Corporate Social Responsibility Commitment Research Articles

Transparency in corporate social responsibility communication on social media

PurposeRetailers recently have started communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments to their consumers directly on social media. That is to say, CSR communication has expanded to social media that allow two-way communication, distinct from traditional CSR communication channels. As transparency has been recognised as a crucial factor influencing the effectiveness of traditional CSR communication, this study investigated its role in the social media context.Design/methodology/approachA two-level, single-factor (i.e. transparency of a mock retail company's CSR communication) between-subjects experimental design was employed, and 237 responses from an online survey were used for PROCESS macroanalysis.FindingsTransparent CSR communication was found to increase the consumers' perceived CSR credibility and attitude toward the company, which influenced consumers' subsequent purchase intention (functionalistic outcome) and intention to respond to the CSR communication (constitutive outcome). The results of the study also corroborated that consumers' level of elaboration when processing CSR communication on social media depends upon their level of concern over the social issue.Originality/valueThe study extends the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to CSR communication in the social media context by validating that consumers' level of information elaboration is determined by their level of concern over the social issue. In addition, it provides the first empirical support for the significance of transparent CSR communication on social media and explains the mechanism of transparency's influence. Transparency indirectly affects consumers' behavioural intentions by forming a favourable attitude toward a retailer. The findings can help retail practitioners communicate CSR commitments persuasively on social media. The study also integrates functionalistic and constitutive perspectives of social media CSR communication, which is notable and discussed in depth.

Lean against the wind: The effect of policy uncertainty on a firm's corporate social responsibility strategy

We examine the effect of policy uncertainty on firms' strategy of corporate social responsibility (CSR). During uncertain times, firms strategically increase their commitment to CSR causes. Policy uncertainty is positively associated with CSR performance regardless of the estimation method. CSR strategy can substitute for lobbying when firms attempt to manage policy uncertainty. Improved CSR performance can reduce firms' exposure to policy uncertainty which indicates that CSR commitment can deliver insurance-like benefits. The findings highlight the value of CSR commitments during uncertain times.

Doing well and being responsible: The impact of corporate social responsibility legitimacy on responsible entrepreneurship

AbstractThis article examines the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) legitimacy on responsible entrepreneurship. It also analyses the contingent factors that influence the relationship between CSR legitimacy and responsible entrepreneurship. While studies on CSR legitimacy are burgeoning, studies analyzing contingent factors and boundary conditions surrounding CSR legitimacy theory are sparse. We extend legitimacy theory by estimating a contingent model that examines the effect of local embeddedness and CSR commitment on the relationship between CSR legitimacy and responsible entrepreneurship. Utilizing time‐lagged data collected from 282 entrepreneurs in Vietnam, we demonstrate that CSR legitimacy positively influences responsible entrepreneurship. Further, we find that local embeddedness exacerbates the potency of CSR legitimacy as a driver of responsible entrepreneurship. Additionally, our results show that this moderation is conditioned by CSR commitment. Specifically, the moderating effect of local embeddedness on the linkage between CSR legitimacy and responsible entrepreneurship is stronger when CSR commitment is high. These findings improve the conceptual scope and generalisability of CSR legitimacy as a driver of responsible entrepreneurship in non‐Western contexts.

Corporate social responsibility commitment of women directors through audit committees: evidence from international firms

PropósitoEste trabajo explora el impacto de algunas características de los comités de auditoría (consejeros ejecutivos e independientes y la asistencia de los consejeros a las reuniones de los comités de auditoría) en la divulgación de información de responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC). Además, también tiene como objetivo analizar el efecto moderador de las consejeras del consejo de administración en la relación entre las características de los comités y la divulgación de la RSC.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEste estudio se basa en una muestra internacional que comprende 13,264 observaciones empresas-año no financieras desde 2007 hasta 2018.HallazgosLos resultados muestran que los consejeros ejecutivos e independientes en comités de auditoría tienen un impacto negativo en la divulgación de información de RSC, mientras que la asistencia de los consejeros a las reuniones del comité se asocia positivamente con la divulgación de información sobre RSC. Nuestros resultados también evidencian que las consejeras del consejo de administración moderan positivamente la asociación negativa entre los consejeros ejecutivos e independientes de los comités de auditoría y la divulgación de información sobre RSC. Finalmente, los hallazgos también muestran que las consejeras no moderan el impacto positivo de la asistencia de los consejeros a las reuniones de los comités de auditoría y la divulgación sobre RSC.Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigaciónEste estudio se centra en los atributos de los comités de auditoría de una muestra de empresas internacionales no financieras cotizadas.Originalidad/valorEste es el primer estudio que examina el papel moderador de las consejeras de los consejos en las relaciones entre los consejeros ejecutivos en los comités de auditoría y el informe de RSC y la asistencia media de los consejeros a las reuniones de los comités de auditoría y divulgación de la RSC.

