Research and innovation in environmental, social and governance (ESG) in the technology and communications sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of ESG patent applications in the industry stood at 605 in the three months ending November – down from 2,465 over the same period last year.

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Figures for patent grants related to ESG followed a similar pattern to filings – shrinking from 1,322 in the three months ending November 2020 to 743 2021.

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The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

ESG is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

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The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

LG Corp was the top ESG innovator in the technology and communications sector in the last quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in South Korea, filed 95 ESG related patents in the three months ending November. That was down from 225 over the same period last year.

It was followed by the China based Huawei Investment & Holding Co Ltd with 71 ESG patent applications, South Korea based Samsung SDI Co Ltd (36 applications), and Japan based Mitsubishi Electric Corp (34 applications).

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