Impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance Parameters on Financial Performance of Firms: A Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract

The investor community has emphasized the role of firms’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices in the last few years. The present study is motivated by existing studies that have not provided conclusive evidence on the relationship between a firm’s ESG practices and financial performance and whether a country’s economic development status influences this relationship. This study used data from 1917 non-financial firms across the top 13 countries over 10 years to investigate. The results conclusively indicate that the ESG score, by and large, positively impacts firms’ financial performance. The further examination of the results shows that while the impact is positive in the context of developed countries, in the case of firms from emerging economies such as China and India, the ESG score does not impact their financial performance, indicating that for emerging economies, growth takes precedence over ESG concerns. Overall, this study concludes that a country’s economic development status does influence the relationship between a firm’s ESG practices and financial performance.

1. Introduction

In the last few years, businesses’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices have received considerable attention from investors. Investments in ESG practices have grown rapidly alongside global “carbon neutral” initiatives. Firms have started disseminating thorough, timely, and precise information on social, financial, governance, and environmental parameters to protect the interests of investors, shareholders, and creditors (McWilliams et al., 2006). Such disclosure has helped firms enhance their reputation (Margolis & Walsh, 2003), lower their financial expenses, attract investments, and boost their market valuation (Orlitzky et al., 2003). Since 1992, the United Nations Environmental Programme Financial Initiative (UNEP FI) has been a proponent of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into financial institutions’ decision-making procedures.

Over time, ESG has emerged as a crucial aspect for evaluating economic entities globally. This is evident because several stock exchanges worldwide, including Brazil, Canada, India, Malaysia, Norway, South Africa, and the UK, have adopted ESG disclosure policies and guidelines. One such example is the “Comply or Explain” clause that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) has added to its “Guidelines for ESG Reporting” since 2015, which requires the listed corporations to either reveal designated ESG details or furnish explanations for non-disclosure. With all its challenges, the global fund market is witnessing a surge in ESG investment, with assets expected to reach over $40 trillion by 2030, as per Bloomberg Intelligence1.

ESG factors have become central to corporate strategies and scholarly discourse, with scholars and managers exploring the benefits of sustainable practices in firm performance and their impact on various stakeholders. As a result, significant societal changes could align with environmental and social principles (Durand et al., 2019), compelling firms to adopt more ethical and sustainable practices to navigate these shifts (Raimo et al., 2021).

Closely related to the concept of ESG, businesses are placing greater emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a means to attain a competitive edge (Aguilera et al., 2007), ensure adherence to local laws and regulations (Becker-Olsen et al., 2006), strengthen their reputation (Campbell, 2007), and uphold their corporate principles (Del Giudice et al., 2017).

The main motivation of this study is the conflicting results of extant research, where limited and insufficient analysis exists regarding the country-level differences (Van Hoang et al., 2023). This is especially true if we consider firm-level data. Further, firms in emerging economies face less pressure from their stakeholders concerning ESG (Miras-Rodríguez et al., 2020; Ali et al., 2017). However, their contribution to positive ESG practices is more valuable in the emerging economy context, as they face their unique socio-economic challenges (Ferrero-Ferrero et al., 2016). This leaves an open-ended area of inquiry and inspires new research ideas.

The present study aims to answer the following research questions: Does a company’s ESG practices and financial performance have any relationship? Moreover, whether a country’s status of economic development influences this relationship. This paper contributes in three ways: First, we looked into the long-term relationship between the ESG parameters and the financial performance of businesses in the top 13 nations of the world with diverse economies and sizable capital markets. We conducted our analysis on 1917 firms, across 13 countries, over 9 years. Second, we employed multiple measures of firm performance. Third, we compared and contrasted the findings between the firms of the developed and the developing nations.

The results conclusively indicate that the ESG score, by and large, positively impacts firms’ financial performance. Additionally, ESG scores actively contribute to a company’s value. However, significant national differences exist in the relationship between a company’s financial performance (value) and ESG performance. The further examination of the influence of ESG scores on financial performance reveals a positive effect in developed countries. However, in the case of firms from emerging economies such as China and India, the ESG score does not impact their financial performance.

