Abstract
The disclosure of fake corporate green claims, commonly termed corporate greenwashing, coupled with the rapid rise of numerous Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating providers (ERPs), has led to inconsistent or contradictory ratings, resulting in uncertainty and ambiguity over corporate ESG performance and, finally, a biased investment. Therefore, to address the divergent methodologies, we examine the intensity of ESG, greenwashing, and rating inconsistencies using a triangulation approach, considering both theoretical and qualitative methods. We perform sentiment analysis, a qualitative method, on the tweet data on “ESG” and “greenwashing” using MAXQDA software. The results suggest a linear relationship between the sentiments towards ESG and greenwashing, i.e., greenwashing is significantly growing at the rate of ESG. This paper also examines the divergent methodologies and biased ratings that encompass actions that exaggerate and misrepresent ‘green’ credentials and the factors leading to them. The results of our sentiment analysis find that the movement between ESG and greenwashing has been positively correlated, which means people are still doubtful regarding the ESG disclosures of corporations. With the insights derived from the theoretical analysis, this paper suggests a framework of potential regulations to build a realistic ESG market in India, which has a nascent ESG market with plenty of scope for adaptation.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The authors confirm that all data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the references to this article. Furthermore, the secondary sources and data supporting the findings of this study were all publicly available at the time of submission.
References
Abbassi W, Boubaker S, Manita R and Pandey DK (2023) Are environmentally friendly firms more vulnerable to the Russia-Ukraine crisis? Int J Account Audit Perform Eval
Ainin S, Feizollah A, Anuar NB, Abdullah NA (2020) Sentiment analyses of multilingual tweets on halal tourism. Tour Manag Perspect. 34:100658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100658
Antoncic M (2022) Opinion piece Is ESG investing contributing to transitioning to a sustainable economy or to the greatest misallocations of capital and a missed opportunity? J Risk Manag Financial Inst 15(1):6–12
Avetisyan E, Hockerts K (2017) The consolidation of the ESG rating industry as an enactment of institutional retrogression. Bus Strateg Environ 26(3):316–330. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1919
Aydoğmuş M, Gülay G, Ergun K (2022) Impact of ESG performance on firm value and profitability. Borsa Istanbul Rev 22:S119–S127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2022.11.006
Balasubramanian SK, Fang Y, Yang Z (2020) Twitter presence and experience improve corporate social responsibility outcomes. J Bus Ethics 173(4):737–757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04537-x
Baldi F, Pandimiglio A (2022) The role of ESG scoring and greenwashing risk in explaining the yields of green bonds: a conceptual framework and an econometric analysis. Glob Financ J. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2022.100711
Benmelech E, Dlugosz J (2009) The credit rating crisis. NBER Macroecon Annu 24:161–207
Berg F, Kolbel JF, Rigobon R (2022) Aggregate confusion: the divergence of ESG ratings*. Rev Finance 26(6):1315–1344. https://doi.org/10.1093/rof/rfac033
Bermejo Climent R, Garrigues IFF, Paraskevopoulos I, Santos A (2021) ESG disclosure and portfolio performance. Risks. https://doi.org/10.3390/RISKS9100172
Berry TC, Junkus JC (2013) Socially responsible investing: an investor perspective. J Bus Ethics 112(4):707–720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1567-0
Biju AV, Mathew AM, Nithi Krishna PP, Akhil MP (2022) Is the future of bitcoin safe? a triangulation approach in the reality of BTC market through a sentiments analysis. Digital Finance 4(4):275–290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42521-022-00052-y
Biju AKVN, Thomas AS, Thasneem J (2023) Examining the research taxonomy of artificial intelligence, deep learning and machine learning in the financial sphere—a bibliometric analysis. Qual Quant. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-023-01673-0
BNP Paribas (2023) ESG Global Survey 2023. https://securities.cib.bnpparibas/global-esg-survey-2023/globalesg-survey-2023-report/
Boubaker S, Le TDQ, Manita R, Ngo T (2023) The trade-off frontier for ESG and sharpe ratio: a bootstrapped double-frontier data envelopment analysis. Ann Oper Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05506-z
