Corporate Environmental Sustainability Plans and Their Effects on Future Investor

This research project aims to explore the shift toward sustainability in institutions and businesses. The methodology includes conducting surveys and interviews with employees, management, and investors from a broad range of businesses. Three sets of surveys are prepared to determine the level of awareness of ESG policies among workers, the consideration of ESG policies by investors, and the understanding of ESG incorporation by management. The research project also includes analyzing ESG reports from different businesses, academic articles, and the latest standards and news updates from CPA Ontario and the Environmental Sustainability Conference. The data gathered from the data sources will be analyzed to conclude the implementation of ESG policies in businesses and their impact on employee relations and investor relations. The demand for businesses to consider their impact on society and the environment alongside their financial performance gave rise to the issue of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting during the social responsibility movements of the 1960s and 1970s (BMO Wealth Management, 2019). However, inaccurate data was prevalent due to the lack of a standardized method to measure or report ESG factors in the 1980s (BMO Wealth Management, 2019). The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was founded in the 1990s to create a framework for sustainability reporting that provides guidelines for businesses to report on various ESG issues. (BMO Wealth Management, 2019). In 2006, the United Nations introduced the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) to encourage institutional investors to take ESG factors into account in their investment decision-making (BMO Wealth Management, 2019). Nowadays, there is a growing emphasis on ESG reporting, and many businesses are voluntarily disclosing their ESG performance in annual reports or separate sustainability reports. To increase transparency and accountability, regulators in some countries are beginning to demand that businesses report on ESG issues. The evolution of ESG reporting over time reflects a growing understanding of the value of sustainability and social responsibility in business and the recognition of that financial performance is not the only indicator of a company's success. The current research project aims to explore how businesses are incorporating ESG into their operations and how it affects their relationships with investors and employees.