DOES SUSTAINABILITY RATING REALLY MATTER?
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Asia Sustainability Reporting Rating (ASRRAT) aims to incentivize the adoption of sustainability practices. However, comparative studies on the economic performance of rated versus non-rated companies remain limited. Employing legitimacy theory, this study evaluates the financial performance of ASRRAT members and non-members. The population comprises companies listed on the IDX between 2020 and 2022. Financial data were sourced from the Bloomberg database. Utilizing purposive sampling, 527 firm-year observations were obtained (122 for ASRRAT members) and analyzed using an independent samples t-test. The findings indicate that ASRRAT membership has an influence on certain financial metrics, although its impact on overall financial performance is inconsistent. This raises critical questions regarding the efficacy of ASRRAT in fostering substantive sustainability practices beyond reputational objectives. The practical implications of this research suggest that companies should prioritize measurable sustainability actions with financial impact and that ASRRAT should develop outcome-based criteria correlated with financial performance. Sustainability plays a crucial role in balancing profitability, social well-being, and environmental conservation.
Downloads
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Penulis yang naskahnya diterbitkan menyetujui ketentuan sebagai berikut: Hak publikasi atas semua materi naskah jurnal yang diterbitkan/dipublikasikan dalam situs Jurnal AKURASI ini dipegang oleh dewan redaksi dengan sepengetahuan penulis (hak moral tetap milik penulis naskah). Ketentuan legal formal untuk akses artikel digital jurnal elektronik ini tunduk pada ketentuan lisensi Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA), yang berarti Jurnal AKURASI berhak menyimpan, mengalih media/format-kan, mengelola dalam bentuk pangkalan data (database), merawat, dan mempublikasikan artikel tanpa meminta izin dari Penulis selama tetap mencantumkan nama Penulis sebagai pemilik Hak Cipta. Naskah yang diterbitkan/dipublikasikan secara cetak dan elektronik bersifat open access untuk tujuan pendidikan, penelitian, dan perpustakaan. Selain tujuan tersebut, dewan redaksi tidak bertanggung jawab atas pelanggaran terhadap hukum hak cipta.
References
Ainy, R. N., Aisa, N. N., & Davila, P. I. (2024). Indonesian market response to green investment. Jurnal REKSA: Rekayasa Keuangan, Syariah Dan Audit, 11(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.12928/jreksa.v11i2.9108
Ameer, R., & Othman, R. (2012). Sustainability practices and corporate financial performance: A study based on the top global corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 108(1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1063-y
Anithabose, S., & Gnanaraj, G. (2022). Financial performance evaluation based on economic value added and financial ratios: An empirical study. Journal of International Management, 11(9), 1903–1913. https://doi.org/10.34218/IJM.11.9.2020.181
Anri, N., & Utama, C. A. (2024). ESG performance on investment-cash flow sensitivity: Case study of non-financial companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Quantitative Economics and Management Studies, 5(1), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.qems2323
Asimakopoulos, P., Asimakopoulos, S., & Li, X. (2023). The role of environmental, social, and governance rating on corporate debt structure. Journal of Corporate Finance, 83, 102488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2023.102488
Aydoğmuş, M., Gülay, G., & Ergun, K. (2022). Impact of ESG performance on firm value and profitability. Borsa Istanbul Review, 22, S119–S127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2022.11.006
Barros, V., Falcão, P. F., & Sarmento, J. M. (2022). Are more sustainable firms able to operate with lower working capital requirements? Finance Research Letters, 46(August). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102407
Chau, L., Anh, L., & Duc, V. (2025). Valuing ESG: How financial markets respond to corporate sustainability. International Business Review, 34(3), 102418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102418
Cheng, C., Ahmad, S. F., Irshad, M., Alsanie, G., Khan, Y., Ahmad, A. Y. A. B., & Aleemi, A. R. (2023). Impact of green process innovation and productivity on sustainability: The moderating role of environmental awareness. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(7), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712945
Debnath, P., & Chellasamy, P. (2024). Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and financial performance: A bibliometric analysis using biblioshiny. International Journal of Finance, Economics and Business, 3(1), 36–52. https://doi.org/10.56225/ijfeb.v3i1.284
Dobre, E., Stanila, G. O., & Brad, L. (2015). The influence of environmental and social performance on financial performance: Evidence from Romania’s listed entities. Sustainability, 7(3), 2513–2553. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7032513
Economidou, C., Gounopoulos, D., Konstantios, D., & Tsiritakis, E. (2023). Is sustainability rating material to the market? Financial Management, 52(1), 127–179. https://doi.org/10.1111/fima.12406
El Khoury, R., Nasrallah, N., & Alareeni, B. (2023). ESG and financial performance of banks in the MENAT region: Concavity–convexity patterns. Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment, 13(1), 406–430. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2021.1929807
Eltoum, A. M., Yatiban, A., Omar, R., & Islam, R. (2022). Sustainability awareness in society and its impact on the level of responsible business adoption in the business sector of Dubai. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 20(3), 540–551. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(3).2022.43
Engert, A. (2024). ESG ratings: Guiding a movement in search for itself. In Research Handbook on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (Issue July). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802202533.00025
Freihat, A. R. (2019). Factors affecting price-to-earnings ratio (P/E): Evidence from the emerging market. Risk Governance and Control: Financial Markets and Institutions, 9(2), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.22495/rgcv9i2p4
Fu, T., & Li, J. (2023). An empirical analysis of the impact of ESG on financial performance: the moderating role of digital transformation. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11(August), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1256052
Garbie, I. H. (2015). Sustainability awareness in industrial organizations. Procedia CIRP, 26, 64–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2015.03.003
González-Pozo, R., Arenas-Parra, M., Quiroga-García, R., & Bilbao-Terol, A. (2024). A proposal for refining the ESG methodology used by rating agencies. International Transactions in Operational Research, 32, 2003–2033. https://doi.org/10.1111/itor.13550
Hardiningsih, P., Nuswandari, C., Srimindarti, C., Lisiantara, G. A., & Setiawati, I. (2024). A literacy of the relevance of Asian value sustainability reporting in Indonesia. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 21(1), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.21(1).2024.07
Hermanto, H. (2021). Model triple bottom menuju kinerja keuangan. Jurnal Akuntansi Dan Bisnis: Jurnal Program Studi Akuntansi, 7(2), 166–179. https://doi.org/10.31289/jab.v7i2.5648
Ibáñez-Forés, V., Martínez-Sánchez, V., Valls-Val, K., & Bovea, M. D. (2022). Sustainability reports as a tool for measuring and monitoring the transition towards the circular economy of organisations: Proposal of indicators and metrics. Journal of Environmental Management, 320(April). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115784
Janudin, J., Warasto, H. N., & Lestari, I. (2023). The influence of price-earnings ratio on stock prices at PT Bank Central Asia Tbk period 2016 - 2021. Journal of Economics and Business Letters, 3(5), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.55942/jebl.v3i5.244
Li, Q., Tsang, A., Wu, Q., & Xiong, X. (2025). ESG rating agencies and investors’ reactions to earnings news. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 21(1), 100456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2025.100456
Made, D., Antara, D. J., Asri, G. A. M., Putri, D., Made, N., Ratnadi, D., Gusti, N., & Wirawati, P. (2020). Effect of firm size, leverage, and environmental performance on sustainability reporting. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 1, 40–46. https://www.ajhssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/E20414046.pdf
Mansour, A., Al-Ma’aitah, M., Deek, A., Alshaketheep, K., & Shajrawi, A. (2024). Societal sustainability consciousness and its influence on corporate responsibility uptake in Jordan’s business sector. Discover Sustainability, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00324-0
Martens, W., & Bui, C. N. M. (2023). An exploration of legitimacy theory in accounting literature. OALib, 10(01), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1109713
Mousa, et. al., G. A. (2015). Legitimacy theory and environmental practices: Short notes. International Journal of Business and Statistical Analysis, 2(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.12785/ijbsa/020104
Naeem, N., & Çankaya, S. (2022). The impact of ESG performance over financial performance: A study on global energy and power generation companies. International Journal of Commerce and Finance, 8(1), 1–25. https://ijcf.ticaret.edu.tr/index.php/ijcf/article/view/285
NCCR. (2024). About Asia SR Rating. https://nccr.id/asia-sr-rating/about-asia-sr-rating/
Okon, L. J., Philip, I. B., & Okpokpo, A. S. (2021). Sustainability reporting and financial performance sustainability. AKSU Journal of Administration and Corporate Governance (AKSUJACOG), 1(2), 71–83. https://aksujacog.org.ng/articles/23/04/
Paranita, E. S., Ramadian, A., Wijaya, E., Nursanti, T. D., & Judijanto, L. (2025). The impact of ESG factors on investment decisions: Exploring the interplay between sustainability reporting, corporate governance, and financial performance. Journal of Ecohumanism, 4(1), 4522–4533. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v4i1.6342
Pham, D. C., Do, T. N. A., Doan, T. N., Nguyen, T. X. H., & Pham, T. K. Y. (2021). The impact of sustainability practices on financial performance: empirical evidence from Sweden. Cogent Business and Management, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1912526