CEO's Childhood Experience of Natural Disaster and CSR Activities.

Interest in the drivers of firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) is growing. However, little is known about the influence of a CEO's childhood experience of natural disasters on CSR. Using archival data, we explore this relationship by offering three mechanisms that may account for how the CEO's childhood experience of natural disaster is related to their CSR. More specifically, while prior research has established a positive relationship based on the post-traumatic growth theory, we show that the dual mechanisms of prosocial values and a CEO's risk aversion explain the positive relationship. We further find that the positive relationship is stronger (1) when CEOs have longer career horizons and (2) when community social capital is high. This study contributes to both research and managerial implications on the topics of CEO's childhood experience and CSR. In particular, this study advances the upper echelon theory by revealing that a CEO's childhood experience of natural disaster is a useful yet relatively underexplored variable that can help explain the substantial variations in firms' CSR. Moreover, we emphasize that a CEO's career horizons and level of community social capital are important variables that further amplify the effect of a CEO's childhood experience of natural disaster on the firm's CSR commitment.

“Artificial” gender diversity and public visibility: The case of corporate water disclosure in Indonesia

AbstractGlobal water crises need solutions from various parties including the business sector. This study examines the role of board gender diversity in supporting corporate water disclosure representing companies' efforts to use and manage water efficiently. This research also investigates whether the public visibility of a corporation, measured by the Google Search Volume (GSV) or Google Trends and which describes the monitoring function from stakeholder groups, can strengthen the association. The samples consist of 51 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2018–2021. The results showed that gender diversity as indicated by the percentage of women on the board of commissioners and directors has insignificant results, which means that the board's gender diversity has not played a role as an important determinant of corporate water accountability. In addition, the moderating role of GSV also showed insignificant results, meaning that the expected positive effect of board gender diversity on water disclosure does not intensify with high public visibility. Only two control variables, namely the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee and company size have significant results, implying that if the company has large total assets and a CSR committee in its structure, the company will tend to optimize its growth by disclosing water information as proof of its commitment towards sustainable development. The insignificant results of gender diversity and public visibility on corporate water disclosure may indicate the trivial role of diversity and the lack of stakeholders' scrutiny of the disclosure of the company's water management, which will worsen the water crises if left unattended.

Why do corporate social responsibility‐oriented companies opt for bond debt? Evidence from crisis periods

AbstractUsing a large panel of 19,208 listed companies across 40 countries, we investigate the relation between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and bond debt issuance through two main channels: information asymmetry and monitoring. The information asymmetry channel supports that CSR helps firms exhibit more transparency and thereby opt for bond debt. On the other side, the monitoring channel stipulates that CSR makes managers less inclined to engage in value‐diverting activity which makes worthless the scrutiny of banks' monitoring. Results hold after conducting a series of robustness tests and a cross‐sectional heterogeneity analysis at the country level. In addition, the positive relationship between CSR and bond debt is tested in the pre‐ during‐ and post‐ global financial crisis. The relation is more pronounced (i) during periods of uncertainty, (ii) for countries with better informational environment and (iii) for countries with higher levels of agency costs. Overall, our findings are of interest to managers, investors, and policymakers as they show the benefits of CSR commitment during crisis periods marked by a strong need for trust and for more responsible finance.

Can CSR mechanisms spur GRI adoption and restore its lost value relevance?

