Environment, social and governance (ESG) topic has gained global relevance for all stakeholders in recent years - industry, consumers, investors, communities and governments. Initiatives in this area are among the most widely used indicators for assessing a company's sustainability performance [1]. Companies have begun to take ESG criteria more into account when planning their future operations and strategies [2–5]. These practices are most often examined in the reporting of non-financial information about companies [6]. The beneficial consequences of ESG also include improved corporate reputation and increased consumer trust in the brand [3][4][7]. Companies are placing greater importance on social, corporate governance and environmental initiatives as a result of the beneficial effects of ESG strategies on overall business success. Nevertheless, there has been a recent hypothesis that global gross domestic product (GDP) could significantly decelerate as climate change significantly accelerates [8]. Given the prevailing situation, organizations have started to pay more attention to reducing their environmental impact by incorporating sustainability benchmarks [9].
Since the official introduction of the ESG concept in 2004, it has been vigorously pursued in America, Europe and other developed countries. A number of accomplishments have fostered the advancement and ripeness of social, environmental and governance drivers, as well as ESG as a whole, such as the enactment of an ESG evaluation system, ESG exposure standards and an ESG indices system. These enablers are continually shaping a new paradigm for sustainable development. With the concept of ESG progressively turning into the mainstream, ESG has been extensively studied, practiced and disseminated in practice and has drawn the interest of scientists worldwide. Currently, there are few studies dedicated to ESG studies. More importantly, they mainly focus on ESG investment [10], the significance and relevance of ESG factors in financial decisiveness [11], the influence of ESG ratings on the measurement of corporate sustainability results [12], the importance of ESG indicators in SRI (socially responsible investing) [13] and the origin and significance of the ESG name in investment [14]. Furthermore, there are literature surveys on the function and effects of corporate governance (G) in ESG [15] and studies discussing the relations between corporate social responsibility and corporate governance [16]. It is noticeable at present that ESG research primarily focuses on one facet and there is not sufficient literature on social (S) and environmental (E) factors. On the other hand, governance, environmental and social layers have a major role to play in determining the future financial results and social influence of companies. Therefore, as an investment modality that embraces environmental, social and governance factors, ESG is an important driving factor for incentivizing corporate sustainability, and the mutual interaction between its strands is also a crucial point that deserves to be addressed.
A recent statistic indicates that ESG has become increasingly important[17]. For example, 85% of companies in the S&P 500 index in the US submitted an ESG declaration and released their "sustainability reports" in 2018. [18]. Since 2020, the demand for ESG-focused hedge funds has increased significantly [19]. It has been observed that companies with environmentally sensitive strategies and high ESG scores had good investment returns during the pandemic period [17][20]. As a result, companies are expected to pay more attention to ESG strategies in future years.
ESG in companies is an area avidly examined by researchers. In the literature, one can find surveys that combine the social media and ESG spheres, which include: strategies for communicating ESG-related activities on social media [21], the relationship between publishing ESG information on social media and company performance [22],, elements of ESG messages on social media [23], consumer involvement in ESG communication on social media [24], or the impact of ESG messages on company reputation [25]. However, few undertake qualitative research - those published to date include: rules and regulations in social media and their impact on limiting ESG messages [26],, co-creation of socially responsible activities with recipients of social media messages [27],, branding of employers as socially responsible in social media [28] and elements of storytelling in ESG messages in social media [29].
ESG activities are also being promoted on social media by companies operating in the field of logistics and supply chain management. It is in this area where warehouses are vital links, with demand reaching record levels due to, among other things, the effects of Covid-19 and the increasing share of e-commerce in overall sales. Sustainability, corporate governance and social responsibility strategies are now becoming the cornerstones of investors, developers and tenants in the warehouse sector. Abundant surveys on the issue have demonstrated that environmentally benign approaches enhance the performance of logistics companies [30–34]. On the other hand, the warehousing sector is one of the key contributors to worldwide greenhouse gas releases, the generation of waste, and energy and water usage. Crucially, the sector has addressed ESG challenges to ensure a more sustainable future, and above all, warehouse properties are one area of the industry that is likely to have a profound impact on the corporate governance society and environment [35]. Hence, this article, embarking on a quantitative netnographic examination of social media communication of ESG activities by warehouse space developers, will help fill the research gap and advance current knowledge in this area.