Bowen F, Aragon-Correa JA (2014) Greenwashing in corporate environmentalism research and practice. Organ Environ 27(2):107–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026614537078
Capizzi V, Gioia E, Giudici G, Tenca F (2021) The divergence of ESG ratings: an analysis of Italian listed companies. J Financ Manag Markets Inst. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2282717X21500067
Cesarone F, Martino ML, Carleo A (2022) Does ESG impact really enhance portfolio profitability? Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU14042050
Chatterji AK, Durand R, Levine DI, Touboul S (2016) Do ratings of firms converge? Implications for managers, investors and strategy researchers. Strateg Manag J 37(8):1597–1614. https://doi.org/10.1002/SMJ.2407
Chen HY, Yang SS (2020) Do Investors exaggerate corporate ESG information? Evidence of the ESG momentum effect in the Taiwanese market. Pac Basin Financ J 63:101407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2020.101407
Christensen DM, Serafeim G, Sikochi A (2021) Why is corporate virtue in the eye of the beholder? the case of ESG ratings. Account Rev 97(1):147–175. https://doi.org/10.2308/tar-2019-0506
Coleman L, Maheswaran K, Pinder S (2010) Narratives in managers’ corporate finance decisions. Account Finance. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-629X.2010.00343.x
Cornell B (2021) ESG preferences, risk and return. Eur Financ Manag 27(1):12–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12295
Costello AM, Granja J, Weber J (2019) Do strict regulators increase the transparency of banks? J Account Res 57(3):603–637. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12255
Crespi F, Migliavacca M (2020) The determinants of ESG rating in the financial industry: the same old story or a different tale? Sustainability (switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12166398
Dorfleitner G, Halbritter G, Nguyen M (2015) Measuring the level and risk of corporate responsibility—an empirical comparison of different ESG rating approaches. J Asset Manag 16(7):450–466. https://doi.org/10.1057/JAM.2015.31
Drempetic S, Klein C, Zwergel B (2019) The influence of firm size on the ESG score: corporate sustainability ratings under review. J Business Ethics 167(2):333–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10551-019-04164-1
Du Rietz S (2014) When accounts become information: a study of investors’ ESG analysis practice. Scand J Manag 30(4):395–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCAMAN.2014.09.002
Dziadkowiec A, Daszynska-Zygadlo K (2021) Disclosures of ESG misconducts and market valuations: evidence from DAX companies. Eng Econ 32(2):95–103. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.32.2.25209
Eliwa Y, Aboud A, Saleh A (2021) ESG practices and the cost of debt: evidence from EU countries. Crit Perspect Account 79:102097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2019.102097
Erragragui E (2018) Do creditors price firms’ environmental, social and governance risks? Res Int Bus Financ 45:197–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2017.07.151
Falah LJ, Mita AF (2022) ESG disclosure and the role of CEO narcissism on firm value: the case of ASEAN-5. Global Business Econ Rev 27(2):133. https://doi.org/10.1504/gber.2022.125036
Friede G, Busch T, Bassen A (2015) ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies. J Sustain Finance Invest 5(4):210–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2015.1118917
Garcia AS, Mendes-Da-Silva W, Orsato R (2017) Sensitive industries produce better ESG performance: evidence from emerging markets. J Clean Prod 150:135–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2017.02.180
Gibson Brandon R, Krueger P, Schmidt PS (2021) ESG rating disagreement and stock returns. Financial Anal J 77(4):104–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/0015198X.2021.1963186
Gull AA, Sarang AAA, Shakri IH, Atif M (2023) Co-opted directors and greenhouse gas emissions: does ESG compensation matter? J Clean Prod 411:137192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137192
He F, Feng Y, Hao J (2023) Corporate ESG rating and stock market liquidity: evidence from China. Econ Model 129:106511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106511
Herbohn K, Walker J, Loo HYM (2014) Corporate Social responsibility: the link between sustainability disclosure and sustainability performance. Abacus 50(4):422–459. https://doi.org/10.1111/ABAC.12036
