Mentions of ESG increased by a CAGR of 35% in the pharmaceutical industry since 2020

The global pharmaceutical industry experienced a 35% rise in compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in company filings mentions of ESG since 2020. Key companies in terms of mentions include Merck, Bayer, and Novartis, according to GlobalData’s analysis of over 13,500 pharmaceutical company filings.  

Notably, since 2020, governance was the most referenced ESG theme in terms of mentions, ahead of environment and social, according to GlobalData's Company Filings database. Mentions related to ESG increased by 30% year-on-year in 2021 and by 16% year-on-year in 2022.

Of the 50 leading companies in the pharmaceutical industry, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals had the highest year-on-year increase in references to ESG in 2022. GlobalData identified 640 ESG related sentences in the company's filings in 2022, 1% of all sentences. Meanwhile, Takeda Pharmaceutical had the highest year-on-year increase in references for ESG in 2021. GlobalData identified 819 ESG related sentences in the company's filings in 2021, 1% of all sentences.

GlobalData’s Company Filings Analytics also applies a sentiment weight to reference sentences, based on how positive the sentiment has turned. Sentiment score is based on the level of positivity on a scale of 0 to 1. The average sentiment score for ESG in 2022 was 0.60, which was more positive compared to the average industry sentiment of 0.44.