What’s missing in ESG? Economics, of course

Some businesses and their shareholders feel ESG has been weaponised. It’s time to take a more balanced approach.

We should recast ESG as “EESG”, with economics firmly in the frame, says the writer. PHOTO: ST FILE
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ESG is pushing 20. The widely used acronym for “environmental, social and governance”, ESG was introduced in the report Who Cares Wins, which was published by the Global Compact of the United Nations in 2004.

Since then, ESG has influenced practices in companies and countries. It is an easy-to-use operational framework for the more abstract notion of sustainability.

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