Factors influencing the use of the World Wide Web for sustainability communication: an Australian mining perspective

Abstract

The World Wide Web can enhance the communication of social and environmental issues, commonly referred to as sustainability communication. This paper explored the factors that influence the use of the web for sustainability communication. Previous literature identified economic factors, internal organisational factors and external stakeholder influences as particularly influential. This case study, in the context of three Australian mining companies, and through the use of interviews and website monitoring, expands upon the literature by confirming these factors and by identifying two additional factors that impact the corporate use of the web for sustainability communications. These are referred to as the “double-edged sword” and organisational restructuring. This study, through a focus on a particular communication medium, the web, and a socially and environmentally sensitive industry, the Australian minerals industry, highlighted that the impact of the medium used for sustainability communication requires conceptual insights that extend beyond the current understanding of sustainability accounting and reporting. In addition to this theoretical contribution, this study contributes to the emerging web-based sustainability communication literature, and provides insights to companies and their stakeholders into future use of the web for communication of social and environmental issues.