How ESG went from the periphery to the heart of business discourse

This special ESG episode of the Better Finance podcast features Brian Tomlinson from Ernst & Young LLP, and Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School. The environmental, social and governance (ESG) space is at a remarkable phase of its development, having gone from being a niche part of corporate and capital markets discourse to being part of the mainstream. The trends that have been driving that include market participants making commitments around ESG, large corporations embracing aspects of ESG disclosure, and in recent years, the ESG disclosure ecosystem being adopted by regulators in key markets across the world. We appear to be at a high watermark for ESG, and Alex Edmans discusses how his paper, "The End of ESG," highlights how ESG should be mainstream for executives and investors. There are many risk factors and opportunities with ESG that can affect the long-term valuation of a company. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not reflect the official policy or position of EY or any other organization. © 2023 Ernst & Young Global Limited