IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v27y2020i3p1241-1251.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water disclosure in the mining sector: An assessment of the credibility of sustainability reports

Author

Listed:
  • David Talbot
  • Guillaume Barbat

Abstract

Sustainable water resource management is a major challenge for mining companies. The objective of this article is to analyze the credibility of the information disclosed by companies in this sector as well as the strategies used to justify their water performance. To meet this objective, a qualitative content analysis of 58 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI; G4) reports was carried out. This article demonstrates a strong propensity for mining companies to disclose information that does not comply with the GRI guidelines. Moreover, the use of external verification has no impact on the quality of the information disclosed. This study also highlights several neutralization and obfuscation techniques used to justify negative information related to water performance. The results of this study have important managerial implications, particularly with regard to the effectiveness of reporting compliance with GRI standards.

Suggested Citation

  • David Talbot & Guillaume Barbat, 2020. "Water disclosure in the mining sector: An assessment of the credibility of sustainability reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1241-1251, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:27:y:2020:i:3:p:1241-1251
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1880
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1880
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.1880?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pactwa, Katarzyna & Woźniak, Justyna, 2017. "Environmental reporting policy of the mining industry leaders in Poland," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 201-207.
    2. David Littlewood, 2015. "Corporate social responsibility, mining and sustainable development in Namibia: Critical reflections through a relational lens," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(2), pages 240-257, March.
    3. Carol A Tilt & Christopher F Symes, 1999. "Environmental disclosure by Australian mining companies: environmental conscience or commercial reality?," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 137-154, June.
    4. Rüdiger Hahn & Regina Lülfs, 2014. "Legitimizing Negative Aspects in GRI-Oriented Sustainability Reporting: A Qualitative Analysis of Corporate Disclosure Strategies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 401-420, September.
    5. Gary Fooks & Anna Gilmore & Jeff Collin & Chris Holden & Kelley Lee, 2013. "Erratum to: The Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility: Techniques of Neutralization, Stakeholder Management and Political CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 367-367, January.
    6. Olivier Boiral, 2013. "Sustainability reports as simulacra? A counter-account of A and A+ GRI reports," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(7), pages 1036-1071, September.
    7. Niamh M. Brennan & Doris M. Merkl-Davies, 2014. "Rhetoric and argument in social and environmental reporting: the Dirty Laundry case," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(4), pages 602-633, April.
    8. Gary Kleinman & Chu‐hua Kuei & Picheng Lee, 2017. "Using Formal Concept Analysis to Examine Water Disclosure in Corporate Social Responsibility Reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 341-356, July.
    9. Dominique Diouf & Olivier Boiral, 2017. "The quality of sustainability reports and impression management," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(3), pages 643-667, March.
    10. Michelle Rodrigue, 2014. "Contrasting realities: corporate environmental disclosure and stakeholder-released information," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(1), pages 119-149, January.
    11. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan, 2007. "Discretionary disclosure strategies in corporate narratives : incremental information or impression management?," Open Access publications 10197/2907, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    12. Mudd, Gavin M., 2010. "The Environmental sustainability of mining in Australia: key mega-trends and looming constraints," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 98-115, June.
    13. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2018. "GHG Reporting and Impression Management: An Assessment of Sustainability Reports from the Energy Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 367-383, January.
    14. Andrea Liesen & Andreas G. Hoepner & Dennis M. Patten & Frank Figge, 2015. "Does stakeholder pressure influence corporate GHG emissions reporting? Empirical evidence from Europe," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1047-1074, September.
    15. Dennis Duchon & Brian Drake, 2009. "Organizational Narcissism and Virtuous Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(3), pages 301-308, March.
    16. Alberto Fonseca, 2010. "How credible are mining corporations' sustainability reports? a critical analysis of external assurance under the requirements of the international council on mining and metals," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(6), pages 355-370, November.
    17. Jasmine Tata & Sameer Prasad, 2015. "CSR Communication: An Impression Management Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 765-778, December.
    18. Thomashausen, Sophie & Maennling, Nicolas & Mebratu-Tsegaye, Tehtena, 2018. "A comparative overview of legal frameworks governing water use and waste water discharge in the mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 143-151.
    19. Nazari, Jamal A. & Hrazdil, Karel & Mahmoudian, Fereshteh, 2017. "Assessing social and environmental performance through narrative complexity in CSR reports," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 166-178.
    20. Markus J. Milne & Suzana Grubnic, 2011. "Climate change accounting research: keeping it interesting and different," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(8), pages 948-977, October.
    21. María del Mar Alonso‐Almeida & Josep Llach & Frederic Marimon, 2014. "A Closer Look at the ‘Global Reporting Initiative’ Sustainability Reporting as a Tool to Implement Environmental and Social Policies: A Worldwide Sector Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(6), pages 318-335, November.
    22. Aurélie Chamaret & Martin O'Connor & Gilles Récoché, 2007. "Top-down/bottom-up approach for developing sustainable development indicators for mining: Application to the Arlit uranium mines (Niger)," Post-Print hal-00194505, HAL.
    23. Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Oscar Suárez‐Fernández & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2019. "Obfuscation versus enhancement as corporate social responsibility disclosure strategies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(2), pages 468-480, March.
    24. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2015. "Strategies for Climate Change and Impression Management: A Case Study Among Canada’s Large Industrial Emitters," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 329-346, December.
    25. Gary Fooks & Anna Gilmore & Jeff Collin & Chris Holden & Kelley Lee, 2013. "The Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility: Techniques of Neutralization, Stakeholder Management and Political CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 283-299, January.
    26. Douglas Aitken & Diego Rivera & Alex Godoy-Faúndez & Eduardo Holzapfel, 2016. "Water Scarcity and the Impact of the Mining and Agricultural Sectors in Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-18, February.
    27. Aurelie Chamaret & Martin O'Connor & Gilles Recoche, 2007. "Top-down/bottom-up approach for developing sustainable development indicators for mining: application to the Arlit uranium mines (Niger)," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 10(1/2), pages 161-174.
    28. Meesters, Marieke Evelien & Behagel, Jelle Hendrik, 2017. "The Social Licence to Operate: Ambiguities and the neutralization of harm in Mongolia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 274-282.
    29. MuiChing Chan & John Watson & David Woodliff, 2014. "Corporate Governance Quality and CSR Disclosures," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(1), pages 59-73, November.
    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. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2021. "Public organizations and biodiversity disclosure: Saving face to meet a legal obligation?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2571-2586, July.
    2. Simon Meißner, 2021. "The Impact of Metal Mining on Global Water Stress and Regional Carrying Capacities—A GIS-Based Water Impact Assessment," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-34, November.
    3. Liu, Chengyun & Su, Kun & Zhang, Miaomiao, 2021. "Water disclosure and financial reporting quality for social changes: Empirical evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Maria Aluchna & Maria Roszkowska‐Menkes & Sana Khan, 2024. "Corporate governance perspective on environmental reporting: Literature review and future research agenda," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 1550-1577, May.
    5. Jo Crotty & Diane Holt, 2021. "Towards a typology of strategic corporate social responsibility through camouflage and courtship analogies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 980-991, May.
    6. Roszkowska-Menkes, Maria & Aluchna, Maria & Kamiński, Bogumił, 2024. "True transparency or mere decoupling? The study of selective disclosure in sustainability reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    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. Rajiv Maher & Moritz Neumann & Mette Slot Lykke, 2022. "Extracting Legitimacy: An Analysis of Corporate Responses to Accusations of Human Rights Abuses," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(4), pages 609-628, April.
