The Effect of Financial Materiality on ESG Performance Assessment

Nicolas Madison and Eduardo Schiehll
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Nicolas Madison: HEC Montréal, 3000, Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada
Eduardo Schiehll: HEC Montréal, 3000, Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: The effect of considering the financial materiality of ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues on firms’ ESG performance scores and rankings is investigated using Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) ESG Ratings and the financial Materiality Map ® developed by the Sustainability Accounting Standard Board (SASB). Results show that when financial materiality is applied, firms’ ESG performance scores change significantly. Further corroboration is provided by significant changes in firms’ ESG rankings when ESG performance assessment is based on SASB-adjusted ESG performance scores. Environmental pillar issues, and particularly natural resource use, are predominantly responsible for the changes. Overall, the results suggest that financial materiality affects the informative value of ESG scores and rankings, allowing the identification of investment opportunities in firms with high scores on business-critical ESG issues. We argue that consideration of financial materiality can better inform investment decisions based on ESG performance. This study adds to the understanding and assessment of ESG performance and its information content.

Keywords: ESG performance; materiality; ratings; rankings; social; environmental (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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