In the past few years, the investment community has placed increasing focus on a board’s role of effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) oversight and disclosure. As BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink’s 2021 Letter to CEOs explained: “As more and more investors choose to tilt their investments towards sustainability-focused companies, the tectonic shift we are seeing will accelerate further. And because this will have such a dramatic impact on how capital is allocated, every management team and board will need to consider how this will impact their company’s stock.” Companies that do not prioritize ESG are at risk of losing large pools of capital, damaging their corporate brand and losing opportunities for long-term growth.

Evaluating Boards on ESG Oversight

While practice varies how a board oversees ESG-related matters, stakeholders have increased expectations of public company boards for formalized, effective and comprehensive oversight and disclosure.