The twenty authors of the book address the issue of the economic and financial assessment of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) impacts ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) impacts of companies’ activities. The subject is difficult because it has dimensions that are simultaneously regulatory (Pacte law, sustainability reports, non-financial accounting, GDPR, etc.), accounting (CRDS framework, principle of double materiality, etc.), technical (integration of IT systems, use of AI), environmental (SDGs) and social (inclusion, gender equality, etc.). The proliferation of stakeholders stakeholders (shareholders, staff, customers, suppliers, banks, the State, local authorities, social networks, etc.) subjects companies to an increasing number of more or less paradoxical injunctions and trade-offs between short- or long-term, defensive or offensive, shareholder or partnership actions, etc.
One of the difficulties lies in the choice of indicators (more than 1,000 are proposed by accounting experts), in their compliance with French and European rules, frameworks and standards, standards, in their measurement and in their monitoring over time. Some companies are tempted to choose only data that is easily accessible, always favourable, difficult to verify, not closely monitored, etc. These biases are only intended to promote the company’s image of the company among investors and savers, without it making any progress in terms of sustainable performance and the common good. The authors therefore recommend moving from a logic of “measuring to communicate” approach to a “measure to understand, discuss and transform” approach.
The three coordinators of the book are university professors in management sciences
at the University of Rennes – IGR-IAE.
Jean-Jacques Pluchart