Big companies want us to believe they care about the environment, society and governance. But do they?

Despite the warm words of spin doctors and glossy sections in their annual reports, business leaders much prefer to talk about ESG than take meaningful steps towards improving their records, writes James Moore

Scandal-hit retailer Boohoo drafted in retired judge Sir Brian Leveson to help it with ESG issues at the company (PA)

Modern business leaders really do care about ESG, you’ve got this wrong.”

This is something I often hear when I express cynicism about their efforts when it comes to those three letters – which stand for environmental, social, governance – and to which big investors are increasingly paying attention.

Corporate spin doctors insist that their bosses recognise that there is such a thing as society and that their businesses have a role in it. It’s not just about the money. Even though, for most of them, it is.