The end of “One World”:

De-globalization is transforming Environmental, Social e Governance (ESG) factors from a predominantly firm-level reporting and compliance issue into a systemic governance challenge. Geopolitical fragmentation, reshoring and nearshoring strategies, regulatory divergence, resource dependencies, supply-chain disruption and social inequalities are reshaping the conditions under which ESG commitments are defined, implemented and assessed.

 The increasing prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces a new layer of complexity to ESG governance within an increasingly fragmented global landscape. As organizations navigate ESG challenges across reconfigured value chains, AI-based systems are becoming indispensable for sustainability monitoring, risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, and strategic decision-making. However, integrating AI into governance processes also raises crucial questions about transparency, accountability, legitimacy, and the alignment of technological capabilities with broader societal and sustainability goals. Building on current discussions in sustainability governance and responsible AI, this panel invites contributions that explore how AI might reshape ESG governance structures, influence organizational purpose and stakeholder relationships, and ultimately support - or impede - the creation of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable value.

This panel examines ESG as a framework for governing the interdependencies among firms, institutions, investors, workers, communities and ecosystems in reconfigured value chains. Rather than focusing primarily on disclosure practices, ratings or sustainable-finance instruments, the panel investigates how ESG principles can support responsible, resilient and legitimate forms of economic reorganization in a world where production, trade and governance networks are becoming more regionalized, fragmented and strategically contested.

The panel is particularly interested in the tensions and trade-offs generated by de-globalization:

- between resilience and efficiency;

- decarbonization and affordability;

- local sourcing and social inclusion;

- strategic autonomy and international responsibility;

- transparency requirements and unequal access to data, technologies and institutional capacities.

Key questions to seek answer are:

- How does de-globalization reshape the environmental, social and governance responsibilities of firms and institutions?

- Under which conditions can reshore, nearshoring and regional value chains generate genuinely better ESG outcomes rather than simply relocate environmental and social externalities?

- How can organizations govern ESG trade-offs across fragmented and multi-tier supply networks? - Which institutional, technological and collaborative arrangements can improve accountability, traceability and stakeholder participation?

- How can ESG metrics and materiality assessments capture systemic risks, feedback loops and distributive effects across territories and communities?

- What role can public policy, procurement, finance, civil society and local communities play in building more responsible and resilient production systems?

 - How is Artificial Intelligence reshaping ESG governance, accountability and stakeholder relationships within fragmented economic systems?

- Under which conditions can AI support responsible, transparent and legitimate forms of ESG decision-making?

- What are the implications of AI adoption for sustainability governance, organizational purpose and inclusive value creation?

The panel welcomes conceptual, empirical and methodological contributions on topics including, but not limited to:

- ESG and the regionalization of global value chains;

- reshoring, nearshoring and responsible production networks;

- ESG governance in strategic industries and critical-resource systems;

- environmental and social externalities in fragmented supply chains;

- human rights, labor standards and inclusion in reconfigured production systems;

- traceability, data governance and digital technologies for ESG accountability;

- stakeholder engagement and multi-level governance in territorial ecosystems;

- ESG materiality, systemic risk and resilience measurement;

- circular economy, resource security and responsible localization;

- comparative studies of firms, sectors, regions and institutional contexts;

- AI and ESG governance;

- AI-enabled sustainability governance and stakeholder engagement;

- Responsible AI, transparency and accountability in ESG decision-making;

- AI, organizational purpose and sustainable value creation. 

The panel aims to develop a systemic understanding of ESG beyond compliance and reporting. It will offer a space for dialogue among scholars and practitioners interested in how responsible governance can address the ESG consequences of de-globalization, while fostering resilient and inclusive forms of value creation. The panel also seeks to stimulate discussion on the interplay between AI and ESG governance, examining how intelligent technologies may support the management of systemic complexity, sustainability transitions, and resilient value creation in a fragmented and rapidly evolving global landscape.