Abstract
PurposeThis paper proposes a methodology based on an uncertain mining technology that identifies the linguistic relationships of ESG and its components with a financial performance metric to help the sustainability diagnosis of a region, specifically Latin America.Design/methodology/approachFirst, based on a relevant dataset of companies in a region, a procedure is formulated whereby an uncertain mining technology extracts the mathematically significant linguistic relationships of ESG and its components with a financial performance metric. Second, a knowledge management process is designed based on the linguistic summaries obtained from the mining process. As a final step and drawing upon the two preceding processes, a diagrammatic system of signals is proposed for diagnosing the sustainability of the region as contributed by its companies.FindingsAfter this methodology is instantiated on a group of Multilatinas, it is observed that their sustainability contributions to the region are limited and that none of the identified linguistic relationships between ESG and the financial performance metric are favorable for the region.Originality/valueThis is the first proposal of its kind and it can be applied to any region of the world to assess the financial performance of its companies regarding their ESG commitments. In addition, it enables the region to comprehensively monitor compliance with the 2030 SDG agenda.