De-Influencing » Goes Corporate: The Backlash to ESG Reports

« De-Influencing » Goes Corporate: The Backlash to ESG Reports
A viral social media trend has jumped to the boardroom. « De-influencing, » where creators tell followers what not to buy, is morphing into a new shareholder activism tactic: « Report De-Influencing. » Ethical investment funds and NGOs are now producing slick, viral videos and memes that explicitly dissect and discourage reading the glossy, hundred-page ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reports of major polluters or companies with poor labor records. Their argument? These reports are « performance sustainability, » designed to overwhelm and greenwash. Instead, they direct investors to raw regulatory filings, satellite emissions data, and worker testimonials. This movement aims to make elaborate ESG disclosures a liability, not an asset, by publicly framing them as a waste of time and paper, forcing a potential crisis of legitimacy for corporate sustainability communications