The main approaches to assessing the comparability of ESG business practices in Russia

Relevance. Sustainable Development Goals and ESG practices are an integral part of Russian business today. The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals is aimed at meeting the interests of a wide range of stakeholders. To assess the ESG result, the business uses the services of rating agencies that compile ratings and rankings, providing a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the level of sustainable development of the company. However, the results obtained are often assessed by experts as irrelevant and have a number of disadvantages in terms of their comparability. The purpose is to show the variety of existing approaches and methods that are applicable in current conditions to assess the comparability of ESG practices. Objectives: to present the existing techniques and techniques for evaluating ESG practices; to analyze the bottlenecks in the existing methodological base for ESG assessment; to assess the prospects for further development of the methodology for evaluating ESG indicators and to make recommendations for the further development of the ESG assessment system in Russia. Methodology. The methodology presented by the author lies in the field of research of two sciences –sociology and economics. The application of an interdisciplinary approach allows using the expert interview method to identify the bottlenecks which are necessary for analysis and accounting, and the economic and statistical functionality will allow calculations that ensure comparability of the presented indicators. Results. As a result of the consideration of the main approaches to the assessment of ESG indicators the set of methods and techniques was identified, which forms the basis of the methodological base for evaluating ESG practices. An analysis of existing techniques has revealed a number of bottlenecks that require careful analysis and accounting. Assessing the need for comparability of ESG indicators, expert opinions were divided, which characterizes the ambiguity of the unification process of ESG indicators. Conclusions. Due to the changing geo-economic and geopolitical conditions, the angle of consideration of ESG practices in Russia has changed dramatically. The degree of government involvement has increased. In the current conditions, the development of methodological recommendations becomes particularly relevant when it comes to determining the proper Russian prerogatives of sustainability.