The relationship between Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) activities and financial performance has been explored within large companies. The presence of these activities in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is still in its early stages in the literature, requiring further empirical evidence. Given the importance of SMEs in economy and based on Stakeholder Theory, a set of hypotheses regarding the influence of ESG on financial and risk performance has been tested using a sample of 538 Spanish SMEs. Specifically, an index has been developed to assess ESG at both global and individual levels. The study analyses the impact of these variables on corporate performance, taking into account factors such as the pandemic period, level of disclosure and the size effect. The results demonstrate the importance of developing and index tailored to measuring ESG within this type of company, as the methodology employed can impact the outcomes. Moreover, at the individual level, all dimensions reflect a significant relationship, but the overall ESG score does not. The social and labor dimensions prove to be the most beneficial indices for enhancing resilience during periods of crisis. Finally, the findings confirm that it is more difficult for SMEs to monetize the results of ESG investment and that disclosing these activities has a positive impact. This study contributes to existing knowledge by constructing a robust measure of the level of ESG implementation and quality, providing valuable insights for SMEs on how to effectively manage their ESG activities.

Given that sustainable investing constitutes a major force across global financial markets, in 2016 Morningstar began reporting Morningstar Sustainability scores. We used the 2016, 2017 and 2018 scores to study the effects of socially responsible investments (SRI) on European equity fund performance. Sustainability scores impacted positively on performance, which was consistent with the idea that the mutual funds invested in companies with better scores generate better risk-adjusted and not-risk adjusted performance. We also tested the relation on mutual fund flows and risk. The sustainability score in the previous year is significant on the flows, so higher-rated funds receive a larger volume of funds. In terms of risk, the level of sustainability is negatively related to the value at risk (VaR) of the fund, supporting that higher scored mutual funds offer better protection against extreme losses.