Urgency of ESG for Corporates Grows

EMBARGOED UNTIL 10am CET JANUARY 24, 2014

January 24, 2014. Davos, Switzerland – While stock prices of those companies that focus positively on environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) issues outperform those of companies that do not, financial media and quoted financial analysts provide little coverage on these topics, according to new research from Media Tenor International aimed at helping companies move away from greenwashing and improve reliability on ESG efforts to help overcome the trust meltdown.

The research – If not ESG now, then when? - released as part of Media Tenor’s Reputation Lab at the World Economic Forum, provides corporates with viable and robust reputation management measurements mapping to ESG and sustainability issues. The findings draw on Media Tenor’s extensive database of fully analyzed news broadcasts and publications dating back to 2001 when the ESG sustainability agenda was still in its infancy.

“There’s a clear need for companies to achieve consistent news flow in business media on their ESG agendas in order to benefit from the buying behavior of financial markets,” says Stephano Radaelli, a researcher at Media Tenor.

Despite low coverage on CSR in recent years, once the media’s focus turned from the Arab-spring and the Euro-crisis, consumer sentiment showed that the public was still appalled by businesses that have ignored basic standards in production safety and the protection of natural and human resources. Media Tenor’s ongoing research shows a strong correlation between media coverage of corporate failures and consumer reaction. Increasingly, consumers are more willing to accept 2 - 3% less profitability from savings and investments if they can be certain their money is not being invested in companies that ignore basic CSR standards.

For over 20 years Media Tenor's mission has been to contribute to objective, diverse and newsworthy news by bringing together the diverse parties who both impact and are affected by the news. Media Tenor's global research projects include analyses of election campaigns, investor relations, public diplomacy, corporate communications and other topics critical to news makers and news audiences.

For more information contact Racheline Maltese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.