    2. Mitzi Cubilla‐Montilla & Ana‐Belén Nieto‐Librero & Ma Purificación Galindo‐Villardón & Ma Purificación Vicente Galindo & Isabel‐María Garcia‐Sanchez, 2019. "Are cultural values sufficient to improve stakeholder engagement human and labour rights issues?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 938-955, July.
    3. Charles H. Cho & Matias Laine & Robin W. Roberts & Michelle Rodrigue, 2018. "The Frontstage and Backstage of Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Bill," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 865-886, October.
    4. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2018. "GHG Reporting and Impression Management: An Assessment of Sustainability Reports from the Energy Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 367-383, January.
    5. Isabel-María García-Sánchez & Víctor Amor-Esteban & David Galindo-Álvarez, 2020. "Communication Strategies for the 2030 Agenda Commitments: A Multivariate Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-25, December.
    6. Olivier Boiral & Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria & Marie-Christine Brotherton & Julie Bernard, 2019. "Ethical Issues in the Assurance of Sustainability Reports: Perspectives from Assurance Providers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1111-1125, November.
    7. Chiba, Soumaya & Talbot, David & Boiral, Olivier, 2018. "Sustainability adrift: An evaluation of the credibility of sustainability information disclosed by public organizations," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 328-340.
    8. Olivier Boiral & Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria & Marie-Christine Brotherton, 2019. "Assessing and Improving the Quality of Sustainability Reports: The Auditors’ Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 703-721, March.
    9. Perera, Luckmika & Jubb, Christine & Gopalan, Sandeep, 2019. "A comparison of voluntary and mandated climate change-related disclosure," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 243-266.
    10. David Coen & Kyle Herman & Tom Pegram, 2022. "Are corporate climate efforts genuine? An empirical analysis of the climate ‘talk–walk’ hypothesis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3040-3059, November.
    11. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Cristina‐Andrea Araújo‐Bernardo, 2020. "What colour is the corporate social responsibility report? Structural visual rhetoric, impression management strategies, and stakeholder engagement," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 1117-1142, March.
    12. Paula Gomes dos Santos & Fábio Albuquerque & Maria Albertina Barreiro Rodrigues & Ana Isabel Morais, 2022. "The Views of Stakeholders on Mandatory or Voluntary Use of a Simplified Standard on Non-Financial Information for SMEs in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, February.
    13. Olivier Boiral & Marie‐Christine Brotherton & Léo Rivaud & David Talbot, 2022. "Comparing the uncomparable? An investigation of car manufacturers' climate performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2213-2229, July.
    14. Ali Uyar & Simone Pizzi & Fabio Caputo & Cemil Kuzey & Abdullah S. Karaman, 2022. "Do shareholders reward or punish risky firms due to CSR reporting and assurance?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(5), pages 1596-1620, July.
    15. Yue Vaughan & Yinyoung Rhou & Yoon Koh & Manisha Singal, 2024. "Slack resources and employee-centered corporate social responsibility in restaurant companies," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(3), pages 592-614, May.
    16. Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2017. "Does Size Matter? Evaluating Corporate Environmental Disclosure in the Australian Mining and Metal Industry: A Combined Approach of Quantity and Quality Measurement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 209-223, February.
    17. Adriana Calu & Costel Negrei & Daniela Artemisa Calu & Viorel Avram, 2015. "Reporting of Non-Financial Performance Indicators – a Useful Tool for a Sustainable Marketing Strategy," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(40), pages 977-977, August.
    18. Renato Camodeca & Alex Almici & Umberto Sagliaschi, 2018. "Sustainability Disclosure in Integrated Reporting: Does It Matter to Investors? A Cheap Talk Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-34, November.
    19. Olivier E. Malay, 2020. "Improving government and business coordination through the use of consistent SDGs indicators. A comparative analysis of national (Belgian) and business (pharma and retail) sustainability indicators," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020031, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), revised 27 Oct 2020.
    20. Tsalis, Thomas A. & Nikolaou, Ioannis E. & Konstantakopoulou, Fotini & Zhang, Ying & Evangelinos, Konstantinos I., 2020. "Evaluating the corporate environmental profile by analyzing corporate social responsibility reports," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 63-75.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:corsem:v:27:y:2020:i:3:p:1241-1251. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.