Environmental Disclosure Research Articles

Long-term credit and green innovation : causal evidence from China

ABSTRACT Environmental issues are a global challenge. In bank-centric financial systems such as China’s, the impact of long-term credit on sustainable development is a crucial yet underexplored issue. We use a plausibly exogenous long-term credit policy (LCP) implemented in 2019 to identify the impact of long-term credit on green innovations. Using a difference-in-differences (DID) approach, we find that long-term credit increases firms’ low-quality green innovations by optimizing credit term structures and generates spillover effects on environmental performance. Moreover, long-term credit significantly enhances high-quality green innovation in regions with more stringent environmental disclosure regulations. These findings reveal a quantity-over-quality effect of long-term credit on green innovation and highlight the critical role of integrating financial and environmental policies.

Role of investor attention and executive green awareness on environmental information disclosure of Chinese high-tech listed companies

Against the backdrop of growing public concern about environmental disclosure, and despite this concern, the level of environmental disclosure by high-tech firms remains low, necessitating a heightened emphasis on corporate environmental disclosure. This study delves into the impact of investor attention on the environmental information disclosure of Chinese high-tech firms, analyzing data from 463 firms between 2011 and 2022. Utilizing dynamic panel GMM, our findings highlight a significant negative correlation between investor attention and environmental information disclosure. We also introduced executive green awareness, exploring their moderating role. The results show that improved executive green awareness mitigates the adverse impact of investor attention on environmental information disclosure. However, heterogeneity analysis revealed that this moderating effect does not exist in IT service and non-polluting high-tech enterprises. This research offers policy implications for enhancing transparency and environmental governance through targeted investor engagement and executive training programs. The findings underscore the importance of a comprehensive regulatory framework tailored to sector-specific challenges in high-tech industry.

Can China go green through digitalization? Evidence from China's listed firms

This paper employs textual analysis of China's listed firms in 2007–2022 to investigate the influence of corporate digitalization on corporate green innovation. Utilizing the frequency of digital-related terms as an indicator of corporate digitalization degree, we find that: First, corporate digitalization has a positive impact on green innovation, which has been confirmed by several robustness tests. Second, this positive impact is heterogeneous in different digitalization types and different green innovation types. Third, environmental disclosure, absorptive capacity, and internal control are three main mechanisms. These findings can offer insights into the coordinated development of digitalization and green transition in emerging markets.

Legal obligation of ESG reporting and the quality of environmental disclosure practices: the case of Moroccan listed industrial companies

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of the legal obligation for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, introduced in 2019 by the Moroccan Capital Market Authority (AMMC), on the environmental disclosure practices of industrial companies listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE). Design/methodology/approach An analysis of the content of the ESG reports of the industrial listed companies on the CSE is carried out over the two years that frame the year of implementation of the AMMC circular, i.e. 2018 and 2020, to analyze the difference in the quality of their environmental disclosures using a conformity criterion based on the Environmental section (N°300) of the “Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)” standards. Findings The results confirm the presence of a positive effect of the legal obligation for ESG reporting on the quality of environmental reporting of Moroccan industrial listed companies. However, the degree of compliance with the GRI framework remains incomplete. Originality/value This study helps to highlight the effectiveness of regulatory measures in improving the disclosure of relevant corporate environmental reporting of listed companies. The study also provides an overview of the progress made in implementing quality environmental reporting standards, specifically the GRI framework, in a developing country, namely, Morocco.

Does ownership structure affect carbon emission disclosure?

PurposeThe current research strives to shed light on how ownership structure can impact carbon emission disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe present study is based on S&P BSE 500 Indian firms. Using manual content analysis, carbon emission disclosure data were collected from a final sample of 318 nonfinancial Indian firms over seven years, i.e. from 2016–17 to 2022–23, having 2,226 firm-year observations. The panel regression has been employed to examine the association between ownership structure and carbon emissions disclosure.FindingsThe results of the study suggest that ownership structure variables, such as institutional and foreign ownership, exert a positive and significant influence on carbon emission disclosure. Conversely, block-holder ownership is negatively associated with carbon emission disclosure.Practical implicationsThis study enriches the emerging literature on environmental disclosure, climate change, carbon emission disclosure and ownership structure.Social implicationsThe present research work provides treasured acumens to corporate managers, investors, regulators and policymakers as the study corroborates that ownership structure has an imperative role in firms' carbon emission disclosure.Originality/valueExisting literature has determined the impact of ownership structure on environmental disclosure. In contrast, the current research extends the climate change literature by providing novel insights into how ownership structure can influence firms’ carbon emission disclosure. Moreover, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to scrutinize the relationship between ownership structure and carbon emission disclosure in the Indian context.

Symbolic or Substantive? The Effects of the Digital Transformation Process on Environmental Disclosure

Symbolic or Substantive? The Effects of the Digital Transformation Process on Environmental Disclosure

Boosting Firm Environmental Performance: The Roles of Top Management Team Functional Diversity, Environmental Disclosures, and Government Subsidy

Contemporary organizations are actively striving to achieve a higher level of environmental performance (the extent to which the organization reduces and minimizes its negative impact on the natural environment). This pursuit is not only driven by the need to comply with governmental climate change regulations but also by the desire to gain a competitive advantage. While a limited number of studies have acknowledged the importance of top executives’ strategy-making on firms’ environmental performance, questions still persist regarding how the role structure of the top management team (TMT) promotes the disclosure of environmental policies, and subsequently enhances firm environmental performance. Based on the attention-based view and resource-dependency perspective, this study aims to examine how TMT functional diversity is beneficial for formulating better environmental disclosures, which in turn, is expected to increase environmental performance. Additionally, we explore the extent to which external resources (i.e., government subsidies) can strengthen this relationship. We employed an archival dataset from 406 Chinese manufacturing firms over a ten-year period (2010–2019) and tested a moderated mediation model. Our findings suggest that greater functional diversity within TMTs positively influences firm environmental performance through the improved environmental disclosures, and this indirect effect is amplified when firms receive higher levels of government subsidies. Our study contributes to the existing literature on environmental governance by demonstrating that (1) functional diversity within the TMT can predict more favorable environmental performance metrics; and (2) government financial support can particularly be a booster for the relationship between TMT environmental disclosures and firm environmental performance.

Does mandating corporate social and environmental disclosure improve social and environmental performance?: Broad-based evidence regarding the effectiveness of directive 2014/95/EU

Given that the aim of corporate social and environmental disclosure mandates is to improve corporate social and environmental performance, this study investigates the impact of such mandates on performance. Using a difference-in-differences analysis, we examine trends in corporate social and environmental performance before and after the introduction of Directive 2014/95/EU (hereafter, the Directive), comparing affected European companies with companies in the United States (US), based on a balanced sample of 358 European companies (excluding United Kingdom (UK) companies, because they were subject to additional regulations that came into effect around the same time) and 470 US companies from 2009 to 2020. We find that European companies' performance has not improved substantially since the Directive came into effect in 2017, nor have they improved compared to US companies. Thus, the evidence suggests that the Directive has not improved European companies’ social and environmental performance. Our study provides broad-based evidence of the (in)effectiveness of mandating corporate social and environmental disclosures to enhance performance. Our findings will be of interest to regulators considering disclosure mandates, as well as stakeholders and investors interested in enhancing social and environmental performance.

Corrupt practice and sustainability reporting: Lifecycle perspective

AbstractThe study employs a lifecycle perspective to investigate the relationship between corrupt practices and sustainability reporting. The final sample is composed of 1388 firms from four European countries, namely France, Germany, UK, and Sweden. Data were retrieved from the Thomson Reuters database from 2015 to 2022. The findings revealed that corruption significantly reduces sustainability disclosure across different life cycle stages, albeit with varying magnitudes, perhaps due to the misallocation of resources and lack of incentives. The findings also showed that the detrimental effects of corruption on sustainability reporting is most profound during the “Shake‐Out” stage of a company life cycle. By adopting a lifecycle perspective, the research offers a new and in‐depth understanding of corruption's impact on environmental disclosure, offering policymakers and regulators valuable insights into enhancing environmental and sustainability practices.

Sustainability Disclosures and Their Influence on Cost of Capital: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Study

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a global phenomenon in the business sector, capturing the attention of all stakeholders. Both early-stage and established firms often engage in high levels of voluntary disclosure, thereby reducing their cost of capital. This study synthesizes existing literature related to the impact of CSR on the cost of capital, focusing on sustainability and environmental disclosure. Utilizing the Scopus database, we conducted a bibliometric analysis through VOSviewer, analyzing 76 research articles from reputable academic journals published between 2002 and 2022. Our analysis identified three primary clusters: (1) the red cluster, titled "CSR and ESG disclosure and its impact on cost of capital" with 43 articles examining corporate social performance strategies, environmental risks, and green support; (2) the green cluster, titled "CSR activities and environmental or voluntary disclosure" with 21 articles focusing on corporate social investment, greenhouse gas emissions, voluntary disclosure, and their impact on cost of capital; and (3) the blue cluster, titled "sustainability disclosure or toxic release" with 12 articles centered on corporate social decoupling and toxic release. Our findings provide valuable insights for enhancing a firm's environmental and economic performance and offer guidance for decision-makers, lenders, investors, shareholders, and policymakers on reducing a firm's cost of capital through sustainability policies and strategies. Additionally, we highlight unexplored dimensions for future research, including forecasting firm investments using decoupling techniques, exploring the mediating role of CSR on the cost of capital, and examining the relationship between carbon intensity, greenhouse gases, and toxic release.

Non-financial disclosure and firm performance: Insights from listed consumer goods manufacturing companies in Nigeria

In the dynamic landscape of corporate reporting and stakeholder engagement, the significance of non-financial disclosure has gained considerable prominence. As businesses strive for sustainable growth and investors increasingly recognize the value of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, understanding the nexus between non-financial disclosure and firm performance becomes pivotal. This study endeavors to explore this relationship within the context of listed consumer goods manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study encompassed a population of 21 listed consumer goods manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The sample size was 21 firms, determined through census sampling techniques. The research spanned from 2013 to 2022. FGLS regression model was used to examine the relationship between the variables studied. The results found that environmental disclosure and social disclosure had a positive and significant effect on the firm’s performance. While governance disclosure had a negative and significant effect on the firm’s performance. This implies that firms that engage in robust non-financial disclosure practices tend to experience better overall performance. The study concludes that non-financial disclosure, encompassing environmental, social, and governance aspects, plays a pivotal role in influencing the performance of listed consumer goods manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Firms are encouraged to enhance their ESG reporting frameworks, aligning with stakeholder expectations and global sustainability trends.

Limiting environmental reporting flexibility: investor judgment based on the EU taxonomy

This experimental research investigates the effect of different types of environmental information on investor judgment. By examining three experimental cases varying the level of environmental disclosure, we evaluate the investment judgments of professional (Study 1) and private German investors (Study 2). Primarily, we investigate whether traditional, commonly disclosed environmental information affects investor judgments. Furthermore, we explore the effects of linking non-financial reporting elements to quantitative financial measures through the EU taxonomy by adding taxonomy indicators. Specifically, we operationalized the case where companies fall into a category of poor environmental performance by taxonomy classification. We find that only traditional environmental disclosure in combination with standardized taxonomy-aligned information (below average), influences the investment judgment. However, professional investors exhibit a significantly negative response, while private investors show a significantly positive reaction when constraining reporting flexibility through the inclusion of standardized taxonomy measures with poor performance. Consequently, we conclude that the connection between non-financial reporting elements and quantitative standardized financial measures enhances transparency for professional investors. Private investors, on the other hand, reward additional taxonomy-aligned environmental information irrespective of its content. This implies that environmental information generally conveys positive signals to private investors, but uncertainty in investment judgment can be assumed.

Green Accounting Fails to Enhance Financial Performance in Indonesia

This study examines the impact of green accounting and company characteristics on financial performance through environmental disclosure for manufacturing and consumer goods companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2017-2020. Using a sample of 17 companies selected via purposive sampling, secondary data were analyzed with Partial Least Square (PLS). The results indicate that green accounting and company characteristics positively influence environmental disclosure, but do not affect financial performance through it. Additionally, environmental disclosure does not impact financial performance. These findings suggest that while environmental reporting is enhanced by green accounting and company traits, it does not directly improve financial outcomes. Highlight: Green accounting and company traits boost environmental disclosure. Environmental disclosure doesn’t affect financial performance. Focus: manufacturing and consumer goods firms on IDX (2017-2020). Keywords: Green Accounting, Environmental Disclosure, Financial Performance, Company Characteristics, IDX

Beyond transparency: Unpacking the financial effects of third-party environmental disclosure in China's semiconductor sector

This study aims to investigate the impact of third-party environmental information disclosure (EiD) on the corporate financial performance (CFP) of Chinese semiconductor companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2008 to 2022. Utilizing the two-way fixed effects model and method of moments quantile regression (MMQR), the results reveal that for each unit increase in third-party EiD index, there is a corresponding 0.87% increase in investments returns. However, this impact is moderated by the presence of female executives and strengthened by CEO political ties. The findings further identify financial constraints and green subsidies as mediating mechanisms, indicating that while financial constraints can deter third-party EiD adoption, green subsidies can facilitate it. High transparency does not always result in financial gains despite the general benefits. This study contributes to understanding the role of third-party EiD in driving corporate sustainability and provides empirical evidence regarding the financial and operational implications of voluntary engagement of the public in environmental governance. Such findings can inform corporate decision-making and policy formulation, encouraging more firms to participate in environmental regulation initiatives voluntarily.

The Effect of Environmental Costs, Environmental Disclosure, Environmental Performance, and Profitability on Firm Value

A company's worth is a key metric for maintaining its competitiveness in the face of fierce industry rivalry. The purpose of this study is to examine how firm value is impacted by environmental costs, environmental disclosure, environmental performance, and profitability. The study was conducted on companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2018 to 2022, employing purposive sampling to select 10 companies. Panel data regression analysis using Eviews 12 software was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that Environmental Costs do not influence Firm Value, whereas Environmental Disclosure and Environmental Performance do impact Firm Value. However, Profitability was found to have no effect on Firm Value. Based on the results of statistical tests and based on the discussion described in the previous chapter, the conclusions of this study are as follows: Environmental Cost does not affect firm value in industrial and chemical sector companies. The nature of environmental accounting disclosure is still voluntary.

Identifying Sustainability Efforts in Company’s Reports Using Text Mining and Machine Learning

This study delves into the utilization of text mining to scrutinize social and environmental reports of companies, showcasing its effectiveness in evaluation. It explores various text mining techniques and practically applies decision tree, k-nearest neighbors, and naïve Bayes methods. The paper offers guidance on extracting pertinent terms related to four CSR dimensions: Environment, Employee, Social responsibility, and Human rights. Results demonstrate the successful differentiation of text based on these dimensions, leveraging a CSR-relevant dictionary by Pencel and Malascue. Employing document classification techniques, the study constructs four models using distinct text mining approaches for comparative analysis. Through this research, the valuable role of text mining in assessing social and environmental disclosures is underscored, providing insights into optimizing these techniques for evaluations and emphasizing their potential to enhance understanding and decision-making in corporate social responsibility assessments. Keywords: sustainability, text mining, machine learning, Corporate Social Responsibility - CSR, environmental reports

Information acquisition or just going through the motions? Institutional investors' site visits and green innovation

AbstractThe importance of green innovation in global sustainable development is increasingly recognized. Literature has documented that enhancing external oversight can improve green innovation performance. However, few studies systematically investigate the