New Research Shows Mid-Cap U.S. Public Companies Closing Sustainability Reporting Gap in 2022 

82% of Smallest Half of Russell 1000® Published ESG Reports; Record 98% of S&P 500® Companies and 90% of Total Russell 1000 Companies 
 

Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. (G&A) is pleased to share the 12th annual edition of our research series tracking the sustainability reporting trends of the largest U.S. publicly-traded companies.

G&A’s 2023 Sustainability Reporting in Focus research on companies in the S&P 500® Index and the Russell 1000® Index showed continued growth in sustainability reporting for both large-cap and mid-cap U.S. public companies. 

Key Report Findings

• Large-cap companies in the S&P 500 approached 100% reporting, with a record 98% publishing sustainability reports in 2022. 
• Mid-cap companies, which make up the smallest half by market cap of the Russell 1000, continue to close the reporting gap with 82% publishing reports in 2022, up from 68% in 2021. 
• Companies in the total Russell 1000 Index had a record 90% publishing reports in 2022, up from 81% in 2021.
• Alignment with TCFD continued to grow rapidly, now utilized by 50% of Russell 1000 reporters in 2022 compared to just 4% in 2019.
• SASB remained the most widely-used sustainability standard among the Russell 1000, utilized by 78% of reporters in 2022, while alignment with GRI remained consistent at 54%.

G&A’s research analyzes sustainability report content to provide detailed breakdowns of reporting frameworks and standards used (GRI, SASB, TCFD), alignment with initiatives such as the UN SDGs, trends in external assurance and CDP reporting, and breakdowns of non-reporters by sector.

For the complete findings of our 2023 Sustainability Reporting in Focus report with comparisons of the smallest and largest halves of the Russell 1000 Index, please complete the form on this page to download your copy of the report.