The remainder of the paper is as follows: Section 2 presents the theoretical underpinning and the literature review, followed by Section 3, which consists of the data and methodology. Section 4 discusses the results, and Section 5 concludes the paper.

2. Theoretical Underpinning and Review of the Literature

2.1. Theoretical Underpinning

Several theories have proposed explanations for ESG issues. However, stakeholder theory plays an important role. The theory posits that corporate environmental responsibility practices may help businesses enhance stakeholder relationships (Bitektine & Haack, 2015; Russo & Perrini, 2010; Tu & Huang, 2015). As a result, firms with better ESG scores are expected to be valued higher by the broader community in general and the investor community in particular. Also, the success of goods and services will be influenced by how well the company (stakeholders) meets the interests of the many coalition partners with whom it is affiliated through a network of joint ventures.

2.2. Review of the Literature

Businesses that prioritize environmental conservation gain favor with stakeholders (K. H. Kim et al., 2018). However, the studies on the impact of ESG practices on financial performance have yielded a range of results, from favorable (Fombrun et al., 2000) to unfavorable (Friedman, 2007) to inconsistent (Brooks & Oikonomou, 2018). For example, Nirino et al. (2021) found a strong correlation between ESG and business value. On the other hand, researchers such as Ali et al. (2017) show that there is a negative relationship between corporate value and ESG. Since the complexity of the association between ESG practices and the financial performance of firms goes beyond a straightforward cause-and-effect relation, it is necessary to take into account the following elements in order to fully comprehend the dynamic of the relationship: Ghouri et al. (2019) found evidence that CSR strategies and ESG initiatives favorably impact several firm performance metrics, such as financial performance, employee commitment, innovation, and corporate reputation. By implementing these strategies, businesses can gain a competitive advantage and build trust with stakeholders over time, leading to stable financial performance (Birindelli et al., 2015). Significantly, ESG initiatives contribute to cultivating a positive corporate image, influencing reputation, and fostering customer brand loyalty (Porter & Kramer, 2006).

Companies often participate in environmental and social initiatives in response to stakeholder pressure (Sharma & Kumar, 2011). According to Barnett et al. (2020), engaging in such initiatives enhances trustworthiness in stakeholder relationships, consequently reducing transaction costs and leading to financial gains.

However, other viewpoints are present on the issue; for example, a company’s sustainable practices do not positively affect its financial success (Franceschelli et al., 2019; Porter & Kramer, 2006). It is debatable whether ESG measures have a detrimental or insignificant effect on financial performance (Tardivo et al., 2017). Moreover, since pressing global challenges such as climate change and plastic pollution compel companies to confront these issues and adjust their business practices (Nirino et al., 2020), this necessitates the reviewing of governance frameworks, business models, and value chain structures (K. H. Kim et al., 2018). Despite the logical imperative for companies to engage in environmental and community conservation efforts, adhere to regulations and standards, and allocate adequate resources to ESG, such actions may not always materialize (Centobelli et al., 2020). In such cases, managerial decisions that deviate from sustainability principles can lead to conflicts and negatively impact a company’s reputation (E. H. Kim & Lyon, 2015). Some scholars believe ESG practices are often viewed as costs for companies, providing minimal tangible benefits and potentially diminishing overall performance (Janney & Gove, 2011).

Certain studies focus on the correlation between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) variables and business financial performance, emphasizing social and environmental components at the expense of corporate governance (Chatterji et al., 2016). ESG issues can negatively and considerably impact a firm’s numerous risk indicators, as Sassen et al. (2016) demonstrated.

The relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm value has been the subject of conflicting research. For example, the study by Nirino et al. (2021) found a strong correlation between CSR and business value. On the other hand, studies, such as by Ali et al. (2017), show that there is a negative relationship between corporate value and CSR. As a result, the first hypothesis of the study is as follows:

Hypothesis 1: 

A company’s ESG and financial performance correlate favorably over time.

