A Study on Exploring Cultural Indicators for Corporate Sustainable Development in the ESG Era

This study aims to emphasize the role of culture in ESG management and to explore cultural indicators that help companies achieve SDGs. Culture and the arts have emerged as significant factors with substantial economic impact and influence on consumer behavior, prompting companies to incorporate them into their ESG management strategies actively. However, global ESG guidelines have only indirectly addressed cultural issues within community engagement and development, failing to position them as key evaluation elements. To address this gap, the study analyzed global ESG guidelines, conducted clustering analyses of major corporations' sustainability reports, reviewed exemplary cases of cultural and artistic support and collaborations domestically and internationally, and sought expert advice to derive cultural indicators. As a result, the cultural indicators for corporate ESG management were identified as five key dimensions: DEI Promotion, Support and Partnerships, Cultural Accessibility and Participation, Environment and Resilience, and Cultural Knowledge and Education. These indicators are intended to help assess how effectively companies enhance cultural performance and achieve sustainable development goals through ESG management. This study demonstrates that culture can serve as a vital dimension in ESG management and provides new directions for ESG strategies. It is hoped that these cultural indicators will not merely serve as tools for evaluating corporate performance but will also be utilized as guidelines to support companies in achieving their sustainable development goals.