Immel M, Hachenberg B, Kiesel F, Schiereck D (2020) Green bonds: shades of green and brown. J Asset Manage 22(2):96–109. https://doi.org/10.1057/S41260-020-00192-Z
In SY, Schumacher K (2021) Carbonwashing: ESG data greenwashing in a post-paris world. Settling Clim Account. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83650-4_3
Kaurav RPS, Narula S, Baber R, Tiwari P (2021) Theoretical extension of the new education policy 2020 using twitter mining. J Content Commun. 13(7):16–26
Kimbrough MD, Wang XF, Wei S, Zhang JI (2022) Does voluntary ESG reporting resolve disagreement among ESG rating agencies? Eur Account Rev. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2022.2088588
Kirchherr J (2022) Bullshit in the sustainability and transitions literature: a provocation. Circ Econ Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00175-9
Kumar K, Prakash A, Singh K (2020) How National Education policy 2020 can be a lodestar to transform future generations in India. J Public Aff. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2500
La Rosa F, Bernini F (2022) ESG controversies and the cost of equity capital of European listed companies: the moderating effects of ESG performance and market securities regulation. Int J Account Inf Manag 30(5):641–663. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim-03-2022-0047
Li TT, Wang K, Sueyoshi T, Wang DD (2021) ESG: research progress and future prospects. Sustainability 13(21):11663. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111663
Liu B (2012b) Sentiment analysis and opinion mining. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02145-9
Liu C, Xu Y (2019) The dark side of corporate social responsibility: the case of director information acquisition. SSRN Electron J. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3523024
Liu M, Luo X, Lu WZ (2023) Public perceptions of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) based on social media data: evidence from China. J Clean Prod 387:135840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135840
Liu B (2012a) Sentiment Lexicon generation. In: Liu B (ed) Sentiment analysis and opinion mining. Springer, Cham, pp 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02145-9_6
Lokuwaduge CSDS, Silva KM (2022) ESG Risk Disclosure and the Risk of Green Washing. Austr Account Business Finance J. 16(1):146–159
Luo D, Yan J, Yan Q (2023) The duality of ESG: Impact of ratings and disagreement on stock crash risk in China. Financ Res Lett 58:104479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2023.104479
Marjaei S, Yazdi FA, Chandrashekara M (2019) MAXQDA and its application to LIS research. Library Philos Pract, 1–9
MAXQDA (2021) How to analyze twitter data with MAXQDA: social media analysis guide—MAXQDA—The art of data analysis. Retrieved Oct 20, 2022 from https://www.MAXQDA.com/blogpost/how-to-analyze-twitter-data
Mélon L (2020) More than a nudge? arguments and tools for mandating green public procurement in the EU. Sustainability 12(3):988. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12030988
Olmedo EE, Torres MJM, Izquierdo MAF (2010) Socially responsible investing: sustainability indices, ESG rating and information provider agencies. Int J Sustai Econ 2(4):442. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSE.2010.035490
Schfer H (2005) International corporate social responsibility rating systems. J Corp Citizsh 2005(20):107–120. https://doi.org/10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2005.wi.00012
SEBI (2022) Consultation paper on environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating providers for securities markets. https://www.sebi.gov.in/reports-and-statistics/reports/jan-2022/consultation-paper-on-environmental-social-and-governance-esg-rating-providers-for-securities-markets_55516.html
SEBI (2023) Consultation paper on ESG disclosures, ratings, and investing. https://www.sebi.gov.in/reports-and-statistics/reports/feb-2023/consultation-paper-on-esg-disclosures-ratings-and-investing_68193.html
Shahbaz M, Karaman AS, Kilic M, Uyar A (2020) Board attributes, CSR engagement, and corporate performance: What is the nexus in the energy sector? Energy Policy 143:111582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111582
Sreelekshmi G, Biju AV (2023) Green bonds for mobilising environmental finance: a conceptual framework for a greener economy. In Goel R, Baral S (eds) Handbook of research on sustainable consumption and production for greener economies, pp 160–177). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8969-7.ch010
