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

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  • 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
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    Cited by:

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    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).

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