The Evolution of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance: A Longitudinal Comparative Study on Moderators of Agenda 2030

Agenda 2030, embodied by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), represents a global commitment to advancing transparency, accountability, and sustainable development. This study examines whether the introduction of the SDGs in 2015 is associated with changes in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance trajectories among major multinational corporations. The analysis uses a piecewise latent trajectory model to examine the ESG trajectories of 320 Global Fortune 500 firms, spanning both the manufacturing and service sectors across developed and developing economies, over the period of 2010–2021. The time frame is deliberately segmented into a pre-SDG period (2010–2015) and one post-SDG implementation (2016–2021) to capture how ESG practices evolved following the launch of the SDGs as a global policy milestone. Our results highlight significant governance improvements in developed economies, especially within manufacturing, driven by regulatory changes and mandatory reporting, while environmental performance trends are more variable and social factors lag in some regions. These findings yield actionable insights for policymakers and managers by pinpointing industrial and regional disparities, thereby informing targeted strategies to advance SDG-aligned ESG practices and harmonize future reporting frameworks.