IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2022i1p309-d1014300.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Technologies Empowered Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): An Industry 4.0 Landscape

Author

Listed:
  • Archana Saxena

    (Uttaranchal Institute of Management, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India)

  • Rajesh Singh

    (Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India
    Department of Project Management, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche 24560, CP, Mexico)

  • Anita Gehlot

    (Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India
    Department of Project Management, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche 24560, CP, Mexico)

  • Shaik Vaseem Akram

    (Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India
    Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India)

  • Bhekisipho Twala

    (Digital Transformation Portfolio, Tshwane University of Technology, Staatsartillerie Rd., Pretoria West, Pretoria 0183, South Africa)

  • Aman Singh

    (Higher Polytechnic School, Universidad Europea del Atlantico, C/Isabel Torres 21, 39011 Santander, Spain
    Department of Engineering, Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Arecibo, PR 00613, USA)

  • Elisabeth Caro Montero

    (Higher Polytechnic School, Universidad Europea del Atlantico, C/Isabel Torres 21, 39011 Santander, Spain
    Department of Project Management, Universidade Internacional do Cuanza, Estrada Nacional 250, Bairro Kaluapanda, Cuito EN250, Bié, Angola)

  • Neeraj Priyadarshi

    (Department of Electrical Engineering, JIS College of Engineering, Kolkata 741235, West Bengal, India)

Abstract

Currently, sustainability is a vital aspect for every nation and organization to accomplish Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics are used to evaluate the sustainability level of an organization. According to the statistics, 53% of respondents in the BlackRock survey are concerned about the availability of low ESG data, which is critical for determining the organization’s sustainability level. This obstacle can be overcome by implementing Industry 4.0 technologies, which enable real-time data, data authentication, prediction, transparency, authentication, and structured data. Based on the review of previous studies, it was determined that only a few studies discussed the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies for ESG data and evaluation. The objective of the study is to discuss the significance of ESG data and report, which is used for the evaluation of the sustainability of an organization. In this regard, the assimilation of Industry 4.0 technologies (Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and big data for obtaining ESG data by an organization is detailed presented to study the progress of advancement of these technologies for ESG. On the basis of analysis, this study concludes that consumers are concerned about the ESG data, as most organizations develop inaccurate ESG data and suggest that these digital technologies have a crucial role in framing an accurate ESG report. After analysis a few vital conclusions are drawn such as ESG investment has benefited from AI capabilities, which previously relied on self-disclosed, annualized company information that was susceptible to inherent data issues and biases. Finally, the article discusses the vital recommendations that can be implemented for future work.