PurposeThis paper focuses exclusively on the drivers and consequences of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) adoption in sustainability reports with a particular focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes 63 countries with 4,625 unique firms in these countries and 29,054 firm-year observations between 2002 and 2019. The empirical methodology is logistic and linear regression analyses with country and year fixed effects.FindingsThe findings show that CSR committees and executive CSR compensation stimulate firms' GRI adoption. Furthermore, while GRI adoption enhanced firm value in the earlier period of 2002–2010, it weakened firm value in the later period between 2011 and 2019 implying a loss of value relevance. However, the moderating effect of CSR committees and executive CSR compensation on GRI adoption has led to higher firm value in recent times. A more in-depth investigation of polluting versus non-polluting sectors and weak and strong institutional environments reveals both convergence and divergence respectively among these sub-samples. The results are robust to alternative samplings, alternative methodology and endogeneity concerns.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of the study are the binary nature of key variables, such as CSR committee, executive CSR compensation and GRI adoption, due to the availability of binary data but not continuous data.Practical implicationsFirms allocate substantial funds for SR and following GRI guidelines; hence, the findings guide them on how to ensure the return on this investment.Social implicationsShareholders who particularly pursue socially responsible investment can shape their investment portfolios in firms that engage with sustainability reporting (SR) and GRI adoption practices.Originality/valueIt is not clear in the literature if CSR committees will adopt the GRI for SR because of any incentive. Thus, we examine if the CSR committee and executive CSR compensation can play a direct role in GRI adoption and play a moderating role between GRI adoption and firm value. Moreover, whether GRI adoption and its value relevance might change across periods, sectors (polluting versus non-polluting) and varying institutional environments (investor protection) are addressed in this study.

CSR Committee and Attributes in Indonesia and South Korea Does is matter to ESG Performance?

A company's sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) or Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) has now become important in reflecting how well the company manages its business. Several studies show that the board of directors plays an important role in corporate governance. The independence and strength of the board of directors determine the quality of information, reduce asymmetric information between stakeholders and protect stakeholders. Therefore, the specification of the formation of directors on the CSR committee is essential to be made to focus on formulating, establishing, monitoring, and strategically implementing the CSR program or ESG implementation that will be implemented. This study will further analyze the relationship between the factors that affect the company's ESG performance, especially during the pandemic crisis. This study compares ESG performance in countries with high ESG scores and low ESG score categories in developed and developing countries. There are three important contributions from this study. First, this research enriches the literature by adding to the understanding of the factors that shape a company's ESG performance. Second, this research enriches the literature by adding to the understanding of research in this area in the context of developed and developing countries in times of crisis. Third, the variables used in the research can be a factor in policy analysis in framing decision-making.

The impact of corporate governance attributes on environmental and social performance: The case of European region excluding companies from the Eurozone

AbstractThis study provides an empirical investigation of the impact of Corporate Governance (CG) attributes on the environmental and social aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The dependent variables considered for the description of the environmental and social aspects of CSR were determined using the Refinitiv approach, and through the lens of agency, stakeholder, and resource dependency theories. The independent variables were selected based on the literature and involve eight CG attributes, namely: CSR committee, CEO duality, board meeting attendance, board meetings frequency, non‐executive board members, board gender diversity, board specific skills, and board experience.The employed methodology was evaluated through a sample of dependent and independent variable data of 313 companies across the European region excluding companies from the Eurozone for the period of 2006–2020. A suite of machine learning models was employed for capturing the most important determinants of the environmental and social aspects of CSR.The results reveal that three main corporate governance attributes may have a significant impact on a company's environmental and social performance. These attributes involve more female directors and directors with low board experience in board positions, and finally, the existence of CSR committees. The derived findings provide significant implications for corporate directors, socially responsible investors, policymakers, and regulators that intend to promote CSR initiatives and strategies.

