In his soon to be published article, ‘ESG Colourwashing: Combating Modern-day Corporate Hypocrisy’, which Timo co-authored in conjunction with his colleague and former student Klemen Kreča, he describes how consumers and investors are increasingly demanding the introduction of sustainable practices and, in turn, even though they may not be “born-believers” as regards the creation of sustainable value, corporations are introducing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into corporate decision-making. As ESG has become the new benchmark of corporate sustainability, this has meant, unfortunately, that corporate hypocrisy is rife. Some companies may try to avoid ESG implementation costs by simply sugar-coating the status quo or wilfully creating false impressions about their underlying business models and their actual efforts to integrate sustainable practices.
Anna Bauböck (AB): How can implementing ESG criteria create value for companies, and is it beneficial for all industries and business models?