Next, the study by Lozano and Martínez-Ferrero (2022) noted disparities in ESG practices between developed and emerging nations. It is important to note that differences between developing and developed nations regarding sustainability concerns stem from unique characteristics inherent to each group. For instance, emerging countries are characterized by rapid growth and unique political uncertainties (Khan et al., 2013). Studies indicate that emerging countries often overlook ESG concerns, with limited investment in sustainable practices. Ali et al. (2017) have shown that public pressure on firm management regarding CSR disclosure in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is less intense than in developed nations. As a result, businesses in these nations do not see the need to invest in sustainable issues (Amini & Dal Bianco, 2017). Additionally, these countries’ institutional frameworks and decision-making processes significantly influence firms’ decisions (Suarez & Belk, 2017). Ortas et al. (2015) suggested that a country’s economic, social, political, and legal structures significantly influence a firm’s ESG practices, with ESG performance varying across countries, Cunha et al. (2020). While some, like Yang et al. (2022), point out regional differences, others, like Sarfraz et al. (2023), contend that ESG practices offer a cyclically sustainable economic framework with little impact on financial performance in advanced economies.

However, there exists a dearth of research comparing and contrasting the financial performance of firms in both developed and emerging economies about their ESG practices. The inherent differences between developing and developed nations regarding sustainability concerns necessitate a focused analysis of various ESG aspects. Hence, the second hypothesis of the study is as follows:

Hypothesis 2: 

Significant national differences exist in the relationship between a company’s financial performance and ESG score.

3. Data and Methodology

3.1. Data

This study collected data from the Bloomberg database, utilizing financial, environmental, social, and governance functions of firms from the top 13 countries in the world (refer to

Table 1. Top 13 countries in the world in terms of total market capitalization.

S.N.	Country	Group Affiliation	Total Market Capitalization (In Trillion USD)	Number of Firms
01	United States	OECD | OECD+	52.6	382
02	China	Emerging	11.5	149
03	Japan	OECD | OECD+	6.5	193
04	India	Emerging	4.4	63
05	France	OECD | OECD+	3.2	33
06	United Kingdom	OECD | OECD+	3.1	66
07	Canada	OECD | OECD+	2.6	146
08	Germany	OECD | OECD+	2.2	21
09	Switzerland	OECD | OECD+	1.9	13
10	South Korea	OECD | OECD+	1.8	55
11	Taiwan	OECD+	1.7	581
12	Australia	OECD | OECD+	1.6	193
13	Sweden	OECD | OECD+	1.1	22

Source: Bloomberg, March, 2024.

).

From Table 1, it can be seen that the countries, based on total market capitalization, were chosen for this study. Thirteen out of the world’s top fifteen countries in terms of market capitalization were included in the sample. Two countries are excluded, one due to the non-availability of data: Saudi Arabia; and the other being Hong Kong, as it is considered a proxy for China (Harris, 2024; Banerjee et al., 2023). The final sample contains 10 OECD countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US; one high income country (World Bank, 2023)2: Taiwan; and two emerging economies: China and India (World Bank, 2023). It is to be noted here that other big emerging nations like Brazil, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and others were not included in the sample due to their inconsistent and incomplete firm-level data. For the purpose of this study, the OECD group is extended to include Taiwan as well, making it the OECD+ group. These 13 countries have well-developed capital markets as well as globally accepted disclosure norms.

While the US leads the tally in market capitalization, Taiwan has the largest number of firms represented in the sample. Other significant members in the sample are Japan and Australia, followed by China and Canada. Switzerland has the least representation in the data sample.

Data were obtained from Bloomberg and Refinitiv (Thompson Reuters) databases for 10 years from 2013 to 2022. The Bloomberg ESG score is available from 2013 onwards. Also, consistent data for all 13 countries were available cumulatively for 10 years between 2013 and 2022. The data were winsorized at a 5% level to remove the effect of outliers. After adjusting for the incomplete data, there were 14,389 firm-year observations in the final sample consisting of 1917 non-financial firms across 13 countries for 10 years. This was an unbalanced panel due to the unavailability of the ESG_score.

