Implementation of ESG principles in public and corporate
Abstract
The article deals with the genesis of the ESG concept and its components — environmental, social, and governance dimensions. It explores the essence of key related terms such as ESG principles, ESG management, ESG factors, ESG ratings, ESG reporting, ESG investing, and ESG strategy. The paper proposes a definition of ESG as a systemic foundation for three-dimensional, balanced, socially significant, and value-driven governance of companies, markets, territories, sectors, countries, and regions. The study analyzes the manifestations of ESG in contemporary public governance frameworks, including Whole-of-Government, Multi-Level Governance, Collaborative Governance, Open Government, and Public Participation.
The article highlights the features of ESG-Governance in both the corporate and public sectors. It explores innovation management within the ESG paradigm and proposes a sequence of actions for integrating ESG principles into the innovation strategies of Ukrainian companies. Additionally, the study presents an algorithm for implementing a systemic assessment of ESG indicators into the analytical operations of corporate entities in Ukraine.
A set of critical issues regarding the implementation of ESG principles in public and corporate governance is identified, including the absence of a unified ESG methodology for public administration, the fragmentation of ESG approaches in strategic enterprise management, the lack of comprehensive ESG reporting and auditing systems, the insufficient level of ESG-related competencies among executives and managers, the underdevelopment of ESG infrastructure, and the need to design ESG indicator systems for public policy — particularly in the context of post-war market transformation and the assessment of ESG investment effectiveness in the reconstruction of infrastructure, energy, and transport.
The paper formulates the content and definition of ESG methodology for both public administration and corporate management. It presents a framework of six interconnected pillars for the implementation of ESG principles in public and corporate governance, grounded in the synergy between European integration, digital transformation, and sustainable development.
Downloads
References
Berezovskyi, P. P. (2024). Integration of the ESG approach into managerial decisions for the development of public-private partnership in Ukraine. Efficiency of public administration, 3(80/81), 45–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36930/508006 [in Ukrainian].
Korchahina, L. (2023). Scientific and methodological foundations of building the mechanism of ESG activity management at the enterprise. Economy and Society, (52). DOI: https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2023-52-71 [in Ukrainian].
Kudriavtsev, V. M. (2024). Ensuring sustainable development of transport enterprises in the context of digital transformation and implementation of ESG principles. Problems and prospects for the development of entrepreneurship, (33), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.30977/PPB.2226-8820.2024.33.154 [in Ukrainian].
Luchko, H. (2024). Corporate social responsibility in Ukraine. Economy and Society, (67). https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2024-67-130 [in Ukrainian].
Parfentieva, O. (2023). Institutionalization of environmental, social and governance practices. Economy and Society, (56). https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2023-56-112 [in Ukrainian].
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2024). On integrated prevention and control of industrial pollution. Law No. 3855-IX. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/main/3855-20 [in Ukrainian].
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2024). On the main principles of state climate policy. Law No. 3991-IX. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/main/3991-20 [in Ukrainian].
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (2025). On regulation of legal entities during the transitional period. Law No. 4196-IX. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4196-20 [in Ukrainian].
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. (2024). On approval of the Strategy for the implementation of sustainability reporting. Order No. 1015-r. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1015-2024-р [in Ukrainian].
World Economic Forum. (2022). Defining the ‘G’ in ESG: Governance Factors at the Heart of Sustainable Business. URL: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Defining_the_G_in_ESG_2022.pdf
OneTrust. (n.d.). ESG 101: What does social in ESG mean? URL: https://www.onetrust.com/blog/esg-101-what-does-social-in-esg-mean/
Transparency International UK. (2025). ESG Governance and Risk Management: Coordinating Anti‑corruption and Sustainability in Practice. URL: https://www.transparency.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-02/TIUK-Guidance-ESG-Governance-Risk-Management.pdf
ESG Advising. (2025). ESG Governance: ESG Disclosure & Reporting. URL: https://www.esg-advising.com/insights/esg-governance
Capptions. (2023). ESG Reporting in 2023: How to Enhance Your Corporate. URL: https://www.capptions.com/blog/esg-reporting
European Commission. (n.d.). ESG reporting: Making the societal impacts of businesses transparent. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/env/items/51480/en
Corporate Governance Institute. (n.d.). ESG: A Comprehensive Guide to the Main Principles. URL: https://www.thecorporategovernanceinstitute.com/insights/guides/esg-a-comprehensive-guide-to-environmental-social-and-governance-principles/
European Commission. (n.d.). EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities. URL: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/tools-and-standards/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en
Mercia Group. (n.d.). Governance Factors in ESG: What to Include. URL: https://www.mercia-group.com/mercia-news-and-blog/governance-factors-esg/
Hardyment, R. (n.d.). A Short History of «ESG». URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/short-history-esg-richard-hardyment-vmouc
Hermiyetti, H. (2025). Integration of ESG principles in corporate governance: A review of the latest literature. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(5), 2329–2338. URL: https://ijeponline.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1054
Lumberg, J. (2024). A History of Impact Investing. URL: https://www.investopedia.com/news/history-impact-investing
Baxa, K., Sahin, Ö., Czado, C., & Paterlini, S. (2021). ESG, risk, and (tail) dependence. arXiv preprint. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2105.07248
Krantz, T. (n.d.). What is Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)? IBM. URL: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/environmental-social-and-governance
Kuzey, C., Al-Shaer, H., Karaman, A. S., & Uyar, A. (2023). Public governance, corporate governance and excessive ESG. Corporate Governance, 23(7), 1748–1777. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-01-2023-0028
Lawton, G. (n.d.). A Timeline and History of ESG Investing, Rules and Practices. URL: https://www.techtarget.com/sustainability/feature/A-timeline-and-history-of-ESG-investing-rules-and-practices
TodayESG. (n.d.). Origin of ESG: Global Compact «Who Cares Wins». URL: https://www.todayesg.com/origin-of-esg-global-compact-who-cares-wins
Shmelev, S. E., & Gilardi, E. (2025). Corporate environmental, social, and governance performance: The impacts on financial returns, business model innovation, and social transformation. Sustainability, 17(3), 1286. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031286
Astarta Holding. (2023). Sustainability Report 2022. URL: https://astartaholding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/astarta_sustainability-report_2022.pdf
United Nations Global Compact. (n.d.). The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. URL: https://unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles
UN PRI. (n.d.). What Are the Principles for Responsible Investment? URL: https://www.unpri.org/about-us/what-are-the-principles-for-responsible-investment
TechTarget. (n.d.). What is ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)? URL: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/environmental-social-and-governance-ESG
ESGPRO. (n.d.). What is ESG Governance? Examples & Best Practices. URL: https://esgpro.co.uk/what-is-esg-governance-examples-best-practices/
ESG The Report. (n.d.). What is ESG Management? URL: https://esgthereport.com/what-is-esg-management/
World Economic Forum. (2020). What Are ESG Investing Principles? URL: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/what-are-esg-investing-principles
Xia, Z., Sun, A., Cai, X., & Zeng, S. (2024). Modeling the evolutionary trends in corporate ESG reporting: A study based on knowledge management model. arXiv preprint. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2309.07001
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).