Environmental, Social and Governance in South Africa and the UK

Offers an interdisciplinary corporate governance perspective on the rising global adherence to ESG principles, exploring its historical roots and regulatory evolution to serve both academic and professional audiences.

This book concerns a unique approach of assessing the high increasing rates of adherence to ESG principles through the perspective of an interdisciplinary, corporate governance approach. As regulatory authorities and related authorities globally demand adherence and a genuine adoption of a standardised understanding and implementation of ESG principles, new methods of assessment are being agreed. Despite its importance, ESG has not been successfully analysed within this context. It could serve as a unique textbook to lecturers in addition to its main purpose as a general book for specialists and practitioners in the fields such as law, economics, management and governance. As large companies are in particular need to comply with ESG adoption, this book assesses the history of its roots in the City of London and its development through Lord Mervyn King and the King Laws in South Africa.

There will be great pressure on large companies to be rated as ESG compliant or they will lose their ratings status in the world economy. This book charts this course and assesses the outcomes. The importance of these outcomes cannot be underestimated, and countries such as South Africa are finding they will be stranded economically if they do not comply. In this book, the authors assess these important issues and what rating systems will be acceptable to maintain high levels of investment on the LSE, JSE by pension funds, asset management companies and banks in listed companies. They also analyse the Maritime sector in detail which is based financially in the City of London and which is not covered in related books despite it being a sector that carries controls 95% of world trade.