ESG e geopolítica global: como sustentabilidadee governança corporativa moldam relações internacionais

Abstract

This article examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria influence global geopolitics, with a particular focus on sustainability, corporate governance, and the energy transition. Despite the growing centrality of ESG in financial and corporate domains, its geopolitical dimension and its role as an instrument of international power remain insufficiently explored in the literature. Based on a systematic literature review of publications from 2000 to 2025, the study traces the evolution of ESG from Corporate Social Responsibility to its consolidation within investment strategies, public policies, and global governance frameworks. The article links ESG to the Triple Bottom Line model and the Sustainable Development Goals, while also analysing its relationship with human rights and global supply chains of critical minerals essential to the energy transition. It concludes that ESG goes beyond a purely technical and normative function, emerging as a strategic instrument of governance and geopolitical influence.