"The Impact of ESG Score on Financial Performance and Risk: an Italian Scenario"

Sustainability has been one of the hottest topics in recent years, affecting various sectors of the economy. Because of this, many companies have begun to give importance and attention to this trend. The reasons why companies are concerned about sustainability are many, starting from a necessity imposed by the environment on all people on the planet, to more reliable and transparent behavior towards all stakeholders and the market. The interesting challenge that arises from this situation is to understand whether being sustainable can also be useful from a financial point of view, besides of a reputational one. Answering this question would incentivize companies, still reluctant to CSR practices, to embrace a more sustainable business. In particular, this research will be focused on the main companies of the Italian market.