Dodging the bullet: overcoming the financial impact of Ukraine armed conflict with sustainable business strategies and environmental approaches

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of sustainable business models in building corporate reputation and resilience. Specifically, the financial performance of listed companies will be evaluated following the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Taking as a standpoint the triple bottom line (TBL) theory, the case of firms listed in the Spanish IBEX-35 index is analysed. The present paper evaluates financial performance and corporate reputation, based on the usage of Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategies to adhere to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this goal, energy firms operating in Spain are evaluated. Specifically, companies operating in the energy sector listed in the IBEX35, benchmark index of Spain’s largest trading platform are considered. The analysis comprises evaluating the fluctuation in the value of their stock and the influence of usage of renewable and other power sources that limit dependency on foreign events. In addition, communication and dissemination of non-financial information, and usage of international standards within these areas, are considered as well.FindingsResults show long-term CSR commitments and ESG strategies significantly impact firm’s ability to overcome crises and improve financial performance. Additionally, energy firms that adhered to the energy transition into renewables display stronger performance and lower dependency on uncertain and weakened markets during the Ukraine armed conflict.Practical implicationsThe results contribute to the advancement of the TBL theory and the creation of sustainable business models. By introducing ESG strategies, firms are able to improve the people-profit-planet balance and at the same time improve their resilience. This contributes to an overall enhancement of their capacity to overcome crises and sustain their financial performance and corporate reputation over time. Policy makers can also benefit from this knowledge, introducing regulation that promotes and supports companies’ development of their CSR through ESG strategies, to ensure more sustainable organisations that can support the economy in a context of hardship.Originality/valueThe analysis evaluates the results of a firm’s long-term commitment to the TBL through adequate ESG strategies when operating in unexpected and unprecedented hostile environments. Previous research has focused on the link between some variables concerning financial performance and ESG strategies yet not considering the specific context of an enhanced crisis (i.e. a pandemic and armed conflict). This can provide significant insight into the contribution that people, profit and planet can provide in building sustainable and successful organisations. Lastly, the paper outlines the key factors that contributed to the firm’s ability to overcome extreme hardships, such as operating in an environment affected by a combination of two crises.

Impact of environmental, social, governance, and corporate social responsibility factors on firm’s marketing expenses and firm value: A panel study of US companies

During recent times of uncertainty, sustainable marketing and sustainable finance became hot research topics attracting both academics and practitioners. Although centering marketing efforts around the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies allow for creating a superior image and increasing brand value, the incorporation of ESG/CSR activities might seem to be costly and have been claimed to not provide direct marketing benefits. This study aims to explore the impact of firms’ ESG/CSR engagement on marketing expenses and firms’ market value to provide a strategic rationale for firms to undertake ESG/CSR activities to position their companies distinctly in the marketplace accordingly. The study employs a panel regression to analyze the impact of ESG and CSR commitments on a firm’s marketing expenses in a sample of S&P 500 firms in the United States. The results indicate that the firms with higher CSR engagement spend proportionately lesser on their marketing expenses and entertain a higher market value. The results also suggest that the firm’s board size, board diversity, and social engagement considerably enhance the firm’s market value. The results indicate that focusing on firms’ environmental responsibility alone does not sufficiently contribute to enhancing the value of the firm, stakeholders are rather more concerned about the firm’s societal engagement which must, therefore, be overtly communicated and reported.

The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Purchase Intention toward Environmentally Friendly Sneakers

In recent years, climate change and global warming have been exacerbated by human over-development, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection. Therefore, many companies are now implementing green production approaches, taking environmental protection as an integral aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This study aims to explore the influence of green perceived value (GPV), CSR, and consumer conformity on consumer purchase intention toward environmentally friendly Nike sneakers. The data were collected by employing an online survey of 18–24-year-old Taiwanese consumers. A total of 660 consumers were randomly selected and 480 valid responses were acquired. The data were analyzed using SPSS25.0 (IBM Corp, New York, NY, USA).and a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) is used to test the hypotheses. The results of the study are as follows: (1) GPV and brand image had a significant effect on consumers’ attitude toward purchasing environmentally friendly sneakers; (2) GPV and CSR had a significant effect on brand image; (3) the attitude toward purchasing environmentally friendly sneakers had a significant effect on consumers’ purchase intention; (4) CSR and consumer conformity had no significant effect on consumers’ attitude toward purchasing environmentally friendly sneakers; (5) brand image had no significant effect on consumers’ purchase intention; (6) consumers’ environmental awareness had no significant moderating relationship between their attitude toward purchasing environmentally friendly sneakers and consumer purchase intention. The research results suggest that Nike can hold events to recycle old shoes, so that consumers can directly participate in advancing green initiatives and understand all the efforts the company has made for society. Moreover, through news media coverage of such events, the company’s intentions to promote its CSR commitment can be more fully understood by people, while simultaneously publicizing its CSR performance.

Water usage reduction and CSR committees: Taiwan evidence

AbstractAlthough board‐level corporate social responsibility (CSR) committees have been discussed extensively, we know relatively little about how CSR committees affect companies' water conservation and the contingencies that influence this relationship, specifically in emerging markets. In Taiwan, industrial water conservation is an imperative climate change adaptation given the elevating incidence of floods and droughts brought on by climate change. This study extensively hand‐collects data on water usage, the existence of CSR committees from CSR reports, and the annual reports of companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and Taipei Exchange companies during 2017–2020. Our findings support the stakeholder theory that the existence of CSR committees likely set water use reduction targets and facilitated water usage reduction. Moreover, this relationship is stronger in water consumption industries. In summary, the memberships in water consumption industries and CSR committees are complements rather than substitutes.

Peer effects of enterprise green financing behavior: Evidence from China

Green finance is critical for adjusting the industrial structure and promoting sustainable economic development; therefore, it is important to understand enterprise green investment and financing behavior. This study aims to investigate the peer effects of enterprise green financing behavior. Based on theoretical analysis, this study selected data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2020 as the research sample. In this study, the fixed effects model was used to examine the peer effects of enterprise green financing. Meanwhile, a moderating effect model was employed to explore the function of the economic policy uncertainty and corporate social responsibility commitment on peer effects of enterprise green financing. The results show that the enterprise’s green financing behavior increases significantly with its peer companies’ (i.e., other companies in the same industry or the same region) green financing behavior, and responds to peer companies’ characteristics in the same industry, indicating peer effects on green financing behavior. The peer effects of enterprise green financing are stronger when the economic policy uncertainty is higher, suggesting that the green financing behavior of peer companies reduces external uncertainty by providing comprehensive and useful information, thus enhancing the enterprise’s information environment and enabling it to make better green financing decisions. Moreover, peer effects are more pronounced when corporate social responsibility commitment is higher, indicating that peer companies’ higher performance in social responsibility can improve their information transparency and build good reputation, increasing the enterprise’s disclosure and reputation costs in the capital market. Therefore, our findings highlight the importance of peer effects in enterprise green financing behavior. To enhance the enterprises’ green financing behavior and promote green finance development, the government should focus on the industrial and regional situation to conduct green finance and promote the overall green financing behavior of enterprises by establishing typical enterprises or pilot cities.

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Investment Decisions: Evidence from Saudi Indexed Companies

This study investigated the investment decisions of Saudi corporations in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) context and examined the moderated role of corporate governance quality. The panel dataset consisted of 82 firms and 328 Saudi firm-year observations listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange over the period of 2018–2021, and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression was used for model estimation. The empirical findings indicated that companies with higher levels of CSR reporting invested more effectively than companies with lower CSR reporting levels. The empirical analysis suggested two main findings: (i) corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting has a significant effect on investment decisions and (ii) this relationship depends on corporate governance practices. This research presents new evidence that improves the discussion around CSR involvement and corporate investment decision making in the emerging market of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, it presents practical and managerial implications for policymakers and standard setters who are interested in ameliorating sustainable development in Saudi Arabia under the Kingdom Vision of 2030. Additionally, this work provides suggestions for firm management regarding the importance of CSR commitment and corporate governance mechanisms in enhancing corporate investment decisions. Finally, the outcomes of this research are beneficial for investors, as they represent the factors to be considered before making investment decisions.

Is it hard to be different during the COVID-19 crisis? Investigating the relationship between corporate social responsibility and earnings management

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the literature on the earnings management (EM)–corporate social responsibility (CSR) relationship as most of the previous studies have been carried out in non-turbulent periods. This study investigates whether CSR affects EM during the pandemic period by testing two hypotheses: the cognitive biases hypothesis and the resilience hypothesisDesign/methodology/approachThe difference-in-difference and triple difference approaches are used for a sample of 536 US firms (268 socially responsible firms and 268 matched non-socially responsible counterparts) during the 2017–2021 period. Socially responsible firms are selected from the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index, and matched firms are identified through the propensity score matching method.FindingsThe authors find an income-increasing practice for both socially responsible firms and control firms for the whole period and each sub-period. Moreover, socially responsible firms are more likely to manage their earnings (income increasing) than their counterpart. Furthermore, the authors show that CSR commitment exacerbated EM in line with the cognitive biases hypothesis.Originality/valueThis study is the first shed light on the dark side of CSR during pandemic periods.

CSR Commitment, Alignment and Firm Performance: The Case of the Australia-China Tourism Supply Chain

This paper examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices among travel agents and tour operators within the Australia–China tourism supply chain. A sequential, exploratory mixed-methods approach was employed, combining key-informant interviews with a reduced form of discrete choice analysis—best-worst scaling. The findings highlight that while Australian and Chinese travel intermediaries differed significantly in terms of their preferences regarding the different CSR factors, they were unanimous in regard to their belief that commitment to CSR was critical to firm performance. The research also reports universal support for a partial-mediating relationship, suggesting that firm performance is enhanced by strong alignment in the CSR orientation of supply chain intermediaries. This finding reinforces the inter-dependent nature of tourism supply chains, emphasizing that firms and society can benefit from supply chain partners working more closely together.

Evolution of corporate social responsibility towards sustainability in Mexico 2013-2019

Since the Millennium Development Goals set out in 1999 by the UN, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under the framework of ISO 26000, 2011 and the Objectives for Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030, 2015, Mexico's Business Sector has been taking full relevance in the triple Bottom Line actions (economic, social and environmental). This study shows the results of a questionnaire structured under the ISO 26000 reference framework, designed by ResPonsable, which was applied to a representative sample of the Mexican Business Sector in 2013-2019, to describe, infer and project the degree of knowledge, interest and management of CSR in large companies and MSMEs in Mexico. The main results are flattering since companies during these six years (2013-2019) have decided to create CSR Committees, this being more frequent in large companies and have an annual budget for Social Responsibility activities, with more trained managers in the area, and with more knowledge, importance and maturity of CSR. The term Social Responsibility has evolved as an investment and not as an expense for large companies, while MiPymes still see it as an expense. It is possible to see a decline in CSR indicators as a profitable investment in the short, medium and long term. Concerning the CSR employees’ profile, the positions are vastly occupied by women, between 32 and 42 years, with a professional education level with CSR studies. The most active sector in the CSR is transportation and logistics, banking, energy and extractive industry, food and beverage, automotive and construction and infrastructure, focusing on labor practices, environment and human rights, being Corporate Governance the least developed in the companies.

Does gender diversity moderate the relationship between CSR committees and Sustainable Development Goals disclosure? Evidence from Latin American companies

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between the presence of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) disclosure, as well as the moderating role of gender diversity in this relation. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 897 annual observations from 238 firms from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru for 2018–2020. The data were collected from the Refinitiv database. The proposed model and hypotheses were tested using the feasible generalized least squares estimation technique with heteroscedasticity and panel-specific AR1 autocorrelation. Findings The results reveal that the presence of CSR committees positively influences the SDGs. Gender diversity positively moderates the relationship between CSR committees and SDGs. Leverage and firm size also positively impact the SDGs. On the other hand, board size and CEO duality negatively affect SDGs disclosure. Research limitations/implications This study extends the scope of stakeholder theory by suggesting that CSR committees and gender diversity enable a better relationship for the firm with its stakeholders. Practical implications The findings support policymakers and managers in improving sustainability disclosure. In addition, the results demonstrate the importance of CSR committees and gender diversity to meet the stakeholders' demands. Social implications This study demonstrates how firms can improve sustainability issues through gender diversity and CSR committees. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study complements previous literature by being the first to examine the moderating effect of gender diversity on the association between CSR committees and SDGs disclosure in the Latin American context.