regulatory frameworks for sample developed and developing country was performed leading to undertaking of a cross-country comparative ESG analysis. It was revealed that a country's social and governance disclosure were driven by either voluntary or by mandatory codes that could not be a standalone factor for uplifting the country's overall ESG level. Other governance measures like sustainability reporting and integrated reporting practices need to be considered in order to uplift the ESG practice. Country-level environmental commitment was vital for both developed and emerging markets for solving information asymmetry issues and establishment of resilient business operations and reporting practices, leading to an emerging sustainable practice which needs to be adopted. Our findings offer valuable insights for regulators, institutional investors and policymakers in terms of considering ESG practices adopted by developed countries and bridging the gap from unsustainability to sustainability in countries with least developed emerging ESG countries. The study encourages the regulators to devise disclosure policies as per the Triple ‘C’ framework namely policies that are convenient, credible and comparable with the flexibility to encompass black swan events like Covid-19. The purpose of such disclosures should be to resolve the information asymmetry problem which primarily exists when regulations are non-mandatory.

17Environmental social and governance (ESG) disclosure motives for environmentally sensitive industry: an emerging economy perspectiveOpenAlex

Muhammad Sani Khamisu, Ratna Achuta Paluri, Vandana Sonwaney
AbstractOrganizations disclose environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information for various reasons, including mandatory reporting regulations. However, for environmentally sensitive corporations, ESG disclosure is not only a regulatory obligation. It also has the potential to promote corporate reputation. This study aims to uncover the motivating factors behind ESG disclosures in an emerging economy. The research methodology employed in the study includes (i) systematically reviewing literature following the PRISMA protocol to identify ESG disclosure motives, (ii) integrating fuzzy set theory with interpretive structural modelling (FISM) for developing a structural hierarchical model to understand the interactions between the motives, (iii) applying a fuzzy Matrice d’impacts croisés multiplication appliquée á un classment (Fuzzy MICMAC) approach to categorize the motives. The FISM model shows that organizations primarily disclose ESG information in response to regulatory and stakeholders’ pressures. The results further highlight the role of corporate ‘greenwashing’ behaviour and ethical considerations in ESG. The findings recommend that feasible regulations are crucial in improving ESG reporting quantity and quality. This research is one of the very few examining the motives behind ESG disclosures and a ‘stepping-stone’ to implementing mandatory ESG disclosure regulations. Understanding ESG disclosure motives will enable policymakers to draft policies that promote greater sustainability commitment.

18The Role of Carbon Trading in Enhancing Enterprise Green Productivity and ESG Performance: A Quasi‐Natural Evidence From ChinaOpenAlex

Ying Hongbin, Yang Hongmei, Javier Cifuentes‐Faura, et al.
ABSTRACT The carbon emission trading system (CETS) efficiency in increasing enterprise green productivity is attracting significant interest. This study proposes implementing a carbon‐emissions pricing system in China, viewing it as a quasi‐natural experiment. It investigates the aforementioned prone from a corporate green total factor productivity (GTFP) perspective. This article uses a sample of A‐share listed businesses from 2005 to 2021 from the Shenzhen and Shanghai exchanges. The research confirms that the CETS enhances the GTFP. Furthermore, the CETS has a threshold effect on enterprise green total factor productivity determined by carbon market efficiency. It also reveals that green innovation and resource allocation efficiency mediate the CETS‐GTFP link. Further analysis shows that the CETS promotes GTFP more when firms are more diversified, state‐owned, and have lower Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings. This article highlights the microeconomic implications of the carbon emission pricing system, which can help construct a national carbon market and enhance green development initiatives.

19The impact of ESG performance on corporate sustainable growth from the perspective of carbon sentimentOpenAlex

Yamin Xie

20Recent progress and emerging strategies for carbon peak and carbon neutrality in ChinaOpenAlex

Lan Liu, Xin Wang, Zegao Wang
Abstract As the global climate crisis intensifies, ecosystems, human society and economic activities are significantly affected. Countries around the world have successively put forward the goal of carbon neutrality or zero carbon. At the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Chinese government explicitly proposed making efforts to reach the goal of Carbon Peak (peak of carbon emissions before 2030) and Carbon Neutrality (Dual Carbon) (carbon neutrality before 2060). In October 2021, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the “ Opinions on Fully, Accurately and Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Concepts to Achieve Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality ” and the Action Plan for Achieving Carbon Peak before 2030 , specifying the targets and tasks related to achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality in China. As the world's largest developing country, the world's largest manufacturer, and a country with the most complete industrial categories, China will face multiple challenges such as climate change, economic transition, and environmental protection, which requires systematic support from policy, economy, technology, and society. How to achieve the goal will be a great challenge to China's sustainable development. The academic community has conducted extensive exploration on the realization of China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality in many fields, such as energy transformation, industrial structure upgrading, transportation carbon reduction, urban planning and construction, carbon sink enhancement, low‐carbon technologies, green finance, and supporting policies. Among them, policy planning and technological innovation are the most important to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Second, industrial adjustment and enterprise implementation are also important. Therefore, this review will focus on the development status and prospects of policy support, technological innovation, industrial adjustment, and enterprise implementation for achieving dual carbon goals in China. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

21Can China's renewable energy policy synergies help clean energy transition?OpenAlex

Bo Wang, Guangchuan Liu, Silin Zhou, et al.

22Characteristics and mechanism analysis of the clean evolution of China's power generation structureOpenAlex

Yan Nie, Guoxing Zhang, Yang Zhou, et al.

23China's efforts towards carbon neutrality: Does energy-saving and emission-reduction policy mitigate carbon emissions?OpenAlex

Tiantian Xu, Chenyi Kang, Hua Zhang

24Green and climate finance research trends: A bibliometric study of pre- and post-pandemic shiftsOpenAlex

Azhar Mohamad
Green and climate finance are critical for solving global climate concerns and promoting sustainable development. However, research gaps remain in identifying theme shifts and regional discrepancies, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of 1039 Scopus papers published between 1997 and 2024, utilising tools including Bibliomagika, VOSviewer, and Biblioshiny to look at co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and thematic clusters. The findings emphasise a significant increase in research output following 2020, which indicates the increasing significance of sustainable financial mechanisms. China is becoming a global centre for research collaboration, while journals such as Environmental Science and Pollution Research are the most prolific in terms of publications and citations. Thematic analysis indicates a transition from adaptation and food security prior to the pandemic to green finance, renewable energy, and sustainable development goals during the pandemic. Nevertheless, climate finance has a substantial research gap, particularly in adaptation strategies. The study emphasises the necessity of strategic investments in green financial mechanisms and the integration of green finance into economic recovery frameworks, providing policymakers with actionable insights. The key to leveraging green and climate finance to achieve a sustainable, resilient future is to enhance interdisciplinary research and foster equitable global collaboration.

25Environmental Finance: An Interdisciplinary ReviewOpenAlex

Hu Tao, Shan Zhuang, Rui Xue, et al.
Environmental finance has gained considerable attention globally as an emerging interdisciplinary research area. This study uses bibliometric analysis to systematically review major studies on environmental finance-related areas published since the 1970s. Through a bibliometric analysis of 892 environmental finance-related articles sourced from the Web of Science database, we identified the main research streams and illustrated the trending research themes of environmental finance. We find that publications related to environmental finance have increased exponentially over the past decade. Current research streams include corporate and social responsibility (CSR), climate negotiations, natural gas price volatility, national policy, and cost comparisons. Further analysis of the recent five years of literature shows that emerging research topics include climate finance, sustainable finance, firm value, climate risk, and green bonds. Finally, we conclude with a future research agenda for environmental finance.

26Inside the <scp>ESG</scp> ratings: (Dis)agreement and performanceOpenAlex

Monica Billio, Michele Costola, Iva Hristova, et al.
Abstract We analyze the ESG rating criteria used by prominent agencies and show that there is a lack of a commonality in the definition of ESG (i) characteristics, (ii) attributes and (iii) standards in defining E, S and G components. We provide evidence that heterogeneity in rating criteria can lead agencies to have opposite opinions on the same evaluated companies and that agreement across those providers is substantially low. Those alternative definitions of ESG also affect sustainable investments leading to the identification of different investment universes and consequently to the creation of different benchmarks. This implies that in the asset management industry it is extremely difficult to measure the ability of a fund manager if financial performances are strongly conditioned by the chosen ESG benchmark. Finally, we find that the disagreement in the scores provided by the rating agencies disperses the effect of preferences of ESG investors on asset prices, to the point that even when there is agreement, it has no impact on financial performances.

27How Do Companies Respond to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings? Evidence from ItalyOpenAlex

Ester Clementino, Richard Perkins
Abstract While a growing number of firms are being evaluated on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria by sustainability rating agencies (SRAs), comparatively little is known about companies’ responses. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with companies operating in Italy, the present paper seeks to narrow this gap in current understanding by examining how firms react to ESG ratings, and the factors influencing their response. Unique to the literature, we show that firms may react very differently to being rated, with our analysis yielding a fourfold typology of corporate responses. The typology captures conformity and resistance to ratings across two dimensions of firm behaviour. We furthermore show that corporate responses depend on managers’ beliefs regarding the material benefits of adjusting to and scoring well on ESG ratings and their alignment with corporate strategy. In doing so, we challenge the idea that organisational ratings homogenise organisations and draw attention to the agency underlying corporate responses. Our findings also contribute to debates about the impact of ESG ratings, calling into question claims about their positive influence on companies’ sustainability performance. We conclude by discussing the wider empirical, theoretical and ethical implications of our paper.

28Where and how machine learning plays a role in climate finance researchOpenAlex

Andrés Alonso-Robisco, Javier Bas, José Manuel Carbó, et al.
The financial sector, by mobilizing capital, is fundamental to adapt and mitigate the impact of climate change in the economy. This has led to the emergence of a new research field, climate finance, where experts are starting to harness Machine Learning (ML) as a tool to solve new problems, due to the need to use big datasets and to model complex non-linear relationships. We propose a review of the academic literature that goes beyond the existing bibliometric studies in the field, with the aim of identifying relevant application domains of this technology to inform ML experts where and how their modeling expertise may add value in climate finance. To achieve this, we first assemble a corpus of texts from three scientific databases and use Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling, to uncover seven research areas which we label as: natural hazards, biodiversity, agricultural risk, carbon markets, energy economics, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors &amp; investing, and climate data. Second, we perform an analysis of publication trends, which confirms that ML is growing both in breadth and depth in climate finance, in particular topics related to energy economics, ESG factors and climate data. Interestingly, some methods stand out in each area, based on data characteristics and modeling requirements

29Machine Learning methods in climate finance: a systematic reviewOpenAlex

Andrés Alonso-Robisco, José Manuel Carbó, José Manuel Carbó
Preventing the materialization of climate change is one of the main challenges of our time. The involvement of the financial sector is a fundamental pillar in this task, which has led to the emergence of a new field in the literature, climate finance. In turn, the use of Machine Learning (ML) as a tool to analyze climate finance is on the rise, due to the need to use big data to collect new climate-related information and model complex non-linear relationships. Considering the proliferation of articles in this field, and the potential for the use of ML, we propose a review of the academic literature to assess how ML is enabling climate finance to scale up. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a structure of application domains in a highly fragmented research field, aiming to spur further innovative work from ML experts. To pursue this objective, first we perform a systematic search of three scientific databases to assemble a corpus of relevant studies. Using topic modeling (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) we uncover representative thematic clusters. This allows us to statistically identify seven granular areas where ML is playing a significant role in climate finance literature: natural hazards, biodiversity, agricultural risk, carbon markets, energy economics, ESG factors &amp; investing, and climate data. Second, we perform an analysis highlighting publication trends; and thirdly, we show a breakdown of ML methods applied by research area.

30Machine Learning Methods in Climate Finance: A Systematic ReviewOpenAlex

Andrés Alonso, José Manuel Carbó, José Manuel Marqués

31ESG uncertainties and valuation implications: Evidence from the EU banking sectorOpenAlex

Jie Dou, Nawazish Mirza, Muhammad Umar, et al.

32ESGReveal: An LLM-based approach for extracting structured data from ESG reportsOpenAlex

Yi Zou, Mengying Shi, Zhongjie Chen, et al.
ESGReveal is an innovative method proposed for efficiently extracting and analyzing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data from corporate reports, catering to the critical need for reliable ESG information retrieval. This approach utilizes Large Language Models (LLM) enhanced with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques. The ESGReveal system includes an ESG metadata module for targeted queries, a preprocessing module for assembling databases, and an LLM agent for data extraction. Its efficacy was appraised using ESG reports from 166 companies across various sectors listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2022, ensuring comprehensive industry and market capitalization representation. Utilizing ESGReveal unearthed significant insights into ESG reporting with GPT-4, demonstrating an accuracy of 76.9% in data extraction and 83.7% in disclosure analysis, which is an improvement over baseline models. This highlights the framework's capacity to refine ESG data analysis precision. Moreover, it revealed a demand for reinforced ESG disclosures, with environmental and social data disclosures standing at 69.5% and 57.2%, respectively, suggesting a pursuit for more corporate transparency. While current iterations of ESGReveal do not process pictorial information, a functionality intended for future enhancement, the study calls for continued research to further develop and compare the analytical capabilities of various LLMs. In summary, ESGReveal is a stride forward in ESG data processing, offering stakeholders a sophisticated tool to better evaluate and advance corporate sustainability efforts. Its evolution is promising in promoting transparency in corporate reporting and aligning with broader sustainable development aims.

33Dataset for analysing the ESG-oriented technical efficiency of VNSI listed companiesOpenAlex

Manh-Trung Phung, Van-Thi Dao, Khac-Thanh Mai
In tandem with the evolution of the "green economy and finance" paradigm, a number of sustainability assessment metrics tailored to businesses has been meticulously researched and refined. Among the established benchmarks, the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) index has emerged prominently. With the strategic guidance of governments across diverse nations, this index has progressively assumed a central role as a guiding compass for enterprises with aspirations of sustainable development and the pursuit of long-term investment strategies coveted by discerning investors. The fundamental objective underpinning the dataset presented in this paper is to appraise the technical efficiency exhibited by listed companies on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE), encompassed within the purview of the Vietnam Sustainability Index (VNSI). The assessment of information disclosure practices by these corporate entities adheres rigorously to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards of 2020. Complementing this are assorted financial metrics gleaned from financial and annual reports, underpinning an analytical framework predicated on Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA), affording a ranking of corporate efficiency. This empirical dataset not only facilitates enhanced comprehension for investors and financial market overseers regarding the pivotal significance of ESG disclosures and practices but also serves as a catalyst for researchers, encouraging the exploration of broader research avenues or the development of novel, more efficacious evaluation frameworks.

34Board Sustainability Committees, Climate Change Initiatives, Carbon Performance, and Market ValueOpenAlex

Nurlan Orazalin, Collins G. Ntim, John Malagila
Abstract We examine the interrelationships among board sustainability committees, process‐based climate change initiatives, outcome‐based carbon performance, and market value through the lens of economic‐ and social‐based theoretical perspectives. Using a panel dataset of 8408 observations from 35 countries between 2002 and 2019, we find that higher levels of actual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are negatively associated with market value. Further, we reveal a positive association between process‐based climate change initiatives and market value. We then provide evidence that process‐based climate change initiatives are positively related to increased levels of GHG emissions. We also observe that the presence of a board sustainability committee has a positive impact on market value, but does not seem to improve outcome‐based carbon performance. Finally, we show that the predicted relationships vary across different country‐groups, sector‐groups, and periods. Our empirical findings are robust to alternative measures, endogeneities, and sample selection bias. Overall, our evidence supports the symbolic legitimation/greenwashing view, in that firms are likely to employ process‐based climate change initiatives under a symbolic approach to create positive impressions among stakeholders and protect their legitimacy.

35No End in Sight? A Greenwash Review and Research AgendaOpenAlex

A. Wren Montgomery, Thomas P. Lyon, Julian Barg
Greenwashing is more virulent than ever. A profusion of environmental, social, and governance and net zero commitments are becoming fraught with questionable and misleading claims. At the same time, we are no closer to solving the pressing environmental and social issues of our time. In this review, we seek to examine this shift and summarize changes in greenwash research into three key phases: (a) 1.0 Static Communication; (b) 2.0 Dynamic Management; and (c) 3.0 Narratives about the Future. We analyze current key areas of developing literature and point to numerous open questions for future research. Next, we go beyond much of the published work to examine emerging tactics and lay out a forward-looking agenda for future research. We also propose a model of Corporate Miscommunication, integrating various streams in greenwash research. In doing so, we seek to lay a pathway for greenwashing researchers to finally find that elusive "end" to greenwashing.

36Institutional Investors and the Fight Against Climate ChangeOpenAlex

Thea Kolasa, Zacharias Sautner
ABSTRACT Research Question/Issue This article examines the role of institutional investors in the fight against climate change. We explain the institutional context, provide evidence highlighting institutional investors' bright and dark sides in this fight, and develop multiple ideas for future research. Research Findings/Insights We show that climate change has a significant impact on institutional investors. Simultaneously, we demonstrate that institutional investors can have a significant positive impact on fighting climate change, particularly if they actively engage with portfolio firms to reduce carbon emissions. For risk management reasons, this is in their own interest, and it is also in the interests of society. Theoretical/Academic Implications We highlight possible future research avenues on the link between institutional investors and climate change, emphasizing issues related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating agencies, greenwashing, and the risk of a loss of trust in ESG products. Climate change constitutes one of the grand challenges of our time, and substantially more research on the role of finance is required. Practitioner/Policy Implications Climate change imposes financial risks on institutional investors' portfolio firms, which must be actively addressed in the investment process. Nascent evidence indicates that markets have begun pricing these risks. Institutional investors can positively influence climate change by engaging portfolio firms on their emissions and simultaneously reducing climate transition risks.

37A comprehensive review of carbon footprint analysis as an extended environmental indicator in the wine sectorOpenAlex

Benedetto Rugani, Ian Vázquez‐Rowe, Graziella Benedetto, et al.

38The impact of Fintech on corporate carbon emissions: Towards green and sustainable developmentOpenAlex

Chang’an Wang, Long Wang, Shikuan Zhao, et al.
Abstract Fintech, as the fusion of finance and technology, has not only transformed the traditional financial industry and contributed to reshaping the real economy. But also, it holds the potential to offer a feasible solution for achieving green and sustainable development. This paper investigates the impact of Fintech on corporate carbon emissions (CCEs) by using data from the National Tax Survey Database (NTSD). The results suggest that Fintech development leads to a reduction in CCEs. Our findings remain robust even after using the instrumental variable approach to alleviate endogeneity problems. The mechanism analysis reveals that Fintech reduces CCEs via alleviating financing constraints, improving energy efficiency, and promoting green innovation. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that Fintech dramatically decreases CCEs from coal energy consumption, while increasing CCEs from consuming power and gas energy. Additionally, carbon emissions from state‐owned and foreign companies experience a more pronounced reduction through Fintech compared to those from private firms. Furthermore, firms in eastern and middle regions are more vulnerable to Fintech development. Moreover, enterprises in non‐high‐tech industries and high‐polluting industries exhibit noteworthy performance in reducing carbon emissions through Fintech adoption. This research offers policymakers a path to effectively govern CCEs and achieve their carbon reduction targets.

39Corporate Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability Performance Transformation through ESG DisclosureOpenAlex

Maha Faisal Alsayegh, Rashidah Abdul Rahman, Saeid Homayoun
Within the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure–corporate sustainability performance (economic, environmental and social; EES) framework, our empirical analysis examined the impact of ESG information disclosure on EES sustainability performance among Asian firms from 2005 to 2017. The positive ESG disclosure–EES sustainability performance relationship found in this study provides evidence that disclosing the implementation of environment and social strategies within an effective system of corporate governance in the organization strengthens corporate sustainability performance. The results also show that environmental performance and social performance are significantly positively related to economic sustainable performance, indicating that the corporation’s economic value and creating value for society are interdependent. In line with the stakeholder theory and the shared value theory, ESG information disclosure to all stakeholders is an important factor in creating a competitive advantage for enhancing corporate sustainability performance.

40Mapping the Landscape of the Literature on Environmental, Social, Governance Disclosure and Firm Value: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic ReviewOpenAlex

Chun Cai, Saddam A. Hazaea, Mohammed Hael, et al.
Increased interest in sustainability and related issues has led to the development of disclosed corporate information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Additionally, questions have arisen about whether these disclosures affect the firm’s value. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis coupled with a systematic literature review (SLR) of the current literature in the Scopus database from 2001 to 2023. We utilized VOS viewer, Site Space, and R Studio tools for this analysis. Our findings indicate that the relationship between ESG disclosures and the firm’s value has different effects and that disclosure impacts through various channels, such as increasing stakeholder trust. Moreover, the keyword analysis results before and after 2015 demonstrate significant advancement in the utilization of a theoretical foundation in the literature. Furthermore, China (Country), “Universidad de Salamanca” (University), “Uyar, Ali and García-Sánchez, Isabel-María” (Authors), and “Sustainability” and “Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management” (Journals) were the most contributing and influential in this field. On the other hand, the results revealed six thematic clusters: society, sustainable development, ESG, organization, innovation, and stakeholders. We found promising research paths and emerging themes through content analysis of these clusters, such as sustainability assurance, green innovation, and sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review concludes by providing a roadmap that includes emerging lines of research that can be explored in depth in future studies to promote better and more comprehensive integration to achieve sustainability and maximize firm value.

41A comprehensive review of research works based on evolutionary game theory for sustainable energy developmentOpenAlex

Gang Wang, Yuechao Chao, Yong Min Cao, et al.
The evolutionary game theory method has been widely used in the research works about different kinds of energy utilization fields, especially the clean energy utilizations which can facilitate the sustainable energy development. This paper presents a research review of the evolutionary game theory (EGT)-based studies on different energy-related aspects, including the traditional energy utilizations, energy saving and carbon emission reduction, new energy utilizations, new energy vehicles, electric power market, distributed energy systems, micro-grid, smart grid and energy storage. Typical research works based on the evolutionary game theory method and relevant algorithms are introduced and summarized. To promote the sustainable developments of energy utilization technologies as well as the usage of evolutionary game theory method, typical existing problems and several general recommendations about the further EGT-based research works are also proposed. The potential further works based on the evolutionary game theory approach may include the EGT-based studies considering more complex initial conditions and influential factors, verifications of the applicabilities and feasibilities of the evolutionary game theory method based on practical examples, research works with evolutionary game models consisting of more participants, and research and development (R&D) works of new EGT-based or hybrid algorithms.

42The construction of Shenzhen׳s carbon emission trading schemeOpenAlex

Jing Jiang, Bin Ye, Xiaoming Ma

43Can a carbon emission trading scheme generate the Porter effect? Evidence from pilot areas in ChinaOpenAlex

Feng Dong, Yuanju Dai, Shengnan Zhang, et al.

44The Optimal Carbon Emission Reduction and Prices with Cap and Trade Mechanism and CompetitionOpenAlex

Linghong Zhang, Hao Zhou, Yanyan Liu, et al.
More and more countries employ the Carbon Cap and Trade mechanism (CCT-mechanism) to stimulate the manufacturer to produce much more eco-friendly products. In this paper, we study how the CCT-mechanism affects competitive manufacturers' product design and pricing strategies. Assume that there are two competitive manufacturers; we give the optimal closed form solutions of the carbon emission reduction rates and retail prices in the Nash game model and the Stackelberg game model with CCT-mechanism, respectively. Additionally, we also discuss the impacts of CCT-mechanism, consumer environmental awareness (CEA), and the sensitivity of switchovers toward price on the optimal carbon emission reduction rates, retail prices, and manufacturers' profits. We find that (i) when the carbon quota is not enough, there is a trade off between investing in producing much greener product and purchasing carbon quota; when the carbon price is not high, the manufacturer tends to purchase the carbon quota; and when the carbon price is much higher, the manufacturer is more willing to increase the environmental quality of the product; (ii) manufacturer's size affects product's emission reduction rate and manufacturer's optimal profit; larger manufacturer tends to produce much greener product, but it does not mean that he could obtain much more money than the small manufacturer; and (iii) the decision sequence changes manufacturer's strategies; the optimal emission reduction rate in Nash and Stackelberg game models are almost the same, but the differences of prices and profits between Nash and Stackelberg model's are much bigger.

45Analysis of emission reduction effects of carbon trading: Market mechanism or government intervention?OpenAlex

Boqiang Lin, Chenchen Huang

46Review of recent progress of emission trading policy in ChinaOpenAlex

Weiqing Huang, Qiufang Wang, Han Li, et al.

47Enhancing carbon price point-interval multi-step-ahead prediction using a hybrid framework of autoformer and extreme learning machine with multi-factorsOpenAlex

Baoli Wang, Zhaocai Wang, Zhiyuan Yao

48The Dynamic Spillover between Renewable Energy, Crude Oil and Carbon Market: New Evidence from Time and Frequency DomainsOpenAlex

Dan Nie, Yanbin Li, Xiyu Li, et al.
To obtain the price return and price volatility spillovers between renewable energy stocks, technology stocks, oil futures and carbon allowances under different investment horizons, this paper employs a frequency-dependent method to study the dynamic connectedness between these assets in four frequency bands. The results show that, first, there is a strong spillover effect between these assets from a system-wide perspective, and it’s mainly driven by short-term spillovers. Second, in the time domain, technology stocks have a more significant impact on renewable energy stocks compared to crude oil. However, through the study in the frequency domain, we find renewable energy stocks exhibit a more complex relationship with the other two assets at different time scales. Third, renewable energy stocks have significant spillover effect on carbon prices only in the short term. On longer time scales, other factors such as energy prices, climate and policy may have a greater impact on carbon allowance prices. Fourth, the spillover effect of the system is time-varying and frequency-varying. During the European debt crisis, the international oil price decline and the COVID-19 pandemic, the total spillover index of the system has experienced a substantial increase, mainly driven by medium, medium to long or long term spillovers.

49Flexibility in the market for international carbon credits and price dynamics difference with European allowancesOpenAlex

Claire Gavard, Djamel Kirat

50Spillover effect among independent carbon markets: evidence from China’s carbon marketsOpenAlex

Yaxue Yan, Weijuan Liang, Banban Wang, et al.

51Carbon pricing versus emissions trading: A supply chain planning perspectiveOpenAlex

Atefe Zakeri, Farzad Dehghanian, Behnam Fahimnia, et al.

52Assessment of impacts of green bonds on renewable energy utilization efficiencyOpenAlex

Ye Xiang, Ehsan Rasoulinezhad

53Green bonds, financing constraints, and green innovationOpenAlex

Tuo Wang, Xiaoxing Liu, Hu Wang

54Policy support in promoting green bonds in Asia: empirical evidenceOpenAlex

Dina Azhgaliyeva, Zhanna Kapsalyamova
Many economies, especially in Asia, implement different policies to incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of green bond policies. This study examines the impact of a broad range of green bond policies on the issuance of corporate green bonds in 56 green-bond-issuing economies, including 11 economies in Asia, from January 2010 to June 2020. Using the difference-in-difference specification within the multilevel probit model, the study shows that the following policies increase the probability of issuance of green bonds by corporates: (i) policies that reduce the cost of green bond issuance, such as green bond grants and tax incentives (such policies are particularly popular in Asia); (ii) coordination policies such as the establishment of green bond or green finance institutions, committees, groups, as well as other policy signals such as national commitments and targets; and (iii) global international cooperation and international standardization.Key policy insights Policies that reduce the cost of green bond issuance, such as green bond grants and tax incentives, incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds.Coordination policies, such as the establishment of green bond or green finance institutions, committees, groups, as well as other policy signals, such as national commitments and targets, incentivize the issuance of corporate green bonds.Global international cooperation and standardization incentivize corporate green bond issuance.

