S&P 500 Executives Back Off ‘ESG’ Reports in Earnings Calls

Jan. 26, 2024, 10:00 AM UTC

Walmart, Occidental Petroleum and pest control conglomerate Rollins share a common approach to environmental, social and governance issues: their executives are talking less about their ESG reports, without abandoning the work behind them.

The companies are among 13 S&P 500 members whose earnings calls dropped direct references to ESG, sustainability and corporate responsibility reports and other similar publications after 2021, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis. ESG-related report mentions among S&P 500 companies overall peaked in 2021 on earnings calls before decreasing in 2022 and 2023.

The decline comes amid a conservative backlash against the term ESG. ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

Learn About Bloomberg Law

AI-powered legal analytics, workflow tools and premium legal & business news.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools.