Visualization of ESG-Related Information in Integrated Reports Using Text Mining and Usefulness as Teaching Material

Recently, there has been a rapid increase in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments. According to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, during 2016–2020, the global level of ESG investments increased 1.5 times to approximately 1,364 trillion yen; in Japan, it surged six-fold to approximately 264 trillion yen. This surge has led to a growing interest in ESG-related information disclosed by companies. However, studies on visualizing and combining integrated reports of multiple companies are scarce. Therefore, this study visualized and examined the type of ESG-related information emphasized in integrated reports of the banking sector and identified future focal points and challenges. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted to validate the usefulness of the visualization. The results confirmed the possibility of efficient and rapid understanding of the focus areas of the entire industry using a large amount of textual data, such as integrated reports. Furthermore, the visualization results provide an opportunity to learn about specific methods for incorporating ESG into management and its strategic significance.