Companies publish sustainability reports but shy away from E

Companies continue producing sustainability reports at scale, but they're burying them. According to analysis from Teneo, a global advisory firm, fewer organisations pair their reports with press releases – and even fewer use the term "ESG" publicly. This signals a deliberate retreat from ESG language, even as disclosure volumes remain stable. The pattern matters because it suggests companies are maintaining the appearance of transparency while minimising visibility and accountability. Publishing a report and hiding it are operationally different acts. When a company decouples its sustainability disclosure from any publicity mechanism, the report becomes a box-ticking exercise rather than a commitment to stakeholder scrutiny. The shift away from "ESG" framing is particularly telling. Whether this reflects reputational anxiety, political pressure, or genuine strategic recalibration remains unclear – but the outcome is the same: less public pressure, less scrutiny, less friction. The question isn't whether companies are reporting. The question is whether they're reporting to be read.

Most companies still publishing sustainability reports but publicizing less: report

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