Table 1 provides the country-wise firm counts. In total, 1917 firms are taken into account. Of these, 1705 firms are from the OECD+ group, whereas 212 are from the emerging countries (i.e., China and India) group. The number of firms from OECD+ is around 89%, whereas around 11% are from emerging countries. This study takes into account a total of 14,389 firm-year observations. Of these, 1766 firm-year observations are from the emerging countries group, whereas 12,623 are from OECD+ countries.

As per the prior literature, this study uses Tobin’s Q. This valuation matrix was initially developed by Tobin (1969) as a primary determinant for a firm’s valuation, as Servaes and Tamayo (2013) reported. This is further supported by Jo and Harjoto (2011) and Luo and Bhattacharya (2009). Based on the existing literature (Aggarwal et al., 2011; Fen & P’ng, 2019; Gholami et al., 2022), the present paper includes specific firm financial parameters, such as Tobin’s Q and Economic Value Added, that are believed to influence a firm’s financial results.

3.2. Methodology

This study uses two regression models (RM). In the first regression model, the dependent variable is Tobin’s Q (TQ), and in the second regression model, it is Economic Value Added (EVA).

The explanatory variable is the firm’s ESG score.

RM 1: TQ = ESG_SCORE + ROA + SIZE + PPE_TS + CAPEX_TS + SALES_GROWTH + CASH_TA + LEV + ε

RM 2: EVA = ESG_SCORE + ROA + SIZE + PPE_TS + CAPEX_TS + SALES_GROWTH + CASH_TA + LEV + ε

The control variables used in this study (refer to

Table 2. Definitions of variables used in the study.

Variable Category	Variable	Variable Name	Variable Definition	Reference Literature	Expected Relationship with the Dependent Variable
Environment, Social, and Governance Disclosures	ESG Score	ESG_Score	For a firm, the aggregated ESG Score, calculated by Bloomberg, ranges from 1 to 100.	Gholami et al. (2022)	Positive
Firm Characteristics
Market Value of Firm	Tobin’s Q	TQ	Measured as the ratio of Market Value to Total Assets	Tobin (1969)
Economic Profit of Firm	Economic Value Added	EVA	Measured as follows: EVA = NOP − (CC x TIC) Where NOP = Net Operating Profit (After Tax), CC = Cost of Capital (Weighted Average), TIC = Total Invested Capital	Gholami et al. (2022)
Firm’s Efficiency in Generating Profits	Return on Assets	ROA	Measured as the ratio of Operating Income to Total Assets	Hasan et al. (2022)	Positive
Size of Firm	Total Assets	FS	Measured as natural logarithm of Total Assets	Jo and Harjoto (2011, 2012)	Positive
Long-term Tangible Assets of Firm	Property, Plant and Equipment	PPE_TS	Measure as the ratio of Property, Plant, and Equipment to Total Sales	Aggarwal et al. (2011)	Positive
Firm’s Investments in Long-Term Assets	Capital Expenditure	CAPEX_TS	Measured as the ratio of Capital Expenditure to Total Sales	Gholami et al. (2022)	Positive
Growth of the Firm’s Business	Sales Growth	SALES_GROWTH	Measure as the percentage change in Sales over the years	Đặng et al. (2022)	Positive
Liquidity of Firm	Cash	CASH_TA	Measured as the ratio of Total Cash to Total Assets	Gholami et al. (2022)	Positive
Capital Structure of Firm	Leverage	LEV	Total Debt Ratio measured as the ratio of Total Debts to Total Assets	Jo and Harjoto (2011, 2012)	Positive

) are firm-specific financial parameters such as ROA, SIZE, PPE_TS, CAPEX_TS, SALES_GROWTH, CASH_TA, and LEV, which are supported by the existing literature (refer to Section 2). We have considered only those firm-year observations where all the variable values are available.

Some recent literature suggests that traditional firm performance measures (such as Tobin’s Q) are inadequate to measure firm performance, as they fail to account for the opportunity cost of all forms of capital deployed by a firm (Sharma & Kumar, 2011; Sloof & Van Praag, 2015). Hence, this study considers additional firm performance measures like EVA to mitigate this challenge, following Gholami et al. (2022).

