Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Advisor(s)
Barbara Porco
Abstract
According to the Carbon Disclosure Projects 2017 Carbon Majors report, 100 major corporations are responsible for 71% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions (Griffin, 2017). The responsibility for the future of the plant is falling mainly in the hands of corporations. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between sustainability ratings and bond ratings to determine if a positive ESG reputation has an impact on the financial health of a company. This paper will utilize bond ratings as a measurement of the long-term financial health of a company compared to its sustainability rating from MSCI to decide if a higher sustainability rating correlates to a higher bond rating. I hypothesize that this study will yield a positive correlation between the two, indicating that a positive sustainability reputation helps with the financial health of a company. This study hopes to give an economic argument in favor of the adoption and investment in sustainability measures for companies in the US and around the world.
Recommended Citation
Wong, Kaylee, "Sustainability Rankings and Bond Ratings: Does ESG Improve a Company's Financial Health?" (2020). Gabelli School of Business Honors Thesis Collection. 67.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/gabelli_thesis/67
