1、The CEOs ESG dilemma Finding their own authentic true north on ESG can help companies navigate societys expectations and investors demands.by Peter Gassmann and Will Jackson-Moore 6 DECEMBER 2022 Gassmann is the global leader of Strategy&,PwCs global strategy consulting business.Based in Dsseldorf,h

2、e is a partner with PwC Germany.Will Jackson-Moore is PwCs global ESG leader.Based in London,he is a partner with PwC UK.A consensus has emerged in recent years that environmental,social,and governance(ESG)issues are crucially important for the corporate world.But what should companies do about inve

3、stors who wont accept lower returns in order to further ESG goals?In a recent PwC survey,global investors placed ESG-related outcomes such as effective corporate governance and greenhouse-gas emissions reduction among their top five priorities for business to deliver.But 81%went on to say they would

4、 accept only a 1 percentage point or smaller reduction in returns to advance ESG objectivesboth those that are relevant to the business and those that have a beneficial impact on society.And roughly half of that group were es-pecially unyielding and would not accept any decline in returns at all.For

5、 chief executives and boards,the disconnect with investors presents a di-lemma:can their company perform well for investors and pursue a clear ESG strategy at the same time?We believe the answer is yes,if companies find the right balance between short-term performance requirements and the invest-men

6、ts needed to meet longer-term ESG goals.To be sure,as companies invest in ESG initiatives(for example,in the technologies and systems needed to sup-port future regulations and any net-zero commitments they have made),they may face pushback and short-term share price swings.But in the long run,as cli