More than 90% of S&P 500 companies and approximately 70% of Russell 1000 companies now publish ESG reports in some form. Organizations have been steadily allocating more of their resources toward improving ESG. The rising profile of ESG has also been plainly evident in investments - inflows into sustainable funds, for example, rose from $5 billion in 2018 to more than $50 billion in 2020—and then to nearly $70 billion in 2021. But the communications results, and the common perception of ESG still have a ways to go. In hiring the next ESG executive, it might be time the world's biggest firms take a cue from today's innovative startups.
