Acute issues of digitalization of ESG-processes in the management of service and industrial enterprises, corporations and industrial associations

The article deals with the key issues of digitalization of ESG-processes in the context of sustainable development of service and industrial enterprises, corporations and industrial associations. The topic is of high relevance due to the increasing impact of environmental, social and managerial factors on the business’s strategic priorities and the necessity for improving the effectiveness of the tools of monitoring, control and reporting within the ESG agenda. The purpose of the article is to study the opportunities of digitalization of ESG-processes in the management of service and industrial enterprises, corporations and industrial associations, and to reveal the key problems and prospects for the development of this area. The authors present generalization of scientific approaches to understanding the synergy of ESG and digitalization, carry out the review of analytical data, and reveal the experience of Russian companies that successfully integrate digital tools into ESG management processes. Having analyzed scientific literature, surveys and case studies the authors identify four groups of the problems in implementation of digital solutions: technological, organizational, human resources, and institutional and methodological. Despite the increasing interest to ESG-digitalization, very few organizations exploit the opportunities of artificial intelligence and big data for sustainable development. Fragmentation of digital initiatives, lack of human resources, normative gaps and poorly developed technological infrastructure are still system challenges that require coordinated efforts from business, government and experts’ community. Special attention is paid to the prospects for development including the role of government programs, the opportunity to create a unified digital platform for ESG reporting, and the potential of digital solutions in achieving the goals of sustainable development. The results of the study confirm the need for a system approach to digital ESG-transformation as one of the key trends of strategic development of service and industrial enterprises, corporation and industrial associations.