IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijocsr/v7y2022i1d10.1186_s40991-022-00070-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability performance indicator trends: a Canadian industry-based analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Michel Coulmont

    (Université de Sherbrooke)

  • Sylvie Berthelot

    (Université de Sherbrooke)

  • Vincent Gagné

    (Université de Sherbrooke)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the trends in the sustainability performance indicators disclosed in sustainability reports by Canadian companies. Our sample is comprised of eight companies in four sectors and our observations cover a 19-year period. The results of our analysis show a general increase over time of sustainability performance indicators disclosed, as well as varying degrees of coverage of the three sustainability dimensions. While the focus was more on environmental performance in the early 2000s, social performance indicators, such as employment practices and human rights, have now gained more traction. In addition, the scope of sustainability performance indicators disclosed in sustainability reports reached a plateau around 2010. Our results highlight the need for a standardised approach to sustainability reporting that would help overcome the shortcomings of voluntary initiatives and improve the overall comparability of voluntary reporting mechanisms.

Suggested Citation

  • Michel Coulmont & Sylvie Berthelot & Vincent Gagné, 2022. "Sustainability performance indicator trends: a Canadian industry-based analysis," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijocsr:v:7:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1186_s40991-022-00070-4
    DOI: 10.1186/s40991-022-00070-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s40991-022-00070-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1186/s40991-022-00070-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jean-Noël Chauvey & Sophie Giordano-Spring & Charles H. Cho & Dennis M. Patten, 2015. "The Normativity and Legitimacy of CSR Disclosure: Evidence from France," Post-Print hal-02009500, HAL.
    2. Jean-Noël Chauvey & Sophie Giordano-Spring & Charles Cho & Dennis Patten, 2015. "The Normativity and Legitimacy of CSR Disclosure: Evidence from France," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 789-803, September.
    3. Grossman, Sanford J, 1981. "The Informational Role of Warranties and Private Disclosure about Product Quality," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 461-483, December.
    4. Stéphane Legendre & François Coderre, 2013. "Determinants of GRI G3 Application Levels: The Case of the Fortune Global 500," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 182-192, May.
    5. Luis A. Perez-Batres & Van V. Miller & Michael J. Pisani & Irene Henriques & Jose A. Renau-Sepulveda, 2012. "Why Do Firms Engage in National Sustainability Programs and Transparent Sustainability Reporting?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 107-136, February.
    6. Cho, Charles H. & Patten, Dennis M., 2007. "The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 639-647.
    7. Paul R. Milgrom, 1981. "Good News and Bad News: Representation Theorems and Applications," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 12(2), pages 380-391, Autumn.
    8. Dye, Ra, 1985. "Disclosure Of Nonproprietary Information," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 123-145.
    9. Benedikt Downar & Jürgen Ernstberger & Stefan Reichelstein & Sebastian Schwenen & Aleksandar Zaklan, 2021. "The impact of carbon disclosure mandates on emissions and financial operating performance," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1137-1175, September.
    10. Stephen Chen & Petra Bouvain, 2009. "Is Corporate Responsibility Converging? A Comparison of Corporate Responsibility Reporting in the USA, UK, Australia, and Germany," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 87(1), pages 299-317, April.
    11. Verrecchia, Robert E., 1983. "Discretionary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 179-194, April.
    12. Pratima Bansal, 2005. "Evolving sustainably: a longitudinal study of corporate sustainable development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 197-218, March.
    13. Julia Catharina Jensen & Nicola Berg, 2012. "Determinants of Traditional Sustainability Reporting Versus Integrated Reporting. An Institutionalist Approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(5), pages 299-316, July.
    14. Sylvie Berthelot & Michel Coulmont & Vanessa Serret, 2012. "Do Investors Value Sustainability Reports? A Canadian Study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(6), pages 355-363, November.
    15. Ulla Kotonen, 2009. "Formal corporate social responsibility reporting in Finnish listed companies," Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(3), pages 176-207, November.
    16. Sylvain Durocher & Yves Gendron, 2011. "IFRS: On the Docility of Sophisticated Users in Preserving the Ideal of Comparability," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 233-262.
    17. Humayun Kabir & David M. Akinnusi, 2012. "Corporate social and environmental accounting information reporting practices in Swaziland," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(2), pages 156-173, June.
    18. Patten, Dennis M., 2002. "The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(8), pages 763-773, November.
    19. Hannu Schadewitz & Mikael Niskala, 2010. "Communication via responsibility reporting and its effect on firm value in Finland," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(2), pages 96-106, March.
    20. Irja Vormedal & Audun Ruud, 2009. "Sustainability reporting in Norway – an assessment of performance in the context of legal demands and socio‐political drivers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 207-222, May.
    21. Carlos Larrinaga & Francisco Carrasco & Carmen Correa & Fernando Llena & Jose Moneva, 2002. "Accountability and accounting regulation: the case of the Spanish environmental disclosure standard," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 723-740.
