ESG News Trends: Sustainability Reports, New Tools, and Ongoing Research

A look at the Environmental, Social, and Governance news from PR Newswire in July and August that you might have missed.

 

ESG News Trends, July-August 2023

 

By Emily Gielink | Published Sept. 10, 2023

 

PR Newswire distributed more than 300 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) releases in July and August. Staying up-to-date with news and trends can be challenging, so we have collected the top stories to identify key trends in the industry and how they tie together.

As the second quarter came to a close, there was a steady publication of ESG and sustainability reports, with more companies committing to annual announcements. Stemming from these reports, we have also noticed an uptick in new investments, initiatives, and ESG tools. PR Newswire also distributed numerous earnings releases which highlighted ESG-specific metrics.

In this post, we'll take a closer look at these trends and some of the best-performing ESG releases in July and August.

Popular ESG Releases

Over the past two months, these were some of the most popular ESG press releases to cross the wire:

  • PepsiCo and Walmart announced a 7-year collaboration to pursue $120 million worth of investments focused on supporting U.S. and Canadian farmers in their pursuit to improve soil health and water quality.
  • Deloitte announced a groundbreaking new initiative with Google Cloud that will help clients mitigate climate risks, adopt green solutions, and unlock the value of low carbon products and services by utilizing revolutionary technologies like generative AI and geospatial data.
  • A new Bloomberg and Adox Research survey reveals firms' priorities for ESG data spend and approaches to ESG data acquisition and management.
  • Royal Caribbean Group's newest ships will convert waste to energy on board to help protect the oceans, expand on its Green Hubs program, and use technology to take a bite out of food waste.

 

 

ESG News Trends

Eager to know more? Here’s a look at a few of the top trends we noticed among ESG press releases in July and August, with a few examples of each.

Sustainability and ESG Reports

Over the past two months, the most consistent publications in this category were sustainability and ESG reports. Among the reports, highlighted goals included focusing on carbon management and emissions reduction, recycling and furthering waste management practices, increasing representation through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and more.

Below are a few examples of well-performing sustainability and ESG reports from July and August:

  • The 2022 Sustainability Report from Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. highlights the company's recent commitment to the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTi) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
  • In the 2022 ESG Report from The Boston Beer Company, the company highlights its newly formed Executive Sustainability Committee to establish new Cornerstones of Priority and to guide progress.
  • In its corporate sustainability report, Huntsman Corporation highlights the many ways in which its products provide essential solutions for sustainability challenges.
  • Norfolk Southern Corporation’s annual ESG report, “Forging a Better Tomorrow,” highlights its long-term strategy to balance service, productivity, and growth as well as initiatives to enhance rail safety and the company's ongoing efforts in East Palestine, Ohio.

ESG Tools

As ESG data and technology continue to evolve, there has been an influx of announcements focusing on various new tools, libraries, and indexes to better organize this data and help identify improvement areas. Cloud technology is also revolutionizing the industry with the introduction of real-time analysis and monitoring of ESG data, which proves to be a significant asset, especially in healthcare and other industries that tend to have high environmental impacts.

Below are a few examples of ESG tools announced in July and August:

  • BSI and Ecometrica launched Connect Climate, a new tool to ensure organizations can more easily comply with global sustainability reporting requirements.
  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is offering two new programs, Empower EV and Multifamily Housing and Small Business EV Charger, designed to improve access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for customers in underserved communities.
  • IBM launched the IBM Carbon Calculator, an AI-informed dashboard designed to help enterprises track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across cloud services and advance their sustainability performance throughout hybrid, multicloud journeys.
  • ECI (Ethics & Compliance Initiative) has compiled a searchable library of ESG, sustainability, and corporate impact reports from over 100 of the largest companies in the world.

Awards, Surveys, and Ongoing Research

In July and August, we saw more than 30 releases regarding ESG surveys or polls and approximately 60 releases pertaining to varying ESG-related awards. This is likely due in part to the demand for transparent metrics and data, in hopes of putting an end to greenwashing. As the metrics become more distinguishable, organizations are able to analyze the data to categorize and honor sustainable companies and their continuing efforts.

Below are a few examples:

  • Univar Solutions Inc. announced its recent recognition on the USA TODAY list of America's Climate Leaders.
  • Sustainability is now a key driver of consumer choice, according to the Cisco Broadband Survey, with 77% of respondents willing to pay more for broadband with a lower carbon footprint.
  • 61 percent of U.S. companies surveyed expect ESG backlash to continue or increase over the next two years, according to a report issued by The Conference Board.
  • Deloitte has been recognized as a leader for climate change consulting services, according to Verdantix's report "Green Quadrant: Climate Change Consulting 2023."

Conclusion

Moving into the holiday season, we are curious to observe how sustainability practices will be incorporated and introduced by organizations, and to see how the progression in technology pairs with the ESG industry.

As the industry continues to evolve, the PR Newswire team will press on to closely monitor both the ongoing and emerging trends.

 

About the Author

Emily Gielink headshotEmily Gielink is a Senior Customer Content Specialist at Cision and has been with the company for almost four years. She is a Bowling Green State University alumni with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.