55Debt for nature swaps — Overview and discussion of key issuesOpenAlex

Stein Hansen

56Debt-for-Nature Swaps: The Belize 2021 Deal and the Future of Green Sovereign FinanceOpenAlex

Sebastian Grund, Stephanie Fontana

57The pitfalls and potential of debt-for-nature swaps: A US-Indonesian case studyOpenAlex

Danny Cassimon, Martin Prowse, Dennis Essers

58What comes next: responding to recommendations from the task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD)OpenAlex

Shiva Tyagi
The task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD) published its recommendations for disclosing climate-related risks in June 2017. The TCFD report represents a framework for companies to disclose climate-related information consistently in their mainstream financial filings. Reporting financial activity using the lens of climate-related risk would, according to the TCFD, help more appropriately price risks and allocate capital in the context of climate change. The initiative, while voluntary, would help speed the transition to a low-carbon economy, and help shift the corporate perspective beyond immediate concerns. The oil and gas industry can play a leading role in the transition to a low carbon economy through: carbon capture and storage, use of natural gas as a transition fuel and the implementation of large-scale renewable energy projects. Given the oil and gas industry’s global leadership in petroleum geology, resource extraction and pipeline transmission, the industry has a vital role in testing the feasibility of large-scale carbon capture and storage. Fossil fuels and renewable energy technologies have obvious complementary synergies and fossil fuels like natural gas are necessary for the reliable, affordable and low-cost transition to a low carbon transition pathway. The oil and gas industry may be the only sector with the requisite expertise and global scale of operations to test and implement large-scale renewable technology initiatives within a public-private partnership framework. Moreover, oil and gas companies are well positioned to be leaders in the effort to adapt and strengthen resilience to the effects and risks of climate change and reduce impacts.

59Sustainable Investing: The Black Box of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) RatingsOpenAlex

Subhash Abhayawansa, Shailesh Tyagi
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is becoming mainstream, and the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the momentum. The interest in ESG investing creates greater demand for ESG data, ratings, and rankings, spawning a proliferation of agencies offering these products, which investors, academics, and regulators rely on unquestioningly. Research highlights that different ESG ratings and rankings produce significantly different assessments of the ESG performance of companies. This article examines the causes of differences in the ratings and rankings generated by different agencies. Findings indicate that the divergences among raters can be attributed to differences in the definitions of ESG constructs (i.e., a theorization problem) and methodological differences (i.e., a commensurability problem). While users of ESG ratings and rankings are advised to study the definitions and methodologies before their use, a lack of transparency about the data sources, weightings, and methodologies makes it difficult to ensure that companies’ true ESG performance is accounted for when making portfolio selection and investment decisions. As a solution, the article notes that instead of attempting to compare and contrast ratings and rankings of different agencies, investors should determine the ESG constructs that are material to their own investment strategies and then match them with an ESG rating or ranking product that closely resembles those constructs. <b>TOPICS:</b>ESG investing, information providers/credit ratings, portfolio construction, portfolio theory <b>Key Findings</b> ▪ There are significant divergences among the ratings and rankings provided by different ESG rating agencies. ▪ Differences among various ESG ratings and rankings are caused by differences in the definitions of ESG constructs (i.e., a theorization problem) and differences in the methods applied for measuring ESG performance of companies (i.e., a commensurability problem). ▪ Agencies providing ESG ratings and rankings are not transparent about what constitutes ESG performance and how ESG performance is measured, including information sources used. ▪ Theorization, commensurability, and transparency problems contribute to masking the true ESG risks and the performance of companies.

60ESG Rating Divergence: Existence, Driving Factors, and Impact EffectsOpenAlex

Yong Shi, Tongsheng Yao
In recent years, corporate ESG performance has been widely incorporated into investment decisions and capital allocation considerations, becoming a focal point and hot topic for research by governments and organizations worldwide. However, due to various reasons, significant discrepancies have emerged in ESG ratings for the same company across different institutions, and this growing divergence in ESG ratings has increasingly drawn the attention of scholars. Studying the differences in ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) ratings is of great significance. This not only helps to understand the root causes of differences, improve the objectivity, consistency, and comparability of ratings, but also helps users better understand the meaning and limitations of rating results. It is beneficial for investors to understand the focus of different ratings and develop more effective investment strategies. It can promote rated companies to improve the quality and transparency of ESG-related information disclosure. It can also provide a reference for regulatory agencies and policymakers, identify market failures and potential risks, and promote the development of more unified standards and frameworks. At the same time, this study can also promote the in-depth development of relevant academic research and theories. Based on this, this study systematically reviews the relevant literature on ESG rating divergence, focusing on its existence, causes, influencing factors, and impacts. The study finds that, in addition to the widespread existence of rating divergence in corporate ESG performance, scholars also disagree on the measurement and methods of this divergence. The reasons for rating divergence are mainly that ESG is a qualitative indicator; top-level design, intermediate calculations, and bottom-level data collection across multiple stages exacerbate divergence; and controversies in practice further deepen divergence, among others. The influencing factors and impact effects of ESG rating divergence are diverse. Given the existence of ESG rating divergence, all parties should treat ESG ratings with caution. This paper offers corresponding recommendations and looks forward to the future, providing a foundation for subsequent research.

61Aggregate Confusion: The Divergence of ESG RatingsOpenAlex

Florian Berg, Julian F Kölbel, Roberto Rigobón
Abstract This paper investigates the divergence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings based on data from six prominent ESG rating agencies: Kinder, Lydenberg, and Domini (KLD), Sustainalytics, Moody’s ESG (Vigeo-Eiris), S&amp;P Global (RobecoSAM), Refinitiv (Asset4), and MSCI. We document the rating divergence and map the different methodologies onto a common taxonomy of categories. Using this taxonomy, we decompose the divergence into contributions of scope, measurement, and weight. Measurement contributes 56% of the divergence, scope 38%, and weight 6%. Further analyzing the reasons for measurement divergence, we detect a rater effect where a rater’s overall view of a firm influences the measurement of specific categories. The results call for greater attention to how the data underlying ESG ratings are generated.

62Quantifying firm-level greenwashing: A systematic literature review.PubMed

Ágnes Lublóy, Judit Lilla Keresztúri, Edina Berlinger
J Environ Manage. 2025 Jan;373:123399. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123399. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
In this systematic methodological literature review, we provide an overview, a typology, and a critical analysis of firm-level greenwashing measures derived from secondary data and utilized in empirical studies. 111 eligible studies were incorporated in this review. The high number of recently published studies in the field signals that in addition to conceptualizing greenwashing, lately there has been significant advancement in its operationalization. In slightly more than half of the cases, researchers adopt a broader perspective, with the greenwashing measure covering environmental, social, and corporate governance dimensions as well. Greenwashing measures tend to focus on two aspects of the multifaceted phenomenon: selective disclosure and decoupling. At present, measures of decoupling are more widely used than the measures of selective disclosure. Decoupling measures capture symbolic and substantive corporate actions using diverse data. Typically, the ESG disclosure score, selected ESG data points, or the content of corporate releases are used for evaluating corporate communication, while ESG ratings and selected environmental actions or performance measures are used for assessing corporate actions. Most greenwashing measures are hypothetical; researchers develop a measure which suggests possible greenwashing incidents. Although greenwashing measures based on actual incidents are scant, it might be a promising new research direction, especially when supported by artificial intelligence. The insights from this systematic literature review might serve as an input for selecting or developing the most appropriate greenwashing measurement approach in future empirical research on greenwashing.

63Why greenwashing occurs and what happens afterwards? A systematic literature review and future research agenda.PubMed

Yupei Liu, Weian Li, Lixiang Wang, et al.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Dec;30(56):118102-118116. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-30571-z. Epub 2023 Nov 6.
The greenwashing phenomenon, which implies the misalignment between environmental disclosure and performance, has received significant scholarly attention. We review the diverse literature on corporate greenwashing to develop an integrative framework that examines its antecedents and consequences from the perspective of corporate governance. Specifically, we identify theoretical perspectives commonly assumed in the literature on greenwashing, including green marketing, green finance, signaling strategy, and corporate decoupling. We outline why and how greenwashing occurs from the aspects of external governance environments and internal governance mechanisms, and what influences greenwashing exerts on firm performance and stakeholder reactions. The analysis further leads to the identification of a research agenda to continue advancing our understanding of corporate greenwashing. Future studies should re-evaluate whether environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues should be included in greenwashing, address potential trade-offs within an ESG framework, explore internal governance mechanisms that influence greenwashing, and examine the differentiated impacts of corporate greenwashing on various stakeholders.

64The Impact of ESG Performance on Corporate ValueOpenAlex

Rouyan Chen
As environmental problems have been increasingly serious, the concept of "sustainable development” has gradually taken hold. ESG, which reflects a company's sustainable development capabilities, has become a trend and attracted widespread attention in the academic community. However, there is still a lack of a unified understanding of the specific association between ESG and corporate value. This article analyzes literature in the international financial field related to ESG in recent years and explores the way ESG influences corporate value from the perspectives of impact, influencing mechanism, and heterogeneity. The aim is to provide insights into future research directions in this field. This article found that there are three impacts of ESG performance on corporate value: promotion, inhibition, or irrelevance. ESG performance mainly affects corporate value from four aspects: financing constraints, green innovation, corporate efficiency, and corporate risk. The heterogeneity of ESG performance mainly depends on factors such as property rights, marketization degree, information transmission efficiency, company size, and industry environmental sensitivity. Future research on ESG should be centered on empirical research that examines ESG’s comprehensive influence and regional heterogeneity of ESG performance.

65Review of research on ESG performance, executive background and firm valueOpenAlex

Yi Yang, Hongmei Zhang
Under the background of green development theory and high-quality development, it is of great significance to promote enterprises to practice ESG development concept. By combing the relevant literature, this paper finds that foreign scholars have studied ESG earlier than domestic scholars, and the research results are also more. Current studies on ESG performance and enterprise value mainly focus on the impact of environment, social responsibility and corporate governance on enterprise value. Few studies focus on the overall impact of ESG performance on enterprise value, and scholars have not reached a consensus on the impact of ESG performance on enterprise value. Some scholars put forward that ESG is positively correlated with enterprise value, some scholars believe that there is no significant relationship between ESG components and enterprise value, and some scholars believe that ESG is not correlated with enterprise value. The differences in the results may be due to differences in how ESG performance is measured, or it may be due to the different countries and stages of development of the companies studied. Most foreign studies are based on enterprises in developed markets, and there is relatively little research on enterprises in emerging markets like China. In addition, few studies have addressed the transmission mechanism of the role of ESG performance and firm value, let alone considered the mediating role of executive background. Therefore, this paper studies the relationship between ESG performance and firm value of listed companies under the background of China's market economy. Secondly, it introduces the background of senior executives to explore whether the background of senior executives plays a certain role in the relationship between the two.

66How does ESG performance affect stock returns? Empirical evidence from listed companies in ChinaOpenAlex

Xiaona Yin, Jingping Li, Chi‐Wei Su
With the increasing attention to sustainable development, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investment has become an important vehicle for achieving carbon neutrality worldwide. In this paper, the impact of ESG performance on stock returns and the transmission mechanism are explored. A fixed effect model based on a panel unbalanced data of listed companies in China from 2011 to 2020 is selected for the empirical analysis. The results show that ESG performance of listed companies in China positively impacts stock returns. However, by distinguishing the ownership nature and region to which listed companies belong, this study finds that the relationship between ESG performance and stock returns is particularly significant for non-state-owned companies and those in the eastern region. Further, based on stakeholder theory, financial performance and corporate innovation ability are embedded into the relationship between ESG performance and stock returns. Both financial performance and corporate innovation ability play partial mediating roles in the correlation between ESG performance and stock returns. In addition, the relationship between ESG performance and corporate innovation ability is non-linear. This paper provides insight for emerging markets into cultivating the value investment concept of investors and improving the ESG information disclosure system.

67Sustainable development, ESG performance and company market value: Mediating effect of financial performanceOpenAlex

Guangyou Zhou, Lian Liu, Sumei Luo
Abstract At present, more and more attention is paid to the sustainable development of enterprises. In particular, in the context of frequent financial crises and COVID‐19 pandemic, how the performance of listed companies' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) affects the company's market value has attracted widespread attention. Different from existing studies, this paper takes financial performance as a mediating variable and constructs linear regression model and mediating effect model based on analyzing the relationship between ESG performance, financial performance, and company market value and their influencing mechanism. The ESG rating data of Chinese listed companies newly developed by SynTao Green Finance from 2014 to 2019 were selected for empirical test. The results show that the improvement of ESG performance of listed companies can improve the market value of the company, and the financial performance of the company presents an obvious mediating effect. At the same time, operational capacity is an important mediating way for ESG performance to affect the company's market value. Further research shows that ESG performance of state‐owned listed companies exerts a stronger mediating effect on corporate operating capacity. Finally, this paper provides relevant suggestions for regulators, listed companies, and investors.

68Environmental-, social-, and governance-related factors for business investment and sustainability: a scientometric review of global trends.PubMed

Hadiqa Ahmad, Muhammad Yaqub, Seung Hwan Lee
Environ Dev Sustain. 2023 Jan 25:1-23. doi: 10.1007/s10668-023-02921-x.
Consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors can contribute to the environmental and economic performance of organizations in terms of investment and sustainability. This article thoroughly reviews the following factors influencing decisions regarding ESG policy by businesses: economic performance, environmental sustainability, pollution and waste, corporate social responsibility, gender, and governance structure. Moreover, we review the impact of these factors considering ESG disclosure, the global pandemic, religion, governing board and size, national interest, and technological advancements. The literature reports that ESG disclosures of environmental, economic, and social sustainability performance can strengthen business sustainability and performance. Religion-based businesses demonstrated better socio-environmental performance but not governance. An independent governing board has a positive impact; however, dual-gender boards negatively impact ESG disclosure. Significant diversification potential in ESG investments was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting an ESG policy enhances the innovation capacity, innovative activities, value creation, and financial performance of businesses. Overall, the social and environmental performance demonstrated a significantly positive relationship with business sustainability, indicating that business economy and creating value for society are mutually dependent. The literature summary presented in this review will help future research on ESG factors that influence business investments and sustainability.

69Do disclosure of ESG information policies inhibit the value of heavily polluting Enterprises?—Evidence from ChinaOpenAlex

Yan Liu, Deng Ya, Yan Liu, et al.
Green governance and high-quality green development are crucial to the growth of enterprises; therefore, this paper examines how environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) disclosure policies affect the value of heavily polluting companies. The study's data is from the new version of the Governance Guidelines for Public Companies promulgated by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in 2018. Thus, the data of China's public companies from 2011 to 2021 is used for the study's analysis. The methods applied for our estimation analysis are the differences-in-differences (DID) and the mediation effect model. The findings depict that ESG information disclosure policies can significantly inhibit the corporate value of heavily polluting enterprises (HPE). Enterprise technological innovation plays a mediating effect in this mechanism; that is, after introducing the policy, it effectively alleviates the information asymmetry and promotes enterprise technological innovation, but it also damages the enterprise value. Further analysis shows that the inhibition effect of ESG information disclosure policy on the value of HPE is heterogeneous, and for non-state-owned enterprises, ESG information disclosure policies have a stronger inhibitory effect. Also, there is little difference between the central and western regions and the eastern region in terms of the inhibitory effect of ESG disclosure policies on the value of HPE. The conclusion of this paper is conducive to improving the information disclosure policy of listed companies and promoting the green development of enterprises.

70Sustainability and Financial Accounting: a Critical Review on the ESG Dynamics.PubMed

Patrizia Tettamanzi, Giorgio Venturini, Michael Murgolo
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Mar;29(11):16758-16761. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-18596-2. Epub 2022 Jan 13.
This study gives a depiction of what are the general directions taken by international institutions so to tackle the current health emergency and the most pressing environmental issues, such as climate change and COVID-19 (Schaltegger, 2020; Adebayo et al., 2021).The role of companies is crucial under disruptive events, such as a crisis or, more in line with the present time, a pandemic, and the pursue of the shareholder value cannot be the essence and the only objective in doing business anymore, since also ESG (i.e., environmental, social, and governance) dynamics have to be taken in due consideration. Moreover, an adequate and effective corporate governance should lead to higher disclosure quality, which subsequently should help protect the entire planet and ecosystems as well. In this context, the principal role of accounting and corporate reporting activities should be oriented towards making emerge what is and what is not done by companies in their business operations, and the disclosure of financial information is currently deemed inappropriate for pursuing a sustainable growth in the medium and long run (Schaltegger, J Account Org Change 16:613-619, 2020; Kirikkaleli & Adebayo, Sustain Dev 29:583-594, 2020; Tettamanzi, Venturini & Murgolo Wider corporate reporting: La possibile evoluzione della Relazione sulla Gestione Bilancio e Revisione, IPSOA - Wolters Kluwer, Philadelphia, 2021). Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate what international and European institutions have planned to do in order to align corporate objectives with environmental and societal needs in the coming years (Biondi et al., Meditari Account Res 28:889-914, 2020; Songini L et al. Integrated reporting quality and BoD characteristics: an empirical analysis. J Manag Govern, 2021).As of today, our analysis finds that IFRS Foundation (at global level) and EFRAG (at European one) have been taking steps toward the aforementioned issues so to propose disclosure standards more in line with sustainability and environmental needed improvements. In fact, we tried to give a depiction of what are the actual and future strategies that both these institutions are going to put in place: this snapshot will give scientists, engineers, lawyers, and business people an overview of what should be like the corporate world of the near future, from a corporate reporting/accounting perspective (so to better understand what will be expected from companies of all the industries worldwide).

71A review of corporate sustainability reporting tools (SRTs).PubMed

Renard Y J Siew
J Environ Manage. 2015 Dec 1;164:180-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.09.010. Epub 2015 Sep 15.
Sustainability reporting has been increasingly adopted by corporations worldwide given the demand of stakeholders for greater transparency on both environmental and social issues. The popularity of such reporting is evidenced by the development of a range of tools in the last two decades - Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), AA1000 and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) inter alia. These tools, referred to collectively as corporate sustainability reporting tools (SRTs) are important as they serve to inform the progress of corporations towards achieving sustainability goals. However, the rapid growth of corporate SRTs, with different criteria and methodology has created major complications for stakeholders. This paper makes a genuine contribution by providing a review of some of these major tools, spanning across a wide spectrum - framework, standards, ratings and indices. A critique of SRTs is also given. Institutional investors, governments, practitioners and individuals may find this review useful in terms of understanding the nature of different corporate SRTs. As well, it can serve as a useful reference for the development of the next generation of corporate SRTs.

72DynamicESG: A Dataset for Dynamically Unearthing ESG Ratings from News ArticlesOpenAlex

Yu-Min Tseng, Chung-Chi Chen, Hen‐Hsen Huang, et al.
This paper introduces the DynamicESG dataset, a unique resource for dynamically extracting ESG ratings from news articles. The ESG rating, a novel metric employed annually to gauge a company's sustainability, relies heavily on corporate disclosure and other external information, especially news narratives. Our dataset, comprising a wide spectrum of news over a twelve-year span, annotates articles in accordance with MSCI ESG ratings methodology and SASB standards, with relevance to ESG issues. DynamicESG provides a comprehensive means of investigating the relationship between public discourse, ESG-related events, and subsequent ESG rating adjustments. We detail our data collection, curation, annotation procedure, and inter-rater agreement, ensuring high data quality and usability. Importantly, our dataset includes a temporal dimension, enabling the analysis of longitudinal trends in ESG ratings and their correlation with news coverage. Moreover, the dataset incorporates an opportunity/risk tendency, thus permitting analysis from diverse perspectives to discern if the news is beneficial or detrimental to the company. We believe this dataset will serve as a valuable resource for researchers in fields such as corporate social responsibility, sustainable investing, machine learning, and natural language processing. Initial analysis using the dataset underscores its potential to facilitate new insights into the dynamics of ESG ratings and the influence of news media on these ratings.

73Blockchain technology in the energy sector: A systematic review of challenges and opportunitiesOpenAlex

Merlinda Andoni, Valentin Robu, David Flynn, et al.
Blockchains or distributed ledgers are an emerging technology that has drawn considerable interest from energy supply firms, startups, technology developers, financial institutions, national governments and the academic community. Numerous sources coming from these backgrounds identify blockchains as having the potential to bring significant benefits and innovation. Blockchains promise transparent, tamper-proof and secure systems that can enable novel business solutions, especially when combined with smart contracts. This work provides a comprehensive overview of fundamental principles that underpin blockchain technologies, such as system architectures and distributed consensus algorithms. Next, we focus on blockchain solutions for the energy industry and inform the state-of-the-art by thoroughly reviewing the literature and current business cases. To our knowledge, this is one of the first academic, peer-reviewed works to provide a systematic review of blockchain activities and initiatives in the energy sector. Our study reviews 140 blockchain research projects and startups from which we construct a map of the potential and relevance of blockchains for energy applications. These initiatives were systematically classified into different groups according to the field of activity, implementation platform and consensus strategy used.1 Opportunities, potential challenges and limitations for a number of use cases are discussed, ranging from emerging peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, to decentralised marketplaces, electric vehicle charging and e-mobility. For each of these use cases, our contribution is twofold: first, in identifying the technical challenges that blockchain technology can solve for that application as well as its potential drawbacks, and second in briefly presenting the research and industrial projects and startups that are currently applying blockchain technology to that area. The paper ends with a discussion of challenges and market barriers the technology needs to overcome to get past the hype phase, prove its commercial viability and finally be adopted in the mainstream.

74Big Data Analytics and AI for Optimizing Supply Chain Sustainability and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Logistics and TransportationOpenAlex

Jessica Obianuju Ojadi, Chinekwu Somtochukwu Odionu, Ekene Cynthia Onukwulu, et al.
Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming supply chain sustainability by enhancing efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. The integration of these technologies in logistics and transportation enables real-time monitoring, predictive modeling, and optimized decision-making, thereby reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. BDA facilitates data-driven insights by aggregating information from diverse sources such as IoT sensors, GPS tracking, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. These insights support route optimization, demand forecasting, and dynamic inventory management, minimizing fuel consumption and waste. AI-powered solutions, including machine learning algorithms and reinforcement learning models, improve fleet management and predictive maintenance, reducing energy usage and emissions. Moreover, AI-driven automation enhances warehouse operations through smart robotics and efficient resource allocation, leading to lower carbon footprints. Advanced AI applications, such as digital twins and blockchain-based transparency, further improve sustainability by enabling end-to-end visibility and accountability in supply chains. Furthermore, BDA and AI facilitate compliance with environmental regulations and corporate sustainability goals by providing accurate carbon footprint assessments and scenario analysis for emission reduction strategies. Challenges such as data privacy, infrastructure costs, and integration complexities remain, but advancements in cloud computing and AI-driven analytics continue to mitigate these barriers. This explores the role of BDA and AI in optimizing supply chain sustainability and reducing GHG emissions in logistics and transportation. It examines case studies and emerging trends, highlighting the potential for these technologies to drive sustainability in global supply chains. By leveraging AI and big data, businesses can achieve operational efficiency while contributing to global climate change mitigation efforts.

75EVALUATING THE INTEGRATION OF ADVANCED IT SOLUTIONS FOR EMISSION REDUCTION IN THE OIL AND GAS SECTOROpenAlex

Chuka Anthony Arinze, Olakunle Abayomi Ajala, Chinwe Chinazo Okoye, et al.
The oil and gas sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, making the integration of advanced IT solutions imperative for emission reduction. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrating advanced IT solutions in mitigating emissions within the oil and gas industry. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative analysis through literature review and quantitative analysis via case studies and data analysis. The literature review identifies various advanced IT solutions currently available, such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data analytics, and their potential applications for emission reduction in the oil and gas sector. Case studies are conducted to examine real-world implementations of these solutions by leading companies in the industry. These case studies provide insights into the challenges, benefits, and best practices associated with integrating advanced IT solutions for emission reduction. Furthermore, quantitative data analysis is conducted to assess the environmental impact of these IT solutions based on emission reduction metrics, such as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and energy efficiency improvements. The findings indicate that the integration of advanced IT solutions holds significant promise for emission reduction in the oil and gas sector. IoT-enabled sensors enable real-time monitoring and optimization of operations, reducing emissions from production processes. AI algorithms enhance predictive maintenance, optimizing equipment performance and minimizing emissions from fugitive sources. Big Data analytics facilitate comprehensive emissions tracking and reporting, enabling proactive emissions management strategies. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the potential of advanced IT solutions in reducing emissions in the oil and gas sector and provides valuable insights for industry practitioners, policymakers, and researchers alike. Keywords: IT, Emission, Reduction, Oil and Gas, Review.

76Using Ai to Help Reduce the Effect of Global WarmingOpenAlex

Ayman Naji Khallaf
This paper explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in mitigating the effects of global warming, which stands as one of the most pressing and complex challenges of our time. The purpose of this research is to examine how various AI technologies, including machine learning, neural networks, and big data analytics, can be leveraged to enhance climate modeling, optimize energy systems, improve agricultural practices, and support carbon capture and storage efforts. By conducting a comprehensive literature review, this paper aims to highlight current advancements, practical applications, and relevant case studies that demonstrate the potential of AI to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable practices across different sectors. The study synthesizes findings from recent academic research, industry reports, and real-world implementations to provide an in-depth analysis of the benefits and challenges associated with integrating AI into climate action strategies. The methodology involves a thorough examination of the existing literature, identifying key areas where AI has shown significant promise in addressing various aspects of global warming. This includes enhancing the accuracy of climate predictions, optimizing the efficiency of renewable energy systems, improving precision agriculture techniques, and increasing the effectiveness of carbon capture and storage technologies. The conclusions drawn from this research underscore the transformative potential of AI in combating global warming. The findings highlight the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration, advancements in AI technologies, and the development of supportive policy frameworks to maximize the impact of these innovations. The paper emphasizes that while AI offers significant potential to address global warming, realizing this potential requires addressing several challenges, including data quality and availability, integration with existing systems, ethical considerations, and economic and policy barriers. Furthermore, this paper discusses the critical role of AI in enabling more effective climate adaptation strategies. As the impacts of global warming become increasingly apparent, AI-driven tools and solutions can help communities and ecosystems adapt to changing environmental conditions. This includes providing early warning systems for natural disasters, optimizing resource allocation during climate-related crises, and supporting the development of resilient infrastructure. In addition to technological advancements, the paper also explores the importance of public engagement and citizen science in enhancing the effectiveness of AI applications in environmental monitoring and climate action. By involving citizens in data collection and environmental monitoring, AI models can access more diverse and localized data, improving their accuracy and relevance. Public engagement can also raise awareness about AI's role in addressing climate change and foster greater support for sustainable practices. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of AI applications in mitigating global warming, offering insights into the future directions and emerging trends in this rapidly evolving field. The research highlights the need for continued innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and supportive policy measures to fully harness the potential of AI in the fight against global warming and to ensure a sustainable future for all. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/pst.464

77Can China’s Carbon Emissions Trading Rights Mechanism Transform its Manufacturing Industry? Based on the Perspective of Enterprise BehaviorOpenAlex

Yue Dai, Nan Li, Rongrong Gu, et al.
The pilot policy of carbon emissions trading rights covers six heavy pollution industries in the manufacturing industry and has achieved considerable emission reductions. Based on enterprise behavior, this study analyzes the impact of the carbon emissions trading rights pilot policy on the productivity of manufacturing enterprises. In addition, we examine whether the pilot policy can aid in the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry. Furthermore, we examine the influence of carbon emissions trading rights on manufacturing enterprises of different sizes and with different property rights. The results show that the trading rights have not produced a “Porter effect” on the productivity of manufacturing enterprises in China or in subsamples based on the nature of enterprise ownership. The impact of the carbon trading rights on the productivity of state-owned manufacturing enterprises in the pilot provinces is based on the compliance cost hypothesis. Therefore, the pilot policy has yet to achieve coordinated economic, social, and environmental development. Lastly, we put forward several policy suggestions on the coordinated development of a carbon trading policy and manufacturing enterprises from the perspective of the government, enterprises, and society.

