Does ESG disclosure really influence the firm performance? Evidence from India

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the influence of ESG disclosure scores on firm performance of companies listed in the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The study uses 167 sample firms from 2010 to 2020. We capitalise overall ESG disclosure scores taken as a proxy to measure the effect of sustainability disclosure on firm performance. Further, we consider the return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), Tobin’s Q, and Price Earnings ratio (P/E ratio) as firm performance measures. We employ dynamic panel data regression analysis to examine the influence of ESG disclosures on performance of the firm. In order, to address the endogeneity issues, we apply Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) model. The study results show a positive relationship between ESG disclosure and firm performance. It suggests that companies’ desire to enhance their performance need to pay more attention towards sustainability disclosures.