Let's be honest: Do your investors really know how your sustainability strategy ties in with your corporate strategy? Or do you present your equity story at roadshows, while your sustainability report takes on a life of its own?
Many capital market-oriented companies have now developed impressive ESG strategies – but often only a fraction of this reaches investors. The reason: ESG communication and investor relations operate in silos. At best, the IR presentation contains two or three ESG slides at the end. In investor meetings, the management board talks about growth targets, but not about CO₂ reduction. And the website? It meticulously separates "Investors" and "Sustainability."
The result is sobering: investors and analysts are presented with a fragmented, contradictory picture. The sustainability strategy remains isolated from the corporate narrative. And credibility suffers – even if the company is substantially on the right track. This is because ESG has long been regarded on the capital market as an indicator of corporate quality, future viability, and management competence. Those who fail to think and communicate in an integrated manner lose trust.
Credibility comes from integration
A coherent, integrated ESG and capital market strategy is more than the sum of its parts. It creates credibility among all stakeholders – from institutional investors and ESG rating agencies to analysts and the company's own workforce. When ESG goals are linked to financial KPIs, when the board actively addresses sustainability in investor discussions, and when messages are communicated consistently across all channels, a coherent overall picture emerges. One that shows that this company is serious.
But where do you currently stand? Is your ESG communication already firmly established on the capital markets – or is there still untapped potential?
Our readiness check: systematically assessing the status quo
To help you determine your position, we have developed a compact self-assessment test. In four strategic dimensions, you can systematically evaluate how well your sustainability strategy is already anchored in your capital market communications with 20 specific questions:
- Dimension 1: Strategy & positioning – How strategically is ESG anchored in your capital market communications?
- Dimension 2: Communication & formats – How consistently do you communicate ESG via your IR channels?
- Dimension 3: Stakeholder management – How well do you know and address the ESG expectations of your capital market stakeholders?
- Dimension 4: Management & Processes – How professional are your internal structures for integrated IR and ESG communication?
Using a simple traffic light system (🔴 /🟡 /🟢 ), you can evaluate each question according to the status quo in your company. The evaluation gives you immediate insight into your current level of maturity – from "beginner" to "developing" and "advanced" to "pioneer."
From analysis to concrete recommendations for action
The Readiness Check not only provides a status assessment, but also specific recommendations for action: Which quick wins can you implement in the short term? Which strategic steps should be taken in the medium term? Whether you are just starting out and IR and ESG are largely separate, or you already have a good foundation and are now working on fine-tuning, you will receive tailored ideas for your next steps.
Ready for the check?
Download the Readiness Check here (German only) and gain clarity about your status quo. And if you would like to discuss the results with us or receive specific support in further developing your integrated ESG and capital market strategy, we are here for you.