78Does green finance promote enterprises’ green technology innovation in China?OpenAlex

Shuangshuang Jiang, Xiaojiao Liu, Zhonglu Liu, et al.
In the carbon neutrality strategy, understanding the effects of green finance on green technology innovation is conductive to promoting the green transformation of the economy. Based on the micro-level and provincial panel data of Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2019, this study explored the impact of green financial development on the enterprises’ green technology innovation. Both mediating effect and moderating effect models were employed to determine the impact of green finance on green technological innovation. It was found that green finance significantly improved the enterprises’ green technology innovation, despite sufficient incentives for “quantity” and relatively insufficient motivation for “quality”. The mechanistic tests demonstrated that the green finance could encourage enterprises to improve green technology innovation by alleviating corporate financing constraints. The green innovation effect of green finance was gradually increased when the regional intellectual property protection was improved. The heterogeneity test indicated that the incentive effect of green financial development on green technology innovation was more evident in state-owned enterprises, enterprises with good internal control quality, and enterprises in the growth period. If only enterprises in the recession stage received green financial support, a “green innovation bubble” might occur. The research conclusions enrich the theories on the driving factors of enterprise green innovation and provide empirical evidence for enhancing the competitiveness of enterprise green innovation and achieving carbon neutrality.

79Sustainability-linked bonds – their potential to promote issuers’ transition to net-zero emissions and future research directionsOpenAlex

Grégor Vulturius, Aaron Maltais, Kristina Forsbacka
Sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) promise to complement the use-of-proceed model of green bonds by tying general purpose debt finance to issuers’ sustainability performance against predefined targets. In this commentary, we highlight that the potential of SLBs to promote issuers’ climate transitions crucially depends on a common understanding of eligible economic activities and material performance indicators, the use of science-based targets as best practice, the ability of borrowers to dispel concerns about greenwashing risk, and bond characteristics that set meaningful incentives for issuers to improve their carbon performance. Future research should investigate the climate-related additionality of SLBs, assess if bond characteristics and changes in capital costs support issuers in meeting or even increasing their climate targets and deter unsustainable investments, and better understand the challenges and opportunities for the SLB market to bring about system-level innovation to the financial system.

80Modernizing ESG DisclosureOpenAlex

Virginia Harper Ho, E Virginia
Nearly a decade ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began a comprehensive effort to “modernize and simplify” the disclosure rules that apply to U.S. public companies. In that period, investor demand for the SEC to standardize how companies disclose climate-related risk and other “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) information has risen, and private standard setters, international organizations, and financial regulators outside the U.S. have already introduced ESG reporting frameworks. The SEC, and indeed, the U.S. capital markets themselves, are now at a crossroads. The Biden administration has prioritized a coordinated response to climate change, and the SEC has committed to move forward rapidly to reform ESG disclosure. As a result, the SEC and Congress must now engage with difficult policy debates as they consider how to implement corporate ESG disclosure reform and whether to pursue a sustainable finance transition. These issues include questions about the rationale for ESG disclosure reform, its potential costs and benefits, and the precise form any new reporting rules should take. This Article presents a roadmap for modernizing ESG disclosure that can be undertaken directly by the SEC, as well as more ambitious proposals that are a necessary foundation for sustainable finance reform and that could proceed with Congressional authorization. While there is growing consensus about the core goals of both of these paths, this Article is among the first to address the key issues that must be resolved in the U.S. context. Going beyond prior proposals, this Article advocates a tiered approach that will promote greater transparency and comparability of ESG information and also better align the regulatory framework for ESG reporting under the federal securities laws with emerging international standards.

81Disclosure Compliance with Different ESG Reporting Guidelines: The Sustainability Ranking of Selected European and Hungarian Banks in the Socio-Economic Crisis PeriodOpenAlex

Dávid Tőzsér, Zoltán Lakner, Novy Anggraini, et al.
As the relevant European Union directives require in-depth sustainability reporting from large institutions, banks are among the concerned with disclosure obligations. Several institutions prepare self-structured recommendations by which companies are indirectly fostered to make their operation more sustainable through reporting and to help compliance with the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) regulations. However, in the preparation period, differences can be found in the actual sustainability disclosure practices across Europe (primarily by a western–eastern European relation). To examine this issue, this study aimed to investigate if there was any variation in the reporting compliance with aspects (key performance indicators—KPIs) of three reporting guidelines (Global Reporting Initiative—G4, Financial Services Sector Disclosures—GRI; Alliance for Corporate Transparency—ACT; ISO 26000:2010—ISO) between top European and Hungarian banks according to their 2021 sustainability/ESG reports, using content analysis-based disclosure scoring. The results revealed no significant differences among the general (aspect-pooled) scores for different guidelines, while the differences were significant for each guideline between the two bank groups. In the aspect-level evaluation, the European banks had higher scores in most cases, with the Hungarian banks receiving higher scores in 4 of 49 GRI, 1 of 16 ACT, and 2 of 37 ISO aspects. Significant correlations were indicated in disclosure score values between the two bank groups, which suggested similar preferences for the aspects demonstrated; however, elaboration levels differed. These findings showed that the European and Hungarian banks could be differentiated by their sustainability disclosure patterns. The results suggest a better CSRD-level preparedness of the top European banks than of the Hungarian ones, with the latter being introduced as a model group of the region. This reflects the need for more efficient adoption of best practices by financial institutions in the eastern parts of Europe.

82Does ESG information disclosure increase firm value? The mediation role of financing constraints in ChinaOpenAlex

Hui An, Chenyang Ran, Ya Gao
This study examined the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information disclosure on firm value and the mediation effect of financing constraints using a panel of Chinese A-listed firms from 2013 to 2020. Based on linear regressions, we found that the relationship between ESG disclosure scores and firm value was significantly positive, and the results remained after robustness checks and endogenous tests. Furthermore, the mediation effect analysis indicates that the relationship is achieved by alleviating financing constraints. The subsample analyses showed that ESG disclosure scores positively affect firm value in non-state-owned, nonheavy polluting, and high-transparency firms. The results of each dimension’s relationship to firm value indicate that environmental and social dimensions significantly affected firm value in the panel data, whereas governance did not. Therefore, this paper determines the influence of ESG information disclosure and firm value in China and reveals the mediation effect of financing constraints, supplementing the influence mechanism of information disclosure and extending the previous studies bsed on the developed stock markets. • The ESG information disclosure of Chinese listed enterprises can significantly increase firm value. • The mediation effect shows that ESG information disclosure can enhance firm value by mitigating financing constraints. • ESG disclosure score has a greater impact on firm value for non-state-owned, nonheavy polluting, and high-transparency firms. • All sub-dimensions of ESG information disclosure (E, S, and G) have a significantly positive impact on firm value.

83Investor rewards to environmental responsibility: Evidence from the COVID-19 crisisOpenAlex

Alexandre Garel, Arthur Petit-Romec

84The effect of ESG performance on corporate green innovationOpenAlex

Liping Wu, Xingchen Yi, Kai Hu, et al.
Purpose The transition to green growth goals requires the concerted efforts of the whole society. Enterprises, as important players in the market, play a key role in promoting green and sustainable development. The rise of the concept of sustainable development has enabled more enterprises to disclose environmental, social and governance (ESG) information, and ESG behaviour is regarded as a positive strategic behaviour to implement the new development concept. This paper aims to explore the influence of ESG performance on enterprise green innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study applies a fixed effect model and the regulation effect of empirical analysis to explore the influence of ESG performance on enterprise green innovation. The object of investigation is 2014–2021 Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies. Findings The results of an empirical analysis outline the following conclusions: (1) ESG performance has a significant effect on enterprise green innovation, mainly by easing the pressure of the financing enterprise, fitting stakeholders’ environmental protection concept and obtaining employee organizational identity that influences enterprise green innovation. (2) Government regulation positively regulates the role of ESG performance in promoting the green innovation of enterprises. (3) Heterogeneity analysis found that the strengthening role of ESG performance on the green innovation of enterprises is stronger in green invention patents, state-owned enterprises and nonheavily polluting industries. Research limitations/implications Despite the valuable findings, this study has a few limitations. Thus, it is necessary to extend the object of investigation by adding other Asian countries, which allows for comparison analysis and allocating best practices for promoting green innovation. Besides, innovation and ESG performance depend on the quality of institutions. In this case, the future study should incorporate the indicators that reveal the quality of institutions (corruption, transparency, digitalisation, voice, accountability, etc.). Practical implications According to the above conclusions, this paper proposes suggestions at the level of enterprises, government and investors. At the enterprise level, ESG responsibility should be strengthened, ESG information should be consciously disclosed and the quality of ESG disclosure should be improved. Government departments should play the role of supervisors, improve the construction of ESG information disclosure systems and promote the formation of ESG systems. At the social level, investors should improve the ESG information status and pay more attention to the ESG performance of enterprises. Originality/value This study fills the scientific gaps in the analysis impact of ESG performance on the green innovation of enterprises. This paper contributes to the theoretical landscape of ESG efficiency by developing approaches based on two empirical models: testing the impact of enterprise ESG performance on green innovation and testing whether government regulation plays a regulatory role in the relationship between ESG performance and green innovation. Besides, this study analysed the ESG performance and green innovation within the following categories: heavy and nonheavy polluter industries; state and nonstate-owned enterprise groups.

85Supply Chain Risk Management Model for EPC and Gas Processing ProjectsOpenAlex

Jibril Agbabiaka, Chineme Scholar Okonkwo, Olufunmilayo Ogunwole, et al.
EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) and gas processing projects operate within highly complex, capital-intensive, and technically demanding environments where supply chain disruptions can significantly impact project timelines, costs, and operational safety. This paper presents a Supply Chain Risk Management Model specifically designed to enhance resilience, mitigate operational uncertainties, and optimize resource allocation in EPC and gas processing contexts. The model integrates systematic risk identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and contingency planning to address the multifaceted risks inherent in these projects. The framework emphasizes risk identification and assessment through mapping of supply chain nodes, profiling of suppliers and subcontractors, and classification of risks into operational, financial, regulatory, environmental, and reputational categories. Risk mitigation strategies include supplier diversification, dual sourcing, performance-based contractual safeguards, inventory optimization, and the integration of predictive maintenance and technological tools. Monitoring and control mechanisms leverage digital solutions such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and blockchain-enabled tracking to provide real-time visibility, enforce compliance, and ensure proactive decision-making. Contingency planning and recovery protocols are incorporated to maintain operational continuity during disruptions, including scenario analysis, emergency sourcing strategies, and business continuity plans aligned with project schedules. The model’s implementation supports multiple strategic benefits, including reduced project delays and cost overruns, enhanced supplier reliability and accountability, strengthened compliance with regulatory and ESG standards, and long-term operational sustainability. By combining proactive risk management with integrated supply chain oversight, the framework transforms supply chain management into a strategic, value-creating function that mitigates uncertainties while improving project efficiency and resilience. This Supply Chain Risk Management Model provides a structured, evidence-based approach for managing the complex and high-risk supply chains of EPC and gas processing projects, ensuring both operational efficiency and strategic advantage in dynamic project environments.

86Corporate social responsibility and green supply chain efficiency: conditioning effects based on CEO narcissismOpenAlex

Feimei Liao, Yaoyao Hu, Songqin Ye
Abstract Accelerating the construction of the green supply chain system and improving the efficiency of the green supply chain is the key to promoting the high-quality development of enterprises. In view of this, based on stakeholder theory, higher order theory and expectancy theory, this study focuses on the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate green supply chain efficiency (GSCE) and the moderating role of chief executive officer (CEO) narcissism. A regression analysis of the observed sample reveals that CSR significantly enhances GSCE. Further decomposing CSR into internal CSR and external CSR to reveal the impact of different types of CSR on GSCE, we find that internal CSR fulfillment has a significant positive impact on GSCE, and this relationship is strengthened when CEOs are narcissistic. Furthermore, external CSR has a significant negative impact on GSCE, and this relationship is also strengthened by CEO narcissism. The main contribution of this paper is to study the relationship between CSR and green supply chain efficiency, decompose CSR into internal and external CSR, enrich the research on the intrinsic mechanism of value creation of CSR. It also enriches the research in the context of CSR from the perspective of CEO personality traits, providing new ideas and suggestions for manager selection and corporate greening governance in practice.

