Investors Ignore US Attacks as ‘ESG’ Judged Too Important to Ax

As Republican legislators in the US try to wipe ESG off the map, most global investors and executives are acting as though those efforts will ultimately fail.

Using environmental, social and governance metrics is now mainstream, according to 89% of investors who responded to a survey published Wednesday by Bloomberg Intelligence. And 57% said the “ESG” label shouldn’t be replaced by something less incendiary, despite the backlash.

ESG is primarily being used to “improve profit, competitiveness and brand value,” according to Bloomberg Intelligence, whose full survey findings are based on responses from 250 C-suite executives and 250 senior ...