Suggested Citation

  • Archana Saxena & Rajesh Singh & Anita Gehlot & Shaik Vaseem Akram & Bhekisipho Twala & Aman Singh & Elisabeth Caro Montero & Neeraj Priyadarshi, 2022. "Technologies Empowered Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): An Industry 4.0 Landscape," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:309-:d:1014300
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/309/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/309/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fatemi, Ali & Glaum, Martin & Kaiser, Stefanie, 2018. "ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 45-64.
    2. Emiel Duuren & Auke Plantinga & Bert Scholtens, 2016. "ESG Integration and the Investment Management Process: Fundamental Investing Reinvented," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 525-533, October.
    3. Zerbib, Olivier David, 2019. "The effect of pro-environmental preferences on bond prices: Evidence from green bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 39-60.
    4. Gunnar Friede & Timo Busch & Alexander Bassen, 2015. "ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 210-233, October.
    5. Lin, Lili, 2019. "Corporate Governance and Liquidity Risk of Starbucks Company," MPRA Paper 97230, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Nov 2019.
    6. Hezun Li & Timurs Uman & Siri Terjesen, 2019. "Corporate governance and innovation," Chapters, in: David B. Audretsch & Erik E. Lehmann & Albert N. Link (ed.), A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, chapter 9, pages 134-154, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Ook Lee & Hanseon Joo & Hayoung Choi & Minjong Cheon, 2022. "Proposing an Integrated Approach to Analyzing ESG Data via Machine Learning and Deep Learning Algorithms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Cerqueti, Roy & Ciciretti, Rocco & Dalò, Ambrogio & Nicolosi, Marco, 2021. "ESG investing: A chance to reduce systemic risk," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    9. Ferreira, Daniel & Li, Jin & Nikolowa, Radoslawa, 2019. "Corporate Capture of Blockchain Governance," CEPR Discussion Papers 13493, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Elisabeth Albertini, 2013. "Does Environmental Management Improve Financial Performance? A Meta-Analytical Review," Post-Print halshs-01887802, HAL.
    11. Krishna Raj Bhandari & Mikko Ranta & Jari Salo, 2022. "The resource‐based view, stakeholder capitalism, ESG, and sustainable competitive advantage: The firm's embeddedness into ecology, society, and governance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1525-1537, May.
    12. Ting Li & Xinlei Zhao & Aiwu Zhao, 2019. "Voting with hands, earnings management and corporate governance," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(2), pages 178-197, May.
    13. Beat Reber & Agnes Gold & Stefan Gold, 2022. "ESG Disclosure and Idiosyncratic Risk in Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 867-886, September.
    14. Dan Daugaard, 2020. "Emerging new themes in environmental, social and governance investing: a systematic literature review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(2), pages 1501-1530, June.
    15. Goodell, John W. & Kumar, Satish & Lim, Weng Marc & Pattnaik, Debidutta, 2021. "Artificial intelligence and machine learning in finance: Identifying foundations, themes, and research clusters from bibliometric analysis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C).
    16. Konstantina Ragazou & Ioannis Passas & Alexandros Garefalakis & Eleni Zafeiriou & Grigorios Kyriakopoulos, 2022. "The Determinants of the Environmental Performance of EU Financial Institutions: An Empirical Study with a GLM Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-15, July.
    17. Maria Cristina Zaccone & Matteo Pedrini, 2020. "ESG Factor Integration into Private Equity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    18. Rashidah Abdul Rahman & Maha Faisal Alsayegh, 2021. "Determinants of Corporate Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting among Asian Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-13, April.
    19. Sudheer Chava & Shunlan Fang & Praveen Kumar & Saumya Prabhat, 2019. "Debt Covenants and Corporate Governance," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 11(1), pages 197-219, December.
    20. Ahmed Saad & Samy Faddel & Osama Mohammed, 2020. "IoT-Based Digital Twin for Energy Cyber-Physical Systems: Design and Implementation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-21, September.
    21. Marco Taliento & Christian Favino & Antonio Netti, 2019. "Impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance Information on Economic Performance: Evidence of a Corporate ‘Sustainability Advantage’ from Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-26, March.
    22. Ting Li & Xinlei Zhao & Aiwu Zhao, 2019. "Voting with hands, earnings management and corporate governance," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(2), pages 178-197, May.
    23. Mansouri, Sasan & Momtaz, Paul P., 2022. "Financing sustainable entrepreneurship: ESG measurement, valuation, and performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(6).
    24. Revelli, Christophe, 2017. "Socially responsible investing (SRI): From mainstream to margin?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PB), pages 711-717.
    25. Catalin Popescu & Eglantina Hysa & Alba Kruja & Egla Mansi, 2022. "Social Innovation, Circularity and Energy Transition for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Practices—A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-28, November.
    26. Jamieson Odell & Usman Ali, 2016. "ESG Investing in Emerging and Frontier Markets," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 28(2), pages 96-101, June.
