U.S.-based businesses are incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their commercial practices at an accelerating pace. ESG products and services are still relatively immature within commercial banking, but FIs that are early adopters and prepared to meet accelerating demand will have a significant advantage as the market matures. Whether because of regulatory shifts, investor scrutiny, or other motivating factors, private enterprises in the U.S. are scrambling to improve ESG performance and ratings now more than ever.

This report assesses current perceptions of ESG issues among businesses to provide FIs insight into a rapidly emerging market. The report leverages the Datos Insights online survey of 301 U.S.-based midsize and large organizations conducted in Q3 2023. It also utilizes similar Datos Insights survey data from 2022 and relies on the author’s conversations with bankers and sustainability professionals.

Clients of Datos Insights’ Commercial Banking & Payments service can download this report.