ESG Q & A

Climate change. Sustainability. Changing consumer demands. It fills our social media and evening news. Alongside the headlines and diverse opinions, comes a stream of information embedded in terminology that may be unfamiliar. 

We hope this page helps explain some commonly used terms. If there is something else you would like to hear about, please complete this form here or email us at summer@Summer.co.nz.

1. What is ESG?

ESG (which stands for environmental, social, and governance) is a term that’s been around for about 20 years. It originally started with a group of investors in Europe who recognised that ESG issues, when mismanaged, could evolve into significant financial issues for a company or industry. They believed that ESG factors should be assessed, just like investors do with traditional financial data and other possible influences and risks.

ENVIRONMENTAL

  • climate change
  • resource depletion
  • waste pollution
  • deforestation

SOCIAL

  • human rights
  • modern slavery
  • child labour
  • working conditions
  • employee relations

GOVERNANCE

  • bribery and corruption
  • executive pay board
  • diversity and structure
  • political lobbying and donations tax strategy
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