All-Time High of Sustainability Reports Among U.S. Publicly-Traded Companies: 96% of S&P 500 and 81% of Russell 1000.
G&A is pleased to share the 11th annual edition of our research series tracking the sustainability reporting trends of the largest U.S. publicly-traded companies.
Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. (G&A) is a consulting and research organization providing services to help both publicly-traded and privately-owned companies enhance their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainability reporting and profiles. Investors use ESG profiles and ratings to evaluate companies and make investment decisions. Other stakeholders are monitoring the ESG profiles of companies to gauge progress on a range of issues, including climate change, human rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. One of G&A’s core specialties is helping companies enhance ESG disclosure and more effectively embrace the leading reporting frameworks and standards, with the goal of publishing structured reports with decision-useful data on material ESG topics and performance.
For the entire Russell 1000 Index, our research found that 81% of the Russell 1000 companies published a sustainability report in 2021, up from 70% in 2021. The number of reporters in the smallest half by market cap of the Russell 1000 index rose to 68% in 2020 from 49% in 2020, showing that corporate sustainability reporting is increasingly being adopted as a best practice by mid-cap companies.
For the complete 2022 Sustainability Reporting In Focus Research Report with comparisons of the smallest and largest halves of the index, please complete the form on this page to download your copy of the report.
Let us walk you through what we found.
In 2012, G&A’s analysts began researching the sustainability reporting of the S&P 500® companies for the publication year 2011. The results of this initial research eleven years ago showed that just 20% of the S&P 500 companies published sustainability reports, meaning that 80% were NOT publishing such reports. Today the percentage of non-reporters in the S&P 500 is only 4%.
The 2022 research report features a breakdown of non-reporters in the S&P 500 and Russell 1000 by sector, those utilizing commonly used frameworks and standards (GRI, SASB, TCFD), those aligning with the UN SDGs, and examines trends in external assurance and survey reporting (CDP, CSA/DJSI).
Significant findings of G&A Institute’s 2022 Sustainability Reporting in Focus include:
To download and read the full report, complete the form to the right.