Dear Reader,

There’s no question the theme of sustainability is increasingly on the minds of investors, business leaders and policy makers. It’s moved to the top of the agenda at The World Economic Forum. Sustainable investing assets are growing. And you see more CEOs and corporate policy experts advocating long-term thinking. 

Virtually everywhere I go there are discussions about the role asset owners and the world’s largest businesses have in society, and how we all should be measuring their performance in that context. Just a few years ago these topics didn’t really resonate beyond Scandinavia, parts of Asia and segments of the investment community. Now they’re pervasive.

The rising prominence of environmental, social and governance, or ESG, issues and the market demand for greater insights about these matters make this Sustainability Yearbook more important than ever.

This Yearbook stands out for another reason. It’s the first one published by S&P Global.

We’re incredibly proud to have acquired RobecoSAM’s ESG Ratings and Benchmarking businesses and to be able to share the insights you’ll find throughout the following pages.

Providing the market with ESG solutions is an ongoing strategic priority for S&P Global. Adding the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) to our data capabilities will greatly enhance the growing range of analytics, benchmarks and other products we provide to investors, companies and governments to help them identify growth opportunities and mitigate ESG risk.

S&P Global is uniquely positioned to leverage the 20-plus year history of the CSA and help it realize its full potential. Companies will benefit from the breadth and depth of S&P Global’s reach in capital and commodity markets and investors will benefit from our commitment to delivering trusted data and insights effectively, reliably and consistently.

We thank everyone who participates in the CSA for their continued partnership. We recognize there are many competing demands for your time, including many different surveys and requests for information, and we want you to know we value your vital contributions.

As you read this report, you’ll learn about the highest-performing sustainable companies, sectors and geographic regions in the world as determined by the CSA. And I hope you’ll glean new essential and actionable insights about the corporate sustainability themes shaping our world. 

Regards,

Douglas L. Peterson
President and CEO
S&P Global

 

Read the foreword