4. Results, Findings, and Discussion

4.1. Results and Findings

Table 3. Descriptive statistics.

	Obs	Mean	SD
TQ	14,389	1.3901	1.3884
EVA	14,389	3.2176	1.8434
ESG_SCORE	14,389	1.0298	0.4127
ROA	14,389	0.3422	0.7543
SIZE	14,389	4.4935	2.147
PPE_TS	14,389	0.6792	1.0761
CAPEX_TS	14,389	0.214	0.3237
SALES_GROWTH	14,389	0.2041	0.5031
CASH_TA	14,389	0.106	0.0875
LEV	14,389	0.3862	0.2136

presents the basic descriptive statistics of the variables used in this study. The aggregate level stats are positive for all the variables.

However, as compared to Gholami et al. (2022), the average value of variables seems to be moderated by the presence of emerging countries in the sample set. Variables such as return on assets, long-term assets, investments in long-term assets, sales growth, and leverage are particularly impacted by the denominations of the countries, namely OECD+ and emerging, in the sample.

Table 4. (a) Results of panel fixed-effect model with TQ as a dependent variable. (b) Results of panel fixed-effect model with EVA as a dependent variable.

(a)
Dependent Variable: TQ	Full Dataset	OECD+ Countries	Emerging Countries
ESG_SCORE	0.4830 ** (0.0548)	0.3875 *** (0.0014)	0.0972 (0.5675)
ROA	0.6836 *** (0.0325)	0.6927 *** (0.2474)	1.4124 *** (0.3756)
SIZE	0.8901 *** (0.0419)	0.9304 *** (0.0252)	−0.7876 ** (0.0252)
PPE_TS	0.0035 (0.0718)	0.0065 (0.0942)	−0.0027 (0.0557)
CAPEX_TS	0.3911 * (0.0779)	0.7856 * (0.1057)	0.1278 (0.4791)
SALES_GROWTH	0.0730 *** (0.0781)	0.0928 ** (0.1121)	0.2531 * (0.0279)
CASH_TA	0.6901 *** (0.1354)	0.8192 *** (0.0438)	0.5181 *** (0.0184)
LEV	0.4234 *** (0.0124)	0.3975 *** (0.0252)	0.4265 * (0.1233)
C	0.0382 * (0.0216)	1.4131 *** (0.1078)	1.0524 *** (0.1187)
Obs	14,389	12,623	1766
R_Sq	0.4692	0.4483	0.5819
Durbin–Wu–Hausman test	2.116 (p = 0.146)	0.033 (p = 0.856)	1.106 (p = 0.515)
(b)
Dependent Variable: EVA	Full Dataset	OECD+ Countries	Emerging Countries
ESG_SCORE	0.5908 *** (0.0176)	0.6112 *** (0.0337)	0.1121 (0.2892)
ROA	0.4012 *** (0.0215)	0.7872 *** (0.0336)	−0.3856 * (0.0327)
SIZE	−0.2764 * (0.0816)	−0.2628 ** (0.0176)	−0.2417 * (0.0262)
PPE_TS	−0.0667 ** (0.1204)	−0.0744 * (0.0068)	−0.0056 (0.9167)
CAPEX_TS	0.1297 (0.2512)	0.2655 (0.1698)	0.1718 (0.1167)
SALES_GROWTH	0.3167 *** (0.0263)	0.3069 *** (0.0207)	0.2968 *** (0.0125)
CASH_TA	0.5272 ** (0.1216)	0.6018 ** (0.1232)	0.5461 * (0.0991)
LEV	0.5873 *** (0.0172)	0.5059 ** (0.0149)	0.0863 (0.0979)
C	1.8616 *** (0.0445)	1.8071 *** (0.0667)	0.9843 ** (0.0627)
Obs	14,389	12,623	1766
R_Sq	0.2911	0.2659	0.1813
Durbin-Wu-Hausman test	1.612 (p = 0.563)	0.061 (p = 0.685)	2.013 (p = 0.165)

Note: Table 4a,b provide the panel data regression results of the firm’s financial performance over the ESG_SCORE. The tables report coefficient estimates and standard error (in parentheses) using robust fixed-effect regression analysis. ***, **, and * indicate significance at the 1%, 5%, and 10% levels, respectively.

a,b display the results obtained from panel regression model 1 having Tobin’s Q as the outcome variable, and panel regression model 2 having Economic Value Added as the dependent variable, respectively. Both of the results presented are for the unbalanced panel fixed-effect model. The results are presented in three separate columns representing full data, OECD+ countries, and emerging nations. The outcome of Hausman test has been provided alongside each table. The result of the test for random effects confirms the models to be a panel fixed-effect regression.

