The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance

Name: The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance
Rating: 4.4 (11309 reviews)

A Perspective for Businesses on How to Manage ESG - Why it matters to Financial Performance and to the Economy

Created byAna Lucas

Last updated 4/2026

English

English [Auto],Spanish [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand how an ESG strategy drives Economic and Financial Performance
Learn about the new evolutionary risks in the world and how ESG can help prepare for them
Understand how to Manage all ESG aspects in an organisation, What to gain from it and the dangers of ignoring it
Learn what are ESG goals, why businesses need them and how they are set up and measured
Learn how Small Businesses are affected by ESG (and how Banks/Big Corporates are helping)
Learn about the regulatory frameworks that help businesses manage and measure ESG targets
Be able to discuss about Sustainability, Impact Investing, Greenwashing, Sustainable Finance, Taxonomy, etc.
Understand why there is controversy about ESG and be able to identify the doubtful behavior around it

Course content

5 sections • 21 lectures • 2h 57m total length

Introduction2:04
Explore environmental and social governance and its impact on the economy and businesses, climate change, sustainability, and how banks assess companies with robust esg strategies.
The origin of ESG: timeline and history5:50
A short introduction of ESG term timeline - from when it was firstly referred to until the present day.
What are ESG factors and why Businesses need to care about them5:54
Learn how environmental and social governance tackles climate risks and ethical labor, while governance frameworks help firms manage environmental and social factors—energy use, pollution, human rights, and inclusion.

ESG: A new tool for Performance analysis (on top of Financial Statements)10:09
Explore how ESG provides a new performance analysis framework atop financial statements, highlighting a triple bottom line, ESG disclosure, and third-party audits for both large and small businesses.
ESG is Worth the Effort: How ESG strategies affect Financial Performance12:13
Show how ESG analysis correlates with positive financial performance by attracting funding, lowering funding costs, and meeting evolving consumer and supply chain expectations.
How are ESGs determinant for Small Businesses' Performance. What can SMEs do?8:19
Discover how esg influences small and medium enterprises, from supply chain pressures and self-assessments to risk reduction, funding eligibility, and demand for sustainable products.

ESGs in Banks and Credit Institutions16:48
Banks and credit institutions integrate environmental and social governance into lending decisions, balancing financial risk with climate risks, carbon footprint, and social impact.
ESGs in Investment companies (Fund and Wealth Managers, Venture Capital...)11:15
Explore how environmental, social, and governance criteria shape investment decisions, highlighting ESG ratings, transparency, regulatory pressures, and the role of funds, venture capital, and SMEs.
ESGs in Insurance - Impact Underwiting and sustainable Insurance3:12

The 4 Steps in Implementing an ESG Strategy - Introduction5:33
Discover the four-step approach to implementing an ESG strategy, starting with board buy-in and governance changes, assessing your baseline, setting goals, and reporting to stakeholders.
ESG Management: Materiality Assessment, Goal Setting, Communication, Reporting13:39
Lead with top management support to perform a materiality assessment, engage stakeholders, and translate identified ESG issues into prioritized metrics, clear targets, and transparent reporting across annual and ESG disclosures.
Setting the right ESG targets: Prevent Risks and Improve ESG Impact12:31
Define clear, measurable ESG goals that improve energy performance, cost efficiency, and unlock new market opportunities. Engage stakeholders through materiality assessments, set long-term targets, and ensure realistic but challenging commitments.
ESG Reporting and Disclosure: Frameworks and Standards, Greenwashing20:07
Explore the ESG reporting landscape, frameworks like GRI, SASB, and TCFD, and the risks of greenwashing, with outside-in and inside-out perspectives guiding materiality and disclosure.
The Emergence of ESG Ratings and Third Party Assessments6:32
Explore the emergence of ESG ratings and third-party assessments, their role in certifying corporate and financial statements disclosures, and the rising opportunities for data providers and rating specialists.
ESG Skepticism: Inaccurate Interpretation of What ESG really Means17:04
Emphasizes that ESG creates long-term value by addressing climate, safety, and social risks from an outside-in perspective.
2026 Update: Omnibus Directive and the "Death" of the ESG Acronym3:17
Real Case Study: MSCI Ratings and McDonald's - Inaccuracies in ESG Strategy

Regulation, Ratings and EU Taxonomy5:50
Standardization and harmonization of ESG reporting guidelines and disclosures, including SEC climate risk rules, will clarify metrics; EU taxonomy developments will guide sustainable labels, the low-carbon transition, and provider consolidation.
Small Businesses (Supply Chains)4:05
Corporates finance small suppliers to cut emissions and lower carbon footprints across the supply chain, including subsidized UK loans to accelerate ESG improvements for SMEs.
Growing Criminal Liability around ESG7:37
New Jobs and Career Opportunities3:10
Explore new jobs and career opportunities in the emerging esg field. Sustainability and carbon analytics reshape industries like finance and insurance, driven by data modeling and risk analysis.
Conclusion2:07
Explore environmental & social governance (esg) from a to z with a business perspective, highlighting esg strategy, guidance from the biggest corporations, and value for your business or studies.

Requirements

No significant knowledge of the ESG topic is required
Basic knowledge about businesses being subject to risks, and the role banks and investors play in supporting the economy with financing
A genuine interest in the future of society within a healthier planet and fairer human conditions

Description

This course explains what is Environmental and Social Governance, and why it is vital for businesses to embrace this new perspective in order to achieve better performance. Traditionally, evaluation of businesses focused on financial performance only. But today, organisations and institutions face new and increasingly important environmental and social evolutionary risks that demand adjusting their activities and governance. Businesses must evolve to prepare for a triple bottom line evaluation, where not only financial, but also social and environmental performance matter.

To do this, companies and institutions need to go through a process of self evaluation and identify how they can have a positive impact in people and the planet, and what are the social and environmental risks they are exposed to. This exercise will imply modernizing the companies' Governance, and must involve all stakeholders that relate to the company. There is guidance available to do this and the course helps navigating this process.

As Investors and Creditors are increasingly concerned with the environmental and social performance of companies, managing ESG risks and having a proper ESG strategy is becoming essential. While Big Corporations are capable of allocating resources (financial and otherwise) to this task, small businesses have bigger constraints in this area. The course provides guidance and inspiration for smaller businesses to navigate the task of managing ESG risks taking into account the small size of operations and limited resources, while preparing them to face the increased scrutiny from bigger clients, banks or investors.

Who this course is for:

Employees in any position that requires analysing clients' businesses and risks
Anyone that deals with Sustainability and ESGs in any capacity within any company/institution
Employees involved with KYC procedures, or due diligence on clients/suppliers activities
Employees in Banks, Insurers, Asset managers, Rating Agencies responsible for any ESG related topic
Anyone responsible for establishing/developing Sustainability accounting, processes and/or governance
Students in Economics/Management or young hires looking for an understanding of the ESG topic
Anyone looking to develop their businesses and attract business partners, financing or investment

The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction and meaning of the E, the S and the G3 lectures • 14min

How ESG is related to Economic and Financial Performance3 lectures • 31min

The particular case of ESGs in the Financial Industry3 lectures • 31min

Implementing an ESG strategy and its Reporting in Businesses7 lectures • 1hr 19min

Developments Expected and Ahead in the ESG Space5 lectures • 23min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: