NationSwell, a social impact strategy consulting B Corp, is providing free access to their latest trend report that explores the “current state of play on ESG in 2022.”

Within the report, you’ll find the top five trends that corporate citizenship leaders need to understand to better determine the direction the market is headed. They’ve also included helpful tools to help your organization check-in on its preparedness around each trend, along with updates on regulatory activity, a case study on Microsoft – an organization helping to set the pace, and recommendations for further reading.

Trend 1: Social issues are at once more fragmented and more important to the general public than climate concerns. As companies concentrate their climate commitments around carbon neutrality and net zero, the public is likely to become even less forgiving of those that perform poorly on social factors.

Trend 2: Dozens of ESG reporting frameworks and regulatory standards exist in jurisdictions around the globe. Efforts are underway to consolidate and simplify those frameworks for the sake of consistent and universal reporting requirements.

Trend 3: Investors and companies are seeking deeper expertise and greater accountability related to ESG on their management teams, staff, and boards. The marketplace for that talent is not yet well established. Soon, that will change.

Trend 4: More retail investors, small funds, and large institutional investors are embracing an activist posture related to ESG and expressing growing skepticism that companies will make good on their commitments. The efficacy of ESG-motivated investor activism is on the rise, too.

Trend 5: Until recently, private markets have taken a back seat to public markets in ESG investing. Now, private equity investors are playing a major role in the next chapter of the ESG story.

Eager to learn more? Download the full report here.