An oft-debated question in the business landscape is what the purpose of a corporation ought to be. There’s no clear consensus. But a phenomenon that has grown even more traction since the COVID-19 pandemic is ESG: Environmental, Social & Governance. The idea was to uphold or improve an entity’s capacity to produce value over the long term and offer good risk-adjusted returns by generating value for all stakeholders.
But, in India, is there a terrain marked by performance shifts, skepticism towards greenwashing and a focus on profitability that could contrast the ideals of ESG? And do trends in the US, like sustainable funds in the US ceasing operations in 2023 and Elon Musk’s views on DEI, have a ripple effect on India’s ESG perception?
And could a country, like India, become a beacon of potential, when it comes to the global ESG landscape? In the latest episode of CAM Radio Clear Cut, our Senior Director – ESG, Bose Varghese, explores whether ESG is here to stay, how ESG is really long-term, how if it’s seen as short-term and if profitability is the target, that’s where the struggle comes from, how India could be one of the strongest ESG leaders globally, why no two ESG ratings are similar, how India is dealing with greenwashing, the role of law firms evolving within the ESG space in India and more.