87Guest editorial: Environmental, social and governance (ESG) assets: a path of lights and shadows for managementOpenAlex

Matteo Cristofaro, Nicola Cucari, Sibel Yamak, et al.
Climate change, the energy crisis and the net zero emissions goals by 2050 set by the Climate Change Conference (COP27) 2022 meeting highlight the pressing need to transition to a fair, responsible and sustainable economy. Relatedly, stakeholders across industries, geographies and organizations are increasingly asking for investments targeting environmental, social and governance (ESG) assets – an opportunity to make money while helping companies and investors “feel good” about their impact on society and ultimately align it with societal needs. For example, investors are pressuring companies to increase gender equality and the presence of women on corporate boards, C-suite positions and across executive leadership as a measure and signal of how corporations can respond to ESG challenges. Consequently, technical reports show that flows into ESG funds more than doubled between 2020 and 2021, and the ESG market will grow by 150% by 2025, surpassing $50 trillion (Bloomberg, 2022; Deloitte, 2022; McKinsey, 2022; Mornningstar, 2021; Tamimi and Sebastianelli, 2017). This vast ESG movement encourages firms to rethink and reshape their business model, priorities and purposes in a greener and more responsible way (Cornell and Shapiro, 2021; George et al., 2023; Rivera et al., 2022).However, the impact of uncertainties regarding the economic policy and the perennial geo-political conflicts leads to a spike in oil and defense stock prices, posing some inconsistencies with ESG goals (Financial News, 2022; Ilyas et al., 2022). Some of the most significant fossil fuel producers have been immune to shareholders’ pressure since the government-controlled companies that have been pumping much of the world’s oil have been encouraged, by global leaders, to pump more fuel to keep fuel prices down (Forbes, 2021; CNBC, 2022). Yet, a discussion has arisen on whether ESG performance reflected share price resilience factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some advocates have perpetuated the reputation of ESG as a resilience factor, or vaccine, against the pandemic-induced market selloff (Hale, 2021; Stevens, 2020; Willis, 2020), while others have claimed that ESG has not immunized stocks during the COVID-19 crisis (Demers et al., 2021) and that ESG efforts have appeared to be, sometimes, as “greenwashing.”Despite the prevailing ESG narrative that climate change, sustainability, gender equality and related key ESG issues are determinants for future value creation (Koller et al., 2019; Zumente and Bistrova, 2021), ESG research has produced mixed results (Cucari et al., 2018; Engle et al., 2019; Cornell and Damodaran, 2020; Darwal, 2021; Edmans, 2022; Larcker et al., 2022; Berg et al., 2022). Therefore, a more critical debate on ESG can help us better assess the topic and provide companies with comprehensive guidelines for their sustainable management and corporate governance strategies. Therefore, this special issue for Management Decision aimed to unveil the lights and shadows of ESG and how to make ESG real, firstly by thinking of ESG as a corporate strategic process and not an outcome. Since the attention is mostly on environmental and social issues, the focus of this special issue is on the “G” in ESG (Câmara and Morais, 2022; Chen and Marquis, 2022; Strine et al., 2022), consistent with recent European shareholder activism (Georgeson, 2022) and to encourage a holistic understanding of ESG.We called for contributions that could provide critical insights that companies and managers need for planning, measuring, forecasting or innovating their conduct and culture and weighing opportunities or threats of ESG factors (Xie et al., 2019; Billio et al., 2021; Clementino and Perkins, 2021; Murè et al., 2021; Giakoumelou et al., 2022). Both theoretical and empirical works were welcome to provide new insights into the reasons, processes, practices and implications of ESG in management and corporate governance. Therefore, we looked for studies able to address various areas. First, the concepts of ESG were clarified by delineating the boundaries of ESG components in the short and long term, assessing their intersection and better mapping out ESG research and practice. Additionally, we sought insights into the benefits and pitfalls of the ESG metrics, including measurement issues, proxies for ESG dimensions and matters regarding transparency and reliability. We also encouraged critical assessments of the ESG rating agencies, metrics providers and the ESG information market. Moreover, examining the short- versus long-term implications of ESG and its impacts on sustainable transformation and performance was crucial. We aimed to go beyond the shareholder primacy versus stakeholder perspective dichotomy by exploring new perspectives such as integrative social contracts theory (ISCT), social mission theory or critical theories. Works that investigate the relationship between digitalization and ESG were also of interest. Furthermore, understanding the antecedents and consequences of ESG adoption is essential. We invited research assessing ESG in different contexts, such as emerging or transition economies, and investigating how different legal, regulatory, social and cultural contexts influence ESG understanding and implementation. Finally, we sought to understand the macro (government), meso (organizational attributes and associations) and micro (personal attributes and behaviors of managers, directors and employees) factors behind the implementation and understanding of ESG.To solicit relevant contributions and help authors develop their ideas for a stronger submission, we offered two live events as Paper Development Workshops (PDW):In total, 11 works were presented. The special issue received 77 submissions, with 12 articles ultimately being accepted.We have categorized the 12 articles into four coherent clusters, see Figure 1, based on their primary focus areas related to ESG themes.Each cluster encapsulates distinct facets of ESG research, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of various dimensions and their interrelations within organizational and industry contexts: (1) integration of ESG with organizational frameworks; (2) ESG performance and corporate value; (3) governance and ESG strategy implementation and (4) ESG controversies and accountability.This cluster focuses on the integration of ESG factors with broader organizational frameworks such as resilience, intellectual capital and sustainability reporting. The papers here explore conceptual and practical models that organizations can adopt to embed ESG considerations into their core operations and decision-making processes.Leoni (2025), with her work entitled “Integrating ESG and organisational resilience through system theory: the ESGOR matrix,” presents an innovative conceptual framework that intertwines ESG factors with organizational resilience using a 3x3 matrix. This framework, referred to as the ESGOR matrix, explores the dynamic interplay between various ESG factors and resilience components, proposing nine distinct organizational typologies. Each typology represents a strategic option that organizations can employ to navigate and thrive amidst challenges. The ESGOR matrix serves as a comprehensive tool for decision-makers, enabling them to assess and enhance their resilience while adhering to ESG principles. By leveraging system theory, the study underscores the importance of a holistic approach to organizational sustainability, offering practical insights for integrating ESG into core strategic planning.Lanzalonga et al. (2025), with their work named “The impact of ESG performance on intangible assets and intellectual capital in the food and beverage industry,” investigate the influence of ESG performance on intangible assets and intellectual capital within the food and beverage industry. Their sample comprises data from 200 food and beverage companies, including 100 global firms and 100 European firms. The methodology involves a mixed-method approach, utilizing quantitative analysis to measure the impact of ESG performance on intangible assets and intellectual capital, complemented by qualitative interviews with industry experts to contextualize the findings. By examining both global and European contexts, the research highlights how ESG practices impact various dimensions of economic sustainability, including brand reputation, customer loyalty and operational efficiency. The study reveals that companies with robust ESG performance tend to exhibit stronger intellectual capital and intangible assets, which are crucial for long-term competitiveness and innovation. It also delves into the regulatory differences between global and European markets, providing nuanced insights into how regional policies and consumer expectations shape ESG strategies in the industry.Hristov and Searcy (2025), with the contribution “Integrating sustainability with corporate governance: a framework to implement the corporate sustainability reporting directive through a balanced scorecard,” introduce a practical framework for implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) using a sustainability balanced scorecard. The study analyzes 50 European companies required to comply with the CSRD. It employs a case study methodology, with in-depth analyses of five selected companies that have successfully integrated the balanced scorecard approach into their sustainability reporting practices. The framework comprises a four-step process designed to assist companies in embedding sustainability into their corporate governance structures effectively. By aligning sustainability goals with strategic objectives, performance metrics and governance practices, the framework ensures comprehensive integration of ESG considerations into organizational operations. The study provides detailed guidelines on how companies can adapt their governance models to meet regulatory requirements while driving sustainable performance. This research highlights the importance of transparency, accountability and strategic alignment in achieving corporate sustainability.This cluster examines the relationship between ESG performance and corporate value, focusing on how different factors such as ownership concentration, chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics and business ethics influence ESG outcomes and financial performance.Gangi et al. (2025), with their work entitled “The impact of business ethics on ESG engagement and the effect on corporate financial performance: evidence from family firms,” explore the pivotal role of business ethics in driving ESG engagement and its subsequent impact on financial performance, specifically within family firms. The sample consists of 150 family firms from various industries. The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of financial performance metrics and ESG scores with qualitative interviews to understand the role of business ethics in shaping ESG engagement. The study highlights that ethical business practices serve as a cornerstone for enhancing ESG engagement, which, in turn, positively influences financial outcomes. Through an in-depth analysis of family-owned businesses, the research reveals that firms with strong ethical foundations tend to exhibit better ESG performance and improved competitiveness. This study underscores the significance of integrating ethical considerations into business strategies to achieve sustainable growth and long-term financial success.Truong (2025), with the work “Environmental, social and governance performance and firm value: does ownership concentration matter?,” investigates the moderating role of ownership concentration on the relationship between ESG performance and firm value, with a focus on Southeast Asian firms. The sample includes 200 publicly listed firms in Southeast Asia. The methodology involves econometric modeling to examine the interaction between ownership concentration, ESG performance and firm value, with robustness checks conducted during different economic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The study finds that high ownership concentration negatively impacts ESG outcomes and firm value, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. By analyzing data from various firms, Truong demonstrates that dispersed ownership structures are more conducive to achieving positive ESG performance and higher firm value. The research provides valuable insights for policymakers and investors, highlighting the need for regulatory frameworks that promote diversified ownership to enhance corporate sustainability and value creation.Cambrea et al. (2025), with the research titled “Driving ESG performance: CEO succession impact in European listed firms,” examine the effect of CEO succession on ESG performance in European listed firms, emphasizing the influence of incoming CEOs' gender and career horizon. The sample comprises 120 European listed firms that have undergone CEO succession within the past five years. The methodology includes a quantitative analysis of ESG performance metrics pre- and post-succession, coupled with a qualitative assessment through executive interviews to understand the impact of CEO characteristics on ESG initiatives. The study reveals that CEO characteristics significantly shape ESG performance post-succession. For instance, firms that appoint female CEOs or those with longer career horizons tend to exhibit better ESG outcomes. The research suggests that the strategic vision and leadership style of the new CEO play a crucial role in driving ESG initiatives. This study provides practical implications for board members and shareholders in making informed decisions during CEO transitions to ensure sustained ESG performance.This cluster addresses integrating governance mechanisms and strategic frameworks to implement and enhance ESG practices within organizations. It covers aspects such as board expertise, integrated governance frameworks and the management of institutional pressures.Annesi et al. (2025), with their work titled “Navigating paradoxes: building a sustainable strategy for an integrated ESG corporate governance,” study the complexities of developing an integrated ESG governance framework to manage institutional pressures. The sample consists of 10 sugar industry companies. The study employs an action research methodology, involving collaboration with the companies over a two-year period to develop and refine the ESG governance framework. Data are collected through participant observation, interviews and document analysis. Authors explore how boards of directors can effectively navigate the paradoxes inherent in balancing environmental, social and economic objectives. The study provides a detailed account of the strategies employed by organizations to reconcile conflicting goals and achieve a sustainable governance model. By highlighting the practical challenges and solutions, the research offers valuable insights for boards seeking to enhance their ESG governance practices and drive sustainable performance.Della Corte et al. (2025), with the contribution “Does board industry expertise foster ESG strategy? The mediating role of environmental innovation,” investigate the role of board members' industry expertise in fostering corporate ESG strategies, with a particular focus on environmental innovation. The sample includes 150 firms across different industries. The methodology uses structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship between board industry expertise, environmental innovation and ESG performance. Data are collected from board profiles, ESG reports and innovation metrics. The research finds that directors with relevant industry experience significantly enhance ESG orientation through the promotion of eco-innovation initiatives. By analyzing data from various firms, the study demonstrates that board expertise not only improves environmental performance but also contributes to overall corporate sustainability. The findings suggest that organizations should prioritize the recruitment of board members with specific industry knowledge to drive effective ESG strategies and innovation.Pratici et al. (2025), with the work “Using ESG paradigm as a basis for social reporting in nonprofit healthcare organizations: evidence from cases in healthcare” explore the applicability of the ESG framework in social reporting for non-profit healthcare organizations. The sample comprises 20 non-profit healthcare organizations. The methodology involves a qualitative case study approach, including in-depth interviews with organizational leaders and analysis of existing social reports to evaluate the integration of ESG principles. The study suggests that while ESG principles can guide reporting, they must be tailored to align with the mission and values of non-profits to avoid excessive focus on formal aspects over By examining various case the research highlights the challenges and opportunities with ESG frameworks in the non-profit The findings provide practical for non-profit organizations to enhance their transparency, accountability and social impact through effective ESG cluster of papers works on the challenges and implications of ESG examining how issues financial transparency and corporate It strategic to ESG controversies and the role of and reporting et al. (2025), in the controversies and evidence from the industry,” investigate the impact of ESG controversies on within the The sample includes 50 companies. The methodology employs a quantitative analysis of metrics and ESG using models to the impact of governance practices on financial The study highlights how governance practices can the of such controversies on financial By analyzing data from various companies, the research reveals that firms with strong governance frameworks are better to manage and challenges. The study the importance of stakeholder and transparency to effectively manage financial with ESG The findings provide valuable insights for and in enhancing governance practices to ensure long-term et al. (2025), with the contribution and impact and the through strategic accountability explore the of impact in the ESG and suggest mechanisms to address challenges. The sample comprises impact funds in The methodology uses a case study approach, analyzing and interviews with key stakeholders to and strategic to The study key factors such as impact and the of impact measurement that to in impact By examining various case the research offers strategic accountability to and enhance The findings provide practical for impact investors, and policymakers to foster a more and impact et al. (2025), with the study is – the transparency of ESG controversies in corporate reporting within the and industry,” examine the transparency of ESG reporting in the and industries. The sample includes companies from the and industries. The methodology involves analysis of corporate reports to assess the transparency of ESG reporting, complemented by interviews with industry experts to understand the and implications of practices. The study reveals of and the strategic of issues, highlighting how companies manage and By analyzing corporate the research the of transparency and the implications for stakeholder and corporate The findings provide insights into the practices and challenges of ESG reporting, offering for companies to enhance their transparency and effectively their ESG performance and of on ESG issues has significant in the importance and impact of ESG factors on corporate governance and management practices. are critical areas that to understanding and address the and challenges inherent in research, see The key future research that can provide comprehensive insights for companies and managers, emphasizing both the opportunities and pitfalls of ESG research should to more the boundaries of ESG and investigate their studies ESG as a it is crucial to understand the distinct and aspects of ESG studies examining how components over and economic can provide valuable is a need for research that between the and long-term impacts of ESG initiatives. should examine how ESG into long-term sustainable performance and whether ESG can the of long-term and transparency of ESG metrics research should assess the by ESG rating and metrics focusing on the and of their studies across different rating can highlight and suggest to ESG proxies for ESG dimensions is essential. should explore the of various proxies and the transparency of their in corporate reporting. how companies or ESG data can pitfalls and the of ESG should the influence and accountability of ESG rating This includes examining conflicts of the impact of their on market and their role in shaping corporate ESG strategies. should also the market and by studies should focus on enhancing the transparency and accountability of ESG information This involves exploring how information and stakeholder and can also suggest mechanisms for transparency, such as regulatory frameworks or industry intersection of digitalization and ESG is a for future should investigate how can enhance ESG performance and reporting, as as the with This includes examining the role of and in ESG transparency and should also explore the aspects of digitalization on ESG factors – for instance, the environmental impact of data ethical data and the governance challenges of can help the benefits of digitalization with responsible ESG research should assess ESG practices in different economic contexts, particularly in emerging and transition can explore how legal, regulatory, social and cultural factors influence ESG adoption and analyses between and developing can provide nuanced insights into global ESG how different and regulatory shape ESG practices is crucial. should examine the of various regulatory in ESG adoption and the consequences of regulatory studies should explore new theoretical perspectives beyond the shareholder primacy versus stakeholder theory social mission theory and critical can insights into the ethical and social implications of ESG practices. perspectives can help understand the and broader impacts of ESG initiatives. the factors ESG adoption is essential. research should examine the macro policies and global meso (organizational attributes and industry associations) and micro behaviors of directors and employees) This holistic approach can provide a comprehensive of the and to effective ESG much research focuses on the positive aspects of it is to investigate the impacts and should explore issues such as companies their ESG and the financial and societal with ESG This balanced approach can help and pitfalls in ESG practices. should also examine how companies respond to ESG controversies and the of strategies. This includes the role of transparency, stakeholder engagement and strategic accountability in and the impact of ESG assets reveals a of opportunities and challenges for corporate integrating ESG principles into business strategy can drive sustainable growth and enhance corporate reputation, it also and reporting to avoid pitfalls such as and ethical This underscores the of ESG as a dynamic process that and critical The contributions to this special issue both the lights and shadows of offering valuable insights into how organizations can navigate the of sustainability while their business objectives. The evidence that ESG is not a but a tool can align corporate strategies with societal the impact of ESG on and strategic alignment than to we it is for and policymakers to foster a understanding of components, metrics and This innovative those in this which resilience, governance and ethical considerations into a strategy for sustainable the of ESG is of both lights and By and the complexities inherent in can to a more and sustainable aligning their of with the broader of societal The is but the – both for and society – make it a

