ESG and the Earnings Call: Communicating Sustainable Value Creation Quarter by Quarter
NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business; and CEO Investor Forum at CECP, 2020
22 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2020
Date Written: May 27, 2020
Abstract
In this paper, we begin by discussing concerns that existing reporting practices, including those used on quarterly earnings calls, underweight ESG disclosures and amplify short-term pressures on corporate management. We survey the broad market trends that are encouraging greater focus on ESG and long-term strategy disclosures.
Building on extensive interactions with market participants, including sell-side analysts, we set out practical recommendations and a framework for how issuers can embed disclosures on ESG and long-term strategy into the content of the quarterly earnings call. These recommendations can be readily ope-rationalized to meet the increased demand for ESG and long-term strategy information across the reporting ecosystem.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, ESG, Sustainability, Disclosure, Corporate Accountability, Investments, Corporate Performance
JEL Classification: G10, G14, G2, G23, M1, M2, M4
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation