If a company is named after the person who started it, they’re actually way more likely to be honest about their impact on the planet.
SSRN · March 13, 2026 · 6282619
Why it matters
Using a sample of nearly 3,000 firms, researchers found that 'eponymous' firms (like 'Smith & Sons') publish more substantive ESG reports and have a lower actual environmental impact. Because the family's personal reputation is literally on the building, they act as better corporate citizens to protect their name.
From the abstract
This study examines how reputation linked to family identity affects voluntary ESG disclosure in private family firms, focusing on eponymous firms-those named after their founders or controlling families. Drawing on legitimacy theory, we argue that when family and firm identities are closely aligned, ESG disclosure serves to protect and signal legitimacy to external stakeholders. Using a sample of 2,769 Italian private family firms from 2013 to 2021, we find that eponymous firms are significantl