Priyanto, P., & Suhandi, N. P. M. (2023). Unraveling the link: Relationship firm value shapes ESG ratings. Jabe (Journal of Accounting and Business Education), 8(2), 61. https://doi.org/10.17977/jabe.v8i2.44972
Putri, F. E., & Halimatusyadiah, H. (2024). Indonesia capital market reaction to green investing implementation. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, Ekonomi, & Akuntansi (MEA), 8(1), 1311–1332. https://doi.org/10.31955/mea.v8i1.3854
Raghavendra, R., & Ting, Y. (2023). Survey on ESG, investors, and firms. China Finance Review International, 14(1), 3–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/CFRI-12-2022-0260
Rahi, A. F., Akter, R., & Johansson, J. (2022). Do sustainability practices influence financial performance? Evidence from the Nordic financial industry. Accounting Research Journal, 35(2), 292–314. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARJ-12-2020-0373
Rahman, M. L., & Shamsuddin, A. (2019). Investor sentiment and the price-earnings ratio in the G7 stock markets. Pacific Basin Finance Journal, 55(March), 46–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2019.03.003
Ramadhani, S., Kurnia Ekasari, & Hesti Wahyuni. (2023). Is there a difference in the level of disclosure of sustainability reports of participants and non-participants of the Asia Sustainability Reporting Rating (ASRRAT)? Journal of Applied Business, Taxation and Economics Research, 2(4), 382–400. https://doi.org/10.54408/jabter.v2i4.178
Rojo-Suárez, J., Alonso-Conde, A. B., & Gonzalez-Ruiz, J. D. (2024). Does sustainability improve financial performance? An analysis of Latin American oil and gas firms. Resources Policy, 88(November 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104484
Roque, A. F. M. (2024). ESG in the sustainability report and the impact on investors’ choices: A literature review. Journal of Accounting and Auditing: Research & Practice, September, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5171/2024.101819
Simoudis, A. (2023). The financial performance differences between ESG and Non-ESG Firms in the Nordic Region – A quantitative analysis. https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/handle/2077/78176/AFM 2023-174.pdf?sequence=1
Siwiec, K., & Karkowska, R. (2024). Relationship between ESG and financial performance of companies in the central and eastern European region. Central European Economic Journal, 11(58), 178–199. https://doi.org/10.2478/ceej-2024-0013
Suryaputra, V., Djajadikerta, H., & Permatasari, P. (2024). Do Indonesian investors value sustainability: The relationship between sustainability performance and firm value related to natural environment issues. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 19(6), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.46754/jssm.2024.06.009
Sutopo, B., Kot, S., Adiati, A. K., & Ardila, L. N. (2018). Sustainability reporting and value relevance of financial statements. Sustainability (Switzerland), 10(3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030678
Tarnovskaya, V. (2023). Sustainability as the Source of Competitive Advantage. How Sustainable is it? February 2023, 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1876-066x20230000037005
Taubah, I. D., Roslina, N. Y., Damayanti, I., & Tansar, I. A. (2024). The influence of Earning Per Share (EPS) and Price Earnings Ratio (PER) on stock prices in the food and beverage sector on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) for the 2015-2019 period. Journal of Economics, Management, and Entrepreneurship, 2(1), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.55208/jeme.v2i1.145
Tonye, O. (2022). Indicators of sustainability reporting and performance of non-financial companies in Nigeria. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 05(05), 890–897. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v5-i5-01
Velte, P. (2017). Does ESG performance have an impact on financial performance? Evidence from Germany. Journal of Global Responsibility, 8(2), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGR-11-2016-0029
Wardhani, P. P. C., & Hamidah. (2019). The signaling of sustainability reporting award in Indonesia and its effects on financial performance and firm value. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 9(8), 14–32. https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol9iss8/9802_Wardhani_2019_E_R.pdf
Warhurst, A. (2002). Sustainability indicators and sustainability performance management. Sustainability Indicators and Sustainability Performance Management, 43(43), 1–129. https://www.iied.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/migrate/G01026.pdf
Wulandari, D., & Fitrianingsih, T. (2022). Pengaruh komite audit dan dewan komisaris terhadap pengungkapan sustainability reporting: Studi empiris pada Asia Sustainability Reporting (ASRRAT). Research and Community Service (Implementation of the Scientifically Based Research in The Era of Society 5.0). https://semnaspascauns.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2-Dwi-Wulandari-Artikel-HMP-UNS-1-afa122b19bbafc1c9b34de2921693dd4.pdf
Zanten, J. A. Van, & Rein, B. (2023). Who owns (un)sustainable companies? Examining institutional determinants of sustainable investing. Journal of Cleaner Production, 422(August 2023), 138542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138542