According to the results presented in Table 4a,b, a statistically significant and positive relationship exists between the firm’s ESG performance score and financial performance. This study uses a panel regression analysis method with a year-fixed effect.

As seen in the tables above, beyond the conventional financial measurements, the non-financial performance of businesses is becoming more significant in the capital markets. Thus, in addition to financial performance, ESG scores actively contribute as a determinant of a company’s value. Businesses that prioritize social and environmental responsibility acquire the respect of stakeholders and the public, which mitigates any negative impressions about the company. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the context of advanced economies and OECD+ countries in the context of this study. These findings are supported by Kevser et al. (2023). These findings are noteworthy as previous studies were not uniform in their findings concerning the impact of ESG scores on the stock market performance of firms (Almeyda & Darmansya, 2019; Ersoy et al., 2022; Rodionova et al., 2022). Notably, in the case of the emerging countries group, the ESG score’s impact on Tobin’s Q and EVA is not statistically significant. This clearly shows that, in the case of developed OECD+ countries, ESG scores have a statistically significant favorable influence on both measures of firm performance (i.e., TQ and EVA). This shows that investors in both equity and debt markets in developed economies consider the ESG performance of firms while investing. This is also true for lenders.

However, in emerging countries, firms’ ESG performance fails to influence firm performance. This further shows that the investor community in emerging countries is not bothered about firms’ ESG performance, as borne out by the lack of a statistically significant relationship between TQ and firms’ ESG scores. Additionally, lenders like banks and financial institutions that typically provide debt capital in emerging economies do not put much emphasis on ESG scores. As a result, there is no statistically significant relationship between ESG score and EVA.

Next, a test of robustness was conducted on the entire sample to verify the reliability of the above results. This study follows the approaches of Cheng et al. (2014) and Gupta and Krishnamurti (2018) to construct the instrument variable (IV): adjusted ESG score for a firm. The IV for firm ‘i’ is constructed in the following manner:

ESG_SCORE_ADJ_i = [ESG_SCORE_i ― ESG_SCORE_Market_Average] ÷ ESG_SCORE_Market_Std. Deviation

The adjusted ESG score for a firm is the standardized performance when benchmarked against the market as a whole.

Table 5. Results of test of robustness and endogeneity.

Full Sample Estimation	DV: TQ	DV: EVA
ESG_SCORE_ADJ	0.3714 ** (0.0251)	0.6351 *** (0.0557)
ROA	0.6580 *** (0.0142)	0.2640 ** (0.0332)
SIZE	0.8563 *** (0.0358)	−0.2408 * (0.0801)
PPE_TS	0.0055 (0.0898)	−0.0617 (0.0755)
CAPEX_TS	0.5438 ** (0.0936)	0.4012 * (0.1614)
SALES_GROWTH	0.0676 * (0.0972)	0.2536 * (0.1183)
CASH_TA	0.7164 ** (0.3183)	0.4163 (0.2739)
LEV	0.3011 ** (0.0368)	0.2741 * (0.0457)
C	0.7320 ** (0.1034)	1.7782 *** (0.3576)
Obs	14,389	14,389
R_Sq	0.4903	0.2487

Note: Table 5 provides the results of the test of endogeneity for the entire sample using an adjusted ESG score as the instrument variable. The tables report coefficient estimates and standard error (in parentheses) using robust panel fixed-effect regression analysis. ***, **, and * indicate significance at the 1%, 5%, and 10% levels, respectively.

presents the results of the robustness tests.