    27. Jayasuriya Mahapatabendige Ruwani Fernando & Leon Li & Yang (Greg) Hou, 2019. "Corporate governance and default prediction: a reality test," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(24), pages 2669-2686, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Caropul Mendes & Hugo Raposo & Ricardo Ferraz & José Torres Farinha, 2023. "The Economic Management of Physical Assets: The Practical Case of an Urban Passenger Transport Company in Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Ashwag Madkhali & Seedwell T. M. Sithole, 2023. "Exploring the Role of Information Technology in Supporting Sustainability Efforts in Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Trotta, Annarita & Rania, Francesco & Strano, Eugenia, 2024. "Exploring the linkages between FinTech and ESG: A bibliometric perspective," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Cini, Federico & Ferrari, Annalisa, 2025. "Towards the estimation of ESG ratings: A machine learning approach using balance sheet ratios," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PB).
    5. Nicoletti, Bernardo & Appolloni, Andrea, 2024. "A framework for digital twins solutions for 5 PL operators," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. Asif, Muhammad & Searcy, Cory & Castka, Pavel, 2023. "ESG and Industry 5.0: The role of technologies in enhancing ESG disclosure," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dongshu Jiang & ZhiXing Ni & Yuxiu Chen & Xue Chen & Chaohong Na, 2022. "Influence of Financial Shared Services on the Corporate Debt Cost under Digitalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Emmanuel Anyigbah & Yusheng Kong & Bless Kofi Edziah & Ahotovi Thomas Ahoto & Wilhelmina Seyome Ahiaku, 2023. "Board Characteristics and Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    3. Sonia Yasin & Muhammad Irfan & Muhammad Shaukat Malik & Fasiha Nargis, 2022. "The Relationship between Executive Remuneration and Organizations Efficiency," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 8(3), pages 59-70, December.
    4. Fahad Asghar & Palwasha Farooq & Muhammad Nadim & Zain ul Abidin & Fazli Wadood, 2023. "Global Financial Crisis: A critical study on Role of Auditor’s and Stakeholder," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 9(2), pages 452-458.
    5. Quang Linh Huynh & Mohammad Enamul Hoque & Perengki Susanto & Waqas Ahmad Watto & Maryam Ashraf, 2022. "Does Financial Leverage Mediates Corporate Governance and Firm Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Ann Susan Thomas & Ambili Jayachandran & Ajithakumari Vijayappan Nair Biju, 2024. "Strategic mapping of the environmental social governance landscape in finance – A bibliometric exploration through concepts and themes," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4428-4453, September.
    7. Millar, John & Mueller, Frank & Carter, Chris, 2024. "Mediating ESG: Mapping individual responses to a changing field," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    8. D’Ecclesia, Rita Laura & Levantesi, Susanna & Stefanelli, Kevyn, 2024. "Measuring business impacts on the sustainability of European-listed firms," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    9. Gallucci, Carmen & Santulli, Rosalia & Lagasio, Valentina, 2022. "The conceptualization of environmental, social and governance risks in portfolio studies A systematic literature review," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Thong, Lik Hong, 2019. "A discussion on performance risk of Dunkin's Brand," MPRA Paper 97266, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 30 Nov 2019.
    11. Mishra, Geeti & Patro, Archana & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar, 2024. "Does climate governance moderate the relationship between ESG reporting and firm value? Empirical evidence from India," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 920-941.
    12. Marzhan Beisenbina & Laura Fabregat‐Aibar & Maria‐Glòria Barberà‐Mariné & Maria‐Teresa Sorrosal‐Forradellas, 2023. "The burgeoning field of sustainable investment: Past, present and future," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 649-667, April.
    13. Hyunah Lee, 2025. "Does ESG Performance Drive Firm-Level Innovation? Evidence from South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-23, February.
    14. Yousef Hassan, 2025. "Board gender diversity and ownership structure: Are they substitutes or complementary? Evidence from Palestine," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 109-124, March.
    15. Pruthiranjan Dwibedi & Debasis Pahi & Antarjyami Sahu, 2024. "Mapping the landscape of environmental, social and governance research: A bibliometric analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3745-3767, September.
    16. Satish Kumar & Dipasha Sharma & Sandeep Rao & Weng Marc Lim & Sachin Kumar Mangla, 2025. "Past, present, and future of sustainable finance: insights from big data analytics through machine learning of scholarly research," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 345(2), pages 1061-1104, February.
    17. Md Lutfur Rahman & Sudipta Bose, 2025. "Firm-level Climate Vulnerability and Corporate Risk-taking: International Evidence," Working Papers DP-2024-36, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    18. Hyeon-Jae Kim & Oh-Suk Yang, 2025. "Linking ESG Management to Corporate Success: The Influence of Board Composition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-24, January.
    19. Wei Zhong & Ling Jin, 2025. "The Impact of Climate Risk Disclosure on Corporate Green Technology Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-24, March.
    20. Muhammad Kaleem Khan & Chunhui Huo & R. M. Ammar Zahid & Umer Sahil Maqsood, 2024. "The automated sustainability auditor: Does artificial intelligence curtail greenwashing behavior in Chinese firms?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 9015-9039, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:309-:d:1014300. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.