ESG for Business and Government: Rules and Tools for Responsible Management
On April 15, 2025, a press conference on "ESG for Business and Government: Rules and Tools for Responsible Management" was held at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center. The event, organized by the NGO "Open Data Association" and YouControl, brought together leading experts to discuss pressing issues of green transition and to present Ukraine's first tool for automatic assessment of companies' ESG risks.
Andriy Kitura, Head of the Green Transition Office at the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and Development Director at DiXi Group, emphasized the strategic importance of ESG for Ukraine's successful European integration and reconstruction:
"Close cooperation between business, government, and civil society is critically important for the successful integration of ESG by 2030. According to our research, 77% of Ukrainian companies need tools to implement ESG standards. We have identified a paradoxical situation: almost three-quarters of Ukrainian enterprises consider themselves sustainable, but only one in six companies actually understands what this means. We need to ensure a 'painless' implementation of these standards, as the integration of ESG principles into state funding programs is a necessary stage in Ukraine's economic transformation."
The Green Transition Office conducted a study that revealed an interesting phenomenon: although only a small percentage of companies (about 7-9%) are well-informed about international ESG standards, the vast majority of Ukrainian businesses (over 87%) support their implementation.
One of the main outcomes of the event was the presentation of the "ESG Profile" module from YouControl — Ukraine's first tool for comprehensive automatic assessment of companies' ESG risks.
Serhiy Milman, Founder and CEO of YouControl, noted: "Our goal was to transform complex, time-consuming analytics into a fast and efficient digitized process. The ultimate aim is to accelerate business transition to sustainable development standards, make it competitive on the global arena, and support the country's reconstruction."
The "ESG Profile" module automates the process of assessing environmental, social, and governance risks of companies by aggregating data from more than 30 sources and analyzing over 140 impact factors. This allows banks, investors, and partners to quickly obtain objective information about the ESG compliance of potential counterparties.
Conference participants discussed key challenges in implementing ESG principles in Ukraine.
Tetiana Tsymbal, environmental specialist at the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, emphasized that "adherence to sustainable development principles is already a standard for Europe and a guarantee of quality recovery for Ukraine. International investors want to see our businesses acting responsibly."
Gennadiy Bortnikov, Board Member of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, identified the main obstacles for businesses: "The main challenges for businesses during the implementation of ESG standards are staffing problems to ensure sustainable development standards, organizational challenges in restructuring processes, and significant operational costs for monitoring and analytics."
Andriy Grys, Head of the ESG Committee at the Independent Association of Banks of Ukraine (NABU), noted that "the practical difficulty for banks lies in verifying the client's ESG status – from obtaining complete data to analyzing it, which requires significant resources."
Alina Sokolenko, Chair and Member of the Supervisory Board of the Association of Sustainable Development Experts, emphasized: "If Ukrainian businesses want access to international financing, implementing ESG standards is no longer an option, it's a standard requirement."
An important practical step was the signing of a trilateral memorandum between YouControl, the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, and the NGO "Open Data Association," which provides for the use of the "ESG Profile" module to evaluate enterprises seeking financing under state support programs.
The Green Transition Office at the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine will continue to work on creating favorable conditions for the "painless" implementation of ESG standards and will support the development of tools that help Ukrainian businesses meet international sustainable development requirements.
Access to the module for YouControl system users is available upon request, and it is already open to media representatives and journalists as part of the company's social mission. YouControl has also planned a series of training workshops on the use of the ESG Profile.
A recording of the press conference with market stakeholders is available for viewing via the link on the YouControl.
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