The results of the test of endogeneity indicate positive and significant contributions of ESG-related activities on a firm’s financial performance. The results of the tests of robustness are consistent with the study’s main findings indicating that the empirical models do not suffer from endogeneity.

4.2. Discussion on Findings

This paper compared and contrasted the findings of the company’s ESG and financial performance between the firms of the developed and the developing nations. The first hypothesis states that a company’s ESG and financial performance correlate favorably over time (H1). The results also show that ESG and financial performance correlate favorably over time in advanced economies. These findings are supported by Kevser et al. (2023). This is because businesses that prioritize social and environmental responsibility acquire the respect of investors and lenders, which mitigates any negative impression about the company. However, in the context of emerging markets, the influence of the ESG score on financial performance is still not conclusively proven. The impact of the ESG score on Tobin’s Q and EVA is not statistically significant. These findings align with the existing literature (Narula et al., 2024; Yin et al., 2023). One major reason for this phenomenon is the large influence exerted by governments on the economy and the presence of many government-owned firms (including banks and financial institutions) in these countries (Yin et al., 2023). Investment and lending by government-owned banks and financial institutions may take the country’s economic growth as a higher priority than the ESG performance of firms. Another probable reason for this phenomenon is that in high-growth emerging markets, investors are still not much influenced by the ESG performance of firms when it comes to deciding their investment decisions, where growth takes precedence over environmental concerns (Lozano & Martínez-Ferrero, 2022).

Hence, we find evidence that significant national differences exist in the relationship between a company’s financial performance and ESG score (H2). In contrast, in developed OECD+ countries, ESG scores have a statistically significant favorable influence on both measures of firm performance (i.e., TQ and EVA). These findings align with the existing literature (Narula et al., 2024; Yin et al., 2023).

4.3. Implications of the Study

This study’s conclusions significantly impact the financial market, climate change, geopolitical instability, and ESG stakeholders. According to industry regulators, companies should focus on ESG developments that support and encourage the capital market’s sustainable growth. Policymakers should implement financial procedures and incentives to increase the scale and reputation of ESG activities because of the importance and benefits of ESG for all stakeholders, including the company’s financial performance, customers, employees, the environment, and the planet (Saygili et al., 2022). They also want to consider the implications of ESG for social benefits and welfare. The “Comply or Explain” approach must be applied by regulators in company disclosure statements. Not many issuers can achieve the same level of information disclosure in the same amount of time due to variations in company size, industry-specific knowledge, and corporate management expertise (Velte, 2017).

5. Conclusions

Our study bears important takeaways for firm management, policymakers, and the investor community. Policymakers and investors have long believed that sustainable investments benefit society. Enhancing openness concerning firm ESG practices can reduce information asymmetry. Policymakers and investors have paid close attention to sustainable investments in recent years. Reducing information asymmetry in financial markets can be achieved by enhancing the openness of business ESG activities, since governments across the globe are committed to accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the UN in 2015. Macroeconomic and microeconomic mechanisms drive this positive SDG-ESG link. Based on 14,389 firm-year observations, we found that OECD+ countries performed better in terms of SDG rank3 than the emerging countries considered in this study, which shows that investor communities in OECD+ countries have higher concerns about firms’ ESG performance. This makes it possible for investors to pinpoint the firms that most affect sustainable development. This study offers solid empirical proof of the beneficial correlation between a nation’s SDG accomplishments and the relationship between a firm’s ESG and financial performance. Macroeconomic and microeconomic mechanisms drive this positive SDG-ESG link.

From the study findings, we can conclude that the global investor community should be conscious of the ESG performance of firms in the context of advanced economies (OECD+). However, they may not put that much importance on the ESG performance of emerging market firms.

The present study has a couple of limitations. First, the duration of the present study (2013–22) is relatively short. This is mostly due to the lack of availability of consistent and complete data, especially for the emerging nations. This restricts the generalization of the obtained results for firms operating in the emerging markets. Efforts are needed from future researchers to include more emerging markets, as and when their data are available, to study the impact of ESG on firm performance. Second, this study has included the ESG score as a whole. However, future studies can take individual components of ESG and compare and contrast their impact on firm performance.