Evaluation Of the Top 100 Sustainability Leaders

Kucséber László Zoltán and Csoma Róbert (2025) Evaluation Of the Top 100 Sustainability Leaders. In: Szemelvények a BGE kutatásaiból 2024. Budapesti Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Budapest, pp. 136-142. ISBN 978-615-6886-21-7

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Abstract

Even back in the 1970s, sustainability concerns began cropping up among corporate goals, and with the acceleration of climate change, these have become increasingly pressing issues. A key research question in the relationship between ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) factors and corporate performance is whether the adoption of eco-friendly technologies and cleaner production methods is merely a response to social pressure, or a smart investment that delivers measurable, positive impacts on financial performance. In the empirical part of our research, we put the TOP 100 companies from a public sustainability list under the microscope, analysing around 35 financial and non-financial variables related to the three pillars of ESG using descriptive statistical methods. We also take a closer look at the European group of companies. Our findings show that alongside Western companies, Asian firms, particularly from China, have gained significant ground. The shift is favourable from an industry perspective as well: manufacturing companies accounted for nearly 20%. One of the driving factors behind these outstanding results was that the proportion of sustainable revenue for these companies exceeded 90%. Financial analyses reveal that the companies on the list are not only leading the charge in sustainability but are also performing well in terms of profitability and efficiency. Our results contribute to the ongoing debate that centres on the financial impacts of transitioning to sustainable business practices.