88Trading characteristics of emissions trading scheme and carbon emission reduction efficiency: Evidence from ChinaOpenAlex

Jiangyuan Li, Tao Ding, Ruipeng Tan, et al.

89Dynamics of China’s carbon prices in the pilot trading phaseOpenAlex

John Hua Fan, Neda Todorova

90ESG Risk Disclosure and the Risk of Green WashingOpenAlex

Chitra De Silva Lokuwaduge, Keshara De Silva
There have been growing calls from capital market participants, regulators and other stakeholders around the globe for transparent measurement and disclosure of information about financially material environmental, social and governance (ESG) Risks. Diverse approaches to and objectives of sustainability standards and frameworks pose the threat of increasing greenwashing, a term which encompasses a wide range of actions which exaggerate and misrepresent ‘green’ credentials . Traditional financial reporting is regulated, mandatory, and required to meet the qualitative characteristics; relevance, reliability, comparability, materiality and understand ability. However, ESG reporting is problematic due to reporting quality which does not meet the above criteria. Apart from that ESG reporting is not regulated in most part of the world. A global framework is needed to prevent fragmentation, provide greater comparability, transparency and reduce the complexity of ESG disclosure which could mitigate the risk of greenwashing as the ESG is increasingly considered to be a fundamental part of effective and sustainable business performance.

91Greenwashing prevention in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures: A bibliometric analysisOpenAlex

Agnė Šneiderienė, Renata Legenzova
The accuracy and reliability of environmental, social, and governance (hereafter ESG) reporting are threatened by the presence of greenwashing which affects the quality of disclosure, complicates the decision-making process, adversely influences financial markets, and affects stakeholders’ trust in disclosed information. This study examines the academic literature on ESG disclosure and greenwashing prevention through a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review. Our findings show that greenwashing is a complex phenomenon characterised by various forms, shapes, and levels, making it challenging to detect, measure, and develop prevention tools. The results show a growing trend in the academic literature on greenwashing with a strong focus on the establishment of greenwashing detection measures and the need for the creation of greenwashing prevention tools to ensure the reliability, comparability, and quality of corporate sustainability reporting. Understanding the challenges of greenwashing in ESG disclosures and the efforts toward greenwashing prevention carries significant implications for regulators and standard-setters, supervisory bodies, professional organizations, companies, researchers, and other stakeholders, especially in light of recent regulatory developments around the globe and the new forms and levels of greenwashing evolving in scientific research. • Greenwashing prevention in ESG disclosures analysed through a bibliometric analysis. • Performance, network, and systematic literature review analysis methods applied. • Greenwashing measurement is difficult as it has lots of levels, forms, and shades. • Greenwashing measurement methods at various greenwashing levels are systemized. • The creation of a credible greenwashing prevention tool in ESG disclosure is needed.

92ESG Standards: Looming Challenges and Pathways ForwardOpenAlex

Todd Cort, Daniel C. Esty
We are pleased to serve as guest editors of this special issue of the journal Organization &amp; Environment on the State of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) Standards. Calls for standardization of corporate sustainability data continue to mount as a growing segment of the mainstream investor community seeks greater clarity and comparability regarding relative company performance on ESG issues. While ESG reporting standards have driven greater transparency over the years, there remains a great deal of work to undertake in order to better understand and formulate the standards for ESG data that will underlie decision-useful information in future disclosures.

93Four Things No One Will Tell You About ESG DataOpenAlex

Sakis Kotsantonis, George Serafeim
As the ESG finance field and the use of ESG data in investment decision‐making continue to grow, the authors seek to shed light on several important aspects of ESG measurement and data. This article is intended to provide a useful guide for the rapidly rising number of people entering the field. The authors focus on the following: The sheer variety, and inconsistency, of the data and measures, and of how companies report them. Listing more than 20 different ways companies report their employee health and safety data, the authors show how such inconsistencies lead to significantly different results when looking at the same group of companies. ‘Benchmarking,’ or how data providers define companies' peer groups, can be crucial in determining the performance ranking of a company. The lack of transparency among data providers about peer group components and observed ranges for ESG metrics creates market‐wide inconsistencies and undermines their reliability. The differences in the imputation methods used by ESG researchers and analysts to deal with vast ‘data gaps’ that span ranges of companies and time periods for different ESG metrics can cause large ‘disagreements’ among the providers, with different gap‐filling approaches leading to big discrepancies. The disagreements among ESG data providers are not only large, but actually increase with the quantity of publicly available information. Citing a recent study showing that companies that provide more ESG disclosure tend to have more variation in their ESG ratings, the authors interpret this finding as clear evidence of the need for ‘a clearer understanding of what different ESG metrics might tell us and how they might best be institutionalized for assessing corporate performance.’ What can be done to address these problems with ESG data? Companies should ‘take control of the ESG data narrative’ by proactively shaping disclosure instead of being overwhelmed by survey requests. To that end, companies should ‘customize’ their metrics to some extent, while at the same time seeking to self‐regulate by reaching agreement with industry peers on a ‘reasonable baseline’ of standardized ESG metrics designed to achieve comparability. Investors are urged to push for more meaningful ESG disclosure by narrowing the demand for ESG data into somewhat more standardized, but still manageable metrics. Stock exchanges should consider issuing—and perhaps even mandating—guidelines for ESG disclosures designed in collaboration with companies, investors, and regulators. And data providers should come to agreement on best practices and become as transparent as possible about their methodologies and the reliability of their data.

94The Consequences of Mandatory Corporate Sustainability ReportingOpenAlex

Ioannis Ioannou, George Serafeim
A key aspect of the governance process inside organizations and markets is the measurement and disclosure of important metrics and information. In this chapter, we examine the effect of sustainability disclosure regulations on firms’ disclosure practices and valuations. Specifically, we explore the implications of regulations mandating the disclosure of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information in China, Denmark, Malaysia, and South Africa using differences-in-differences estimation with propensity score matched samples. We find that relative to propensity score matched control firms, treated firms significantly increased disclosure following the regulations. We also find increased likelihood by treated firms of voluntarily receiving assurance to enhance disclosure credibility and increased likelihood of voluntarily adopting reporting guidelines that enhance disclosure comparability. These results suggest that even in the absence of a regulation that mandates the adoption of assurance or specific guidelines, firms seek the qualitative properties of comparability and credibility. Instrumental variables analysis suggests that increases in sustainability disclosure driven by the regulation are associated with increases in firm valuations, as reflected in Tobin’s Q. Collectively, the evidence suggest that current efforts to increase transparency around organizations’ impact on society are effective at improving disclosure quantity and quality as well as corporate value.

95Green Innovation and Finance in AsiaOpenAlex

Clarence Tolliver, Hidemichi Fujii, Alexander Ryota Keeley, et al.
Green innovation and green finance are two key components of sustainable development. In the most populous, fastest‐growing region in the world, Asian countries are pressed to maintain economic growth while addressing climate change and environmental externalities. Japan, South Korea, and China have each implemented policies to promote green innovation and finance conducive to such ends. While each country possesses unique capabilities, the extent to which they can promote environmentally adjusted multifactor productivity growth, green patent registrations, green bond issuances, green foreign direct investment, and environmental, social, and governance information disclosures stands to impact on their shifts to sustainable growth paradigms.

96Assessing the spread and coverage of ESG practices in Russian companiesOpenAlex