Strambach S, Surmeier A (2018) From standard takers to standard makers? The role of knowledge-intensive intermediaries in setting global sustainability standards. Global Netw 18(2):352–373. https://doi.org/10.1111/GLOB.12163
Svanberg J, Ardeshiri T, Samsten I, Öhman P, Rana T, Danielson M (2022) Prediction of environmental controversies and development of a corporate environmental performance rating methodology. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2022.130979
Tan R, Pan L (2023) ESG rating disagreement, external attention and stock return: evidence from China. Econ Lett 231:111268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2023.111268
Uyar A, Karaman AS, Kilic M (2020) Is corporate social responsibility reporting a tool of signaling or greenwashing?Evidence from the worldwide logistics sector. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.119997
Verma RK, Bansal R (2021) Stock Market Reaction on green-bond issue: evidence from Indian green-bond issuers. Vision. https://doi.org/10.1177/09722629211022523
Wang K, Li T, San Z, Gao H (2023a) How does corporate ESG performance affect stock liquidity? Evidence from China. Pacific-Basin Finance J 80:102087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102087
Wang L, Qi J, Zhuang H (2023b) Monitoring or collusion? multiple large shareholders and corporate ESG performance: evidence from China. Financ Res Lett 53:103673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2023.103673
Wang W, Sun ZY, Wang WJ, Hua QY, Wu FZ (2023c) The impact of environmental uncertainty on ESG performance: emotional vs. rational. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136528
Windolph SE (2011) Assessing corporate sustainability through ratings: challenges and their causes. J Environ Sustain. https://doi.org/10.14448/jes.01.0005
Wu W, Fu Y, Wang Z, Liu X, Niu Y, Li B, Huang GQ (2022) Consortium blockchain-enabled smart ESG reporting platform with token-based incentives for corporate crowdsensing. Comput Indus Eng. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2022.108456
Yoo S, Managi S (2022) Disclosure or action: evaluating ESG behavior towards financial performance. Financ Res Lett 44:102108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102108
Yu EP, Luu BV, Chen CH (2020) Greenwashing in environmental, social and governance disclosures. Res Int Bus Financ 52:101192. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RIBAF.2020.101192
Yu H, Liang C, Liu Z, Wang H (2023) News-based ESG sentiment and stock price crash risk. Int Rev Financial Anal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102646
Zhang D (2022a) Green financial system regulation shock and greenwashing behaviors: evidence from Chinese firms. Energy Econ 111:106064. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENECO.2022.106064
Zhang D (2022b) Are firms motivated to greenwash by financial constraints? Evidence from global firms’ data. J Int Financ Manag Acc 33(3):459–479. https://doi.org/10.1111/JIFM.12153
Zhou G, Liu L, Luo S (2022) Sustainable development, ESG performance and company market value: mediating effect of financial performance. Bus Strateg Environ 31(7):3371–3387. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3089
Zumente I, Lāce N (2021) ESG rating—necessity for the investor or the company? Sustainability 13(16):8940. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU13168940
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the services of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) for funding the project “The Effect of Investors’ Sentiments on Sustainability and ESG Ratings on the Performance of Indian Companies.” The project aims to examine investor and stakeholder sentiments on sustainability across India and the effect of ESG scores on the performance of Indian companies. This paper is an early outcome of the project.
Funding
The first author receives funding from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) File No: F.No.02/6/2022–23/ICSSR/RP/MJ/GEN.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors are equally involved in developing the topic and structure for this article together.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this research.
Ethical approval
This study does not require ethical approval, We do not harm human beings or animals during the process of research.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Biju, A.V.N., Kodiyatt, S.J., Krishna, P.P.N. et al. ESG sentiments and divergent ESG scores: suggesting a framework for ESG rating. SN Bus Econ 3, 209 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43546-023-00592-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43546-023-00592-4