CSB Research
Original Research Initiatives
The NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) research team explores trends in sustainable business and finance, analyzing how managers can embed sustainability practices core to business management and investment strategy, and develops the knowledge and tools needed to monetize the financial return on sustainability investments.
Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Trends
The 2021 Sustainable Share Market Index™ examines point-of-sale data from IRI® and reveals that products marketed as sustainable are responsible for more than one-third of the growth in consumer packaged goods (CPG) from 2015 to 2021, and that this growth continues despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financing a More Sustainable New York City
The Invest NYC SDG Initiative aims to support New York City in its work to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through extensive research and outreach, CSB engages the private sector and drives financing toward creating a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient city.
ESG & Financial Performance
In collaboration with Rockefeller Asset Management, the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business examines the relationship between ESG and financial performance in more than 1,000 research papers from 2015 – 2020. In the last five years, we have seen exponential growth in ESG and impact investing – due in large part to increasing evidence that business strategy focused on material ESG issues is synonymous with high-quality management teams and improved returns.
U.S. Corporate Boards Suffer From Inadequate Expertise in Financially Material ESG Matters
Recent research how that many boards have minimal ESG-related expertise and many do not even recognize the need to pay attention to material sustainability issues. CSB analyzed the credentials of 1188 Fortune 100 board directors. We found 29% of directors had relevant ESG credentials in 2018.
Quality Jobs and Worker Wellbeing
In this initiative, we explore whether investing in improving the quality of employment is beneficial for corporate performance and investor returns. CSB aims to explore the drivers and financial benefits of quality jobs for companies in the Russell 1000 Index, using unique ESG data provided by our collaborators JUST Capital and Arabesque.
Integrating ESG in the Quarterly Earnings Call
In collaboration with CEO Investor Forum, this research addresses the urgent need for companies to place greater emphasis on sustainability, resiliency, and long-term value creation in the quarterly call as a means to move away from short-termism.
Calculating the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI™)
Our core methodology that informs all our research, ROSI can be used by both corporate management and investors to bridge the gap between sustainability initiatives and financial performance.