Environmental disclosures according to ESRS in ESG reporting of selected banks in Poland

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the environmental disclosures of non-financial information presented in the selected Polish banks in terms of meeting the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) guidelines. The ESRS reporting standards, adopted by the European Commission in July 2023, not only introduced an increase in the scope of reporting but also clearly defined the information to be disclosed in reports that banks are obligated to submit. The research method used was a critical analysis of the subject-matter literature, and, in the empirical part, a method of analyzing information posted on bank websites was assumed. Among the analyzed entities, 23 banks operating in Poland, functioning in the form of joint-stock companies, were taken into consideration. Research has shown that the required data is contained in various documents published by banks, and their availability on websites is relatively low. The scope of environmental disclosures was assessed as insufficient in relation to the ESRS guidelines. The highest number of disclosures occurred in the “Climate” area and the lowest in the “Biodiversity and Ecosystems” area, which may stem from the specificity of the banks' activities. The conducted research revealed that banks were inadequately prepared for reporting that takes into account ESRS guidelines.