Understanding the relationship between firms’ ESG performance and financial performance

There is still no general consensus on the relationship between corporate environmental performance (CEP) and corporate financial performance (CFP), neither there is an agreement on the theoretical framework that explains the contradictory results that have emerged over time. A number of reasons may contribute to generating this kind of confusion, from the data used to the chosen modelling framework. Linear models have dominated the scientific debate, but lately non-linear models have been developed, offering a new perspective on the relationship between CEP and CFP. Trumpp and Günther find a U-shaped relationship between carbon performance and profitability as well as between waste intensity and profitability.

This webinar is aimed at shedding light on the reasons why there is such a heterogeneity regarding the research results and providing a deep commentary of the paper's results, offering a new point of view on the issue.

Speaker: Thomas Günther, Professor, Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Business and Economics.

Discussant: Manuela Mazzoleni, Direttore Operations e Mercati, Assogestioni.

Presenter: Riccardo Christopher Spani, Researcher, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

This webinar is part of the FEEM/DeRisk-CO project, which aims at stimulating a debate on the importance of assessing and disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities and their impact on financial performance, with a particular focus on Italian businesses.