Evgeny Kuzmin, Guzalbegim Rakhimova, Hatidje Nasirova, et al.
In the last decade, sustainability issues have significantly gained in popularity (Bebbington, 2001;Bansal, 2002;Barkemeyer et al., 2014;Mio et al., 2020;ElAlfy et al., 2020;Van Zanten, 2021). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects have become an important part of modern companies' strategies, having a significant impact on their reputation (Jeffrey et al., 2019;Liu, 2022;Kim et al., 2023), financial stability (Koundouri et al., 2022;Lisin et al., 2022;Lupu et al., 2022) and competitiveness (Mohammad & Wasiuzzaman, 2021;Chang & Lee, 2022;Katsamakas & Sanchez-Cartas, 2023). One of the key components of sustainable development is ESG principles implemented and followed by business entities (Li et al., 2021;Dathe et al., 2024). This area is becoming especially relevant amid the growing pressure from investors, regulators and the public demanding corporate practices to be transparent and responsible (Kolk, 2008;Heikkurinen & Bonnedahl, 2013;Calabrese et al., 2021;Krasodomska et al., 2023). The fact of ESG factors being crucial for sustainable business development is convincingly confirmed. In this context, special attention is paid to empirical studies aimed at assessing the current state and prospects for the spread of the ESG agenda in various countries, industries and companies (for example, companies in Canada - Davis & Searcy, 2010;in Dutch -Asif et al., 2013;in Australia -Lokuwaduge & Heenetigala, 2017;in Italy -Izzo et al., 2020;Bonfanti et al., 2023;multinational companies -Kolk, 2008).Globally, significant progress has been made in standardizing ESG disclosure through regulations and market-driven initiatives. In the European Union, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates ESG disclosures for large and listed companies, fostering data comparability and reliability across member states. Similarly, China has developed a national ESG framework aligned with its green finance policies, while the United States increasingly relies on ESG data for risk assessment and shareholder advocacy. These developments contrast with the situation in Russia.By turning to the experience of Russian companies, we aim to demonstrate local peculiarities of the ESG agenda. Under global challenges, Russian business faces the need to adapt to new requirements for sustainable development (Blokhin & Kuvalin, 2023). Despite significant progress, the introduction of the ESG agenda in Russia is associated with a number of barriers and restrictions (Bella & Ani, 2023;Izmaylova, 2022). In Russia, ESG reporting is not mandatory for companies. Instead, the government has proposed a standard of a recommendatory nature (the Order of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, 2023), which includes 44 basic indicators of sustainable reporting. These indicators are designed to form a basis for voluntary disclosure of corporate responsibility data. Lack of mandatory requirements for non-financial disclosure in Russia causes a serious problem in assessing companies' current ESG commitment, which is primarily due to a significant information gap. Furthermore, amid the sanction standoff, in 2022 the Russian government allowed issuing companies to publish corporate information only partially or avoid disclosing it at all if this could interrupt their ongoing operations. This relaxation applies to interim and annual financial statements, including consolidated ones, audit reports and other sensitive corporate information, which may also cover details on the ESG agenda. Owing to this information gap, it is rather problematic to fully understand and analyze the extent to which companies in Russia integrate environmental, social and governance principles into their activities. This dual context underscores the significance of the research and highlights the urgent need for a more comprehensive understanding of the reporting practices. Therefore, the relevance of the research is due not only to the growing interest in the topic of sustainable development, but also to the need for systematizing and generalizing the Russian companies' ESG experience to close the gaps.These premises outlined the purpose of our study, that is to form and conduct a primary analysis of a data set reflecting the level of distribution and coverage of the ESG agenda in Russian companies. The central research question underlying this article is formulated as follows: To what extent do Russian companies integrate the principles of environmental, social, and corporate responsibility into their operations? This question directs the analysis of the results obtained and frames the discussion. The research aims to close the current information gaps in this area,the present a novel empirical dataset, which will contribute to a deeper and more objective assessment of ESG principles in Russian corporate practice and will also provide a more transparent and high-quality basis for decision-making.To that end, a data panel was compiled based on 2022 non-financial reports of companies operating in various sectors of the economy. The study's methodology integrates the systematic collection of ESG metric data with an analysis of the sample structure, descriptive statistics, and the representativeness of the sample. Unlike existing qualitative assessments or sector-specific case studies, our approach allows for a comparative analysis of ESG adoption levels and highlights systemic challenges in corporate sustainability disclosure. The results of the empirical analysis can be useful both for companies seeking to improve their ESG indicators and get a deeper understanding of the current state and prospects, and for stakeholders interested in the sustainable development of business in Russia.The growing academic interest in ESG practices reflects the expanding role of sustainability in corporate strategy. Numerous international studies examine how companies integrate ESG principles into business operations and how these factors influence financial and non-financial outcomes. Kolk (2008) and Heikkurinen and Bonnedahl (2013) analyze the reporting strategies of multinational companies, emphasizing differences between market-and stakeholder-oriented approaches. Izzo et al. (2020) and Bonfanti et al. (2023) assess the quality of sustainability disclosures, finding that alignment with Sustainable Development Goals remains inconsistent across sectors. Studies from Canada (Davis & Searcy, 2010), the in Dutch (Asif et al., 2013), and Australia (Lokuwaduge & Heenetigala, 2017) reveal a gradual institutionalization of ESG reporting frameworks. Mohammad and Wasiuzzaman (2021) show that Malaysian firms with stronger ESG disclosure benefit from greater competitive advantage. Katsamakas and Sanchez-Cartas (2023) use computational modeling to demonstrate the impact of ESG strategies on market competition. These works provide valuable comparative insights, yet they largely focus on countries with institutionalized ESG disclosure mechanisms, which may limit their applicability to countries with voluntary reporting systems.In the Russian context, the literature is less developed and primarily descriptive in nature. Studies by Izmaylova (2022) and Bella and Ani (2023) discuss barriers to ESG implementation under geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty, highlighting limited adoption of global standards. A small number of empirical studies have emerged, offering partial quantitative insights into ESG-related issues. For example, Bataeva, Kokurina, and Karpov (2021) assessed the impact of ESG disclosure on the financial performance of Russian public companies, finding that more transparent reporting practices are associated with improved financial indicators. In a related study, Bataeva and Karpov (2023) examined how elements of corporate governance affect the extent of ESG information disclosure, highlighting the role of board independence and ownership concentration. Fedorova and Salnikova (2024) explored the market effects of environmental disclosures, demonstrating a statistically significant relationship between the publication of green initiatives and short-term stock price movements. However, these studies do not provide a comprehensive statistical overview of ESG metrics across the broader corporate landscape. Most studies rely focus on financial performance linkages, without examining the structure and variability of ESG disclosures themselves. Our study addresses this gap by assembling a structured and statistically validated dataset of ESG indicators and analyzing coverage patterns across a representative sample of Russian companies from different sectors.For the purposes of the study, we have collected and analyzed 2022 non-financial reports of Russian companies from various industries published in the public domain (the latest available report at the time of the research). The reports covered information on the companies' environmental impact, social aspects of their activities and corporate governance issues.Inclusion and exclusion criteria for forming the sample can be formulated as follows.Non-financial reports were collected through a search query focused on companies that had publicly posted a "sustainability report" or a "non-financial report" for 2022. The search was carried out in January-February 2024. The data for analysis were retrieved from companies either indexed in the Interfax Corporate Information Disclosure Center system (Interfax-CIDC, https://www.e-disclosure.ru) which stores mandatory and voluntary reports of issuing companies or those posting this information on their own websites.Certain industries, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), were excluded due to a lack of publicly available non-financial reports. This limitation arises from resource constraints and the absence of mandatory disclosure requirements, which hinders their ability to produce detailed sustainability reports. As a result, the dataset predominantly reflects the practices of large companies.The scope of the empirical study covers objects of various organizational and legal forms. The study included legal entities in the form of both commercial corporate organizations (joint stock companies, limited liability companies) and commercial unitary organizations (federal state unitary enterprises).The exception is the state corporation Rosatom, which, according to its organizational and legal form, is a non-profit unitary organization. However, it should be borne in mind that Rosatom's activity should be regarded as exclusively commercial considering the other firms owned by the holding company.The empirical study did not include legal entities in the form of non-profit corporations, as well as organizations without forming a legal entity, and international organizations operating in Russia. The sample does not cover organizational and legal forms of individual activity (sole proprietorship).The sample included 109 companies varying in revenue and the number of employees. The composition of the sample is given in the dataset [Table S1, available in Supplementary Materials].More than half of the sample (58.7%) is comprised of power suppliers and gas companies (31.2%) and manufacturing companies (27.5%); mining companies and transport/storage companies constitute 16.5% and 14.7% of the sample, respectively. This quantitative distribution of the companies emphasizes the importance of fuel, energy and manufacturing sectors in the sample under study [Table S2, available in Supplementary Materials]. The other companies in the sample are engaged in agriculture and forestry (0.9%), water supply and waste management (1.8%), construction (1.8%), finance and insurance (1.8%), information and communications (2.8%), and real estate (0.9%).Companies from other sectors of the economy were not included in the sample.The quantitative distribution of the companies in the sample does not provide a full picture of how significant their contribution is to the overall spread of ESG principles among all companies. To assess this contribution more accurately, we refine the sample structure based on the companies' staff numbers and their revenue for the reporting period [Fig. S1, available in Supplementary Materials]. By doing so, we take into account the scale of the companies' activities, their economic and social impact, which is of high importance for understanding the real dissemination and implementation of ESG principles.As seen from Fig. S1, the sample companies are concentrated in a few key areas. More than 60% of companies have an average headcount of 1,000 to 25,000 workers [Fig. S2, available in Supplementary Materials]. Annual revenue of the same 60% of companies ranges from 10 to 250 billion rubles [Fig. S3, available in Supplementary Materials]. This indicates the predominance of large businesses in the sample, which more accurately reflects the overall corporate ESG approach. The spread of ESG initiatives begins with large businesses and gradually extends to medium-sized and small businesses. Large companies play a leading role in the design and implementation of sustainable development strategies (Aastha & Shazi, 2019;Karuppiah et al., 2020;Mahmood et al., 2021;Bielawska, 2022;Morais et al., 2022), thus setting an example for others. Medium-sized and small businesses, following the example of large corporations, also start actively implementing ESG principles by adapting them to their scale and activities (Jenkins, 2006).According to Figures S2 andS3, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are virtually not represented in the sample. In terms of revenue, only five companies from the sample (4.6%) can be classified as SMEs hiring less than 1% of the sample companies' employees. These two parameters taken together indicate that there are no SMEs in the sample.At the same time, SMEs may follow the ESG agenda, but not record the results in non-financial report (Rossi & Luque-Vílchez, 2021;Shalhoob & Hussainey, 2022). This may be due to various reasons, including limited resources, lack of experience in preparing such reports or lack of requirements for their mandatory publication (Coppa & Sriramesh, 2013;Conway, 2015;Ņikadimovs, 2023). As a result, these companies' remarkable achievements in the field of sustainability and corporate social responsibility may go unnoticed.It is worth noting here that SMEs criteria differ substantially in various countries. These criteria usually include the number of employees, annual revenue and/or balance sheet/capital of the company, industry (Campa et al., 2015). Therefore, the conclusions and analysis of the sample distribution were made based on the regulatory requirements for determining SMEs types in Russia. Using other criteria may to some extent alter or limit conclusions and assumptions; however, in our opinion (based on the variation of SMEs criteria applied globally), they will be consistent with the general corporate trend towards the spread of the ESG agenda.To assess the quality of the sample, the margin of error for the proportion without repeated observations was calculated with an accuracy of 90%, 95%, and 99% [Table S3, available in Supplementary Materials]. In all cases under study, the actual error did not exceed 9% with an average ∆p of 6.82% with an accuracy of 99% based on the companies' revenue and headcount. This indicates that the sample is sufficiently representative for further research. The sample mirrors the real state of the studied characteristics within acceptable deviations. This assessment confirms that the sample adequately represents the population and allows drawing informed conclusions about the state and trends in the field of sustainable development of companies in Russia.The margin of error was not calculated for the parameter 'the total number of legal entities (companies)', since the sample coverage rate for this parameter is extremely small (0.004%). This is by sample coverage in terms of revenue of and headcount of Therefore, the coverage rate by the number of legal the sample remains and for coverage by these key parameters allows to at informed conclusions about the state of the population under as well as the of non-financial reporting organizations and and a primary of non-financial reports collected as part of the study to their and is that the non-financial reports under were in terms of and of information disclosure. were of a the problem of a reporting For this and other reasons, the five non-financial reporting organizations and have published a of to Corporate Reporting statistical were applied to analyze ESG with a focus on assessing the variability and distribution of ESG indicators among the companies examined in the The analysis key statistical including and for ESG These an objective of the distribution patterns and variability of within the sample, offering insights into the extent of ESG across companies.The study represents a of the companies' ESG which causes in both of and of between different This of trends and which is especially important for understanding the of companies' ESG agenda. For a more and it is to and data of the study represents the in a of and ESG which further limitation is the on publicly available non-financial reports. these provide valuable insights, they may significant but information, particularly from companies that not to report ESG metrics due to or As a result, important sustainability practices within SMEs may leading to a of their to ESG This also about the of the results to the broader corporate in the same time, the companies' non-financial reports are to be a of information and ESG indicators. Our analysis is based on standard ESG which may the factors sustainability in different that the ESG metrics under study are key indicators of sustainable development and corporate some in the absence of data for the reporting data for the last available period were while following the general trend in the as the average annual number of this does not the data To and the current both and calculated for a number of indicators were The use of allows considering differences in the scale of the companies' to such an the enterprises are more Therefore, it is that the ESG metrics and indicators are for a comprehensive analysis and the key aspects of the companies' sustainable companies under the are taken from various industries and with different which to some extent it less representative in to the Russian corporate the same time, the sample quality indicates an acceptable margin of error terms of revenue and should be that the sample covers predominantly large companies, while small and medium-sized enterprises are not The companies are to be sufficiently representative for analyzing general trends in the ESG agenda of large Russian here is that large companies are in ESG and their practices can be by focus of the study is on companies with a high represented in sectors such as power This is due to the of non-financial since these are the companies that are of the interest in terms of impact on the as well as implementation of social and management The of these sectors in the sample may the results towards their of companies from other sectors can the overall picture of ESG principles implementation in various sectors of the economy. should take into account the of industries and the characteristics of company, which may affect their data analysis should include with international local and global which will for and The results of the analysis of companies from different industries are to be industry peculiarities and differences in ESG and should be the research governance quality indicators in the companies under are in in Supplementary Materials]. cover such aspects of corporate governance as and risk with international and the of these indicators assessing the current state of corporate on the data collected from the companies that non-financial key trends in development can be These trends the in the field of and development, the of to improve the implementation of to in the and the and of employees. The indicators analyzed as part of the study various aspects of and composition of activity and [Table available in Supplementary our study, the environmental responsibility metrics were into two The [Table available in Supplementary covers the [Table available in Supplementary the that the companies to environmental effects and environmental empirical analysis significant variation in ESG disclosure levels across the sample, reflecting differences and the voluntary nature of ESG practices in Russia. of companies had more than five of experience in non-financial only of these levels and lack of governance the average of board remains of international practices. only of companies have ESG risk management which their ability to indicators are from especially the energy and industries, more reporting. in the and energy were more to environmental metrics in terms of the of waste by and no less information on other The analysis of between the overall sample and the companies of the and energy did not reveal significant differences in environmental responsibility indicators related to the level of environmental metrics were more across all sectors. of companies composition and However, the average proportion of in remains at to in the total This highlights In companies, these gaps were more due to and only of companies data on with or the limited scope of only a part of the insights that can be from the analysis of the The structured and nature of the data further of between ESG indicators and characteristics as studies may on this to conduct and of ESG study collected an data set key aspects of environmental, social and governance performance of Russian companies. The data was structured according to a of ESG agenda of the collected data allows to assess the extent of coverage and of ESG principles in the corporate as well as existing gaps and challenges related to disclosure and of ESG reporting. The results obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of the current level of ESG responsibility and as an important basis for further research and in the field of sustainable The study the for of corporate of the ESG agenda. research should focus on key a more detailed analysis of the of ESG adoption across various industries and companies of different is to factors and the methodology for analyzing ESG reporting further including the development of more for data by companies. comparative of ESG practices across or countries trends and the understanding of ESG analysis can be to trends in ESG an assessment of the of practices based on the results of the it is to for the dissemination of ESG practices across all levels of the of sustainable development and their into corporate These will a deeper understanding of trends and provide for sustainability in corporate activities.