    22. Sylvie Berthelot & Michel Coulmont & Vanessa Serret, 2012. "Do Investors Value Sustainability Reports? A Canadian Study," Post-Print hal-02417765, HAL.
    23. Carmelo Reverte, 2009. "Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Ratings by Spanish Listed Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(2), pages 351-366, August.
    24. Yue Li & Gordon D. Richardson & Daniel B. Thornton, 1997. "Corporate Disclosure of Environmental Liability Information: Theory and Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(3), pages 435-474, September.
    25. Moriah Meyskens & Karen Paul, 2010. "The Evolution of Corporate Social Reporting Practices in Mexico," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 211-227, February.
    26. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    27. Selena Aureli & Mara Del Baldo & Rosa Lombardi & Fabio Nappo, 2020. "Nonfinancial reporting regulation and challenges in sustainability disclosure and corporate governance practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2392-2403, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mark Fuller, 2022. "Wheat and chaff: the degree to which strategic management principles are integrated within corporate social responsibility reporting among large Canadian firms," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Letizia Carrera, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility. A strategy for social and territorial sustainability," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-11, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Charles H. Cho & Jonathan Maurice & Emmanuelle Nègre & Marie-Anne Verdier, 2016. "Is environmental disclosure good for the environment? A meta-analysis and research agenda," Post-Print halshs-01369422, HAL.
    2. María Luisa Pajuelo Moreno & Teresa Duarte-Atoche, 2019. "Relationship between Sustainable Disclosure and Performance—An Extension of Ullmann’s Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    3. Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & David Ruiz‐Cano & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2016. "The Causal Link between Sustainable Disclosure and Information Asymmetry: The Moderating Role of the Stakeholder Protection Context," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(5), pages 319-332, September.
    4. Carmelo Reverte, 2016. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure and market valuation: evidence from Spanish listed firms," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 411-435, March.
    5. Florence Depoers & Tiphaine Jérôme, 2017. "Environmental expenditure disclosure strategies in a regulated context [Stratégies de publication des dépenses environnementales dans un cadre réglementaire]," Post-Print hal-01576195, HAL.
    6. Jiang, Yan & Luo, Le & Xu, JianFeng & Shao, XiaoRui, 2021. "The value relevance of corporate voluntary carbon disclosure: Evidence from the United States and BRIC countries," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3).
    7. Angus W. H. Yip & William Y. P. Yu, 2023. "The Quality of Environmental KPI Disclosure in ESG Reporting for SMEs in Hong Kong," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Guidry, Ronald P. & Patten, Dennis M., 2012. "Voluntary disclosure theory and financial control variables: An assessment of recent environmental disclosure research," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 81-90.
    9. Jannik Gerwanski, 2020. "Does it pay off? Integrated reporting and cost of debt: European evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2299-2319, September.
    10. Mohamed Chelli & Sylvain Durocher & Anne Fortin, 2018. "Normativity in Environmental Reporting: A Comparison of Three Regimes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 285-311, May.
    11. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    12. Mahoney, Lois S. & Thorne, Linda & Cecil, Lianna & LaGore, William, 2013. "A research note on standalone corporate social responsibility reports: Signaling or greenwashing?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 350-359.
    13. Francesco Paolone & Fabrizio Granà & Laura Martiniello & Riccardo Tiscini, 2021. "Environmental risk indicators disclosure and value relevance: An empirical analysis of Italian listed companies after the implementation of the Legislative Decree 254/2016," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1471-1482, September.
    14. Camélia Radu & Claude Francoeur, 2017. "Does Innovation Drive Environmental Disclosure? A New Insight into Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 893-911, November.
    15. Tesfaye T. Lemma & Martin Feedman & Mthokozisi Mlilo & Jin Dong Park, 2019. "Corporate carbon risk, voluntary disclosure, and cost of capital: South African evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 111-126, January.
    16. Katrin Hummel & Peter Rötzel, 2019. "Mandating the Sustainability Disclosure in Annual Reports—Evidence from the United Kingdom," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 71(2), pages 205-247, May.
    17. Gary Peters & Andrea Romi, 2014. "Does the Voluntary Adoption of Corporate Governance Mechanisms Improve Environmental Risk Disclosures? Evidence from Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 637-666, December.
    18. Fatemi, Ali & Glaum, Martin & Kaiser, Stefanie, 2018. "ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 45-64.
    19. María D. Odriozola & Elisa Baraibar‐Diez, 2017. "Is Corporate Reputation Associated with Quality of CSR Reporting? Evidence from Spain," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 121-132, March.
    20. Eugenio D'Amico & Daniela Coluccia & Stefano Fontana & Silvia Solimene, 2016. "Factors Influencing Corporate Environmental Disclosure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 178-192, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijocsr:v:7:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1186_s40991-022-00070-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.