Environmental, social and governance performance of companies: the empirical research on their willingness to disclose information

Abstract

The paper investigates environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of companies, specifically, analysing their willingness to provide ESG related information. It is argued that financial information, as well as features related to a specific sector or a country, may determine the amount of the disclosed information. The relationship between the ESG disclosure and inclusion in the Global Compact Network is considered. The empirical model was used to determine the factors, producing statistically significant effect on ESG disclosure score. The analysis was based on fifty three independent indicators denoting financial and external information from fifteen selected European countries over the five-year period. The article describes the specific ESG disclosure patterns in different regions and gives some recommendations for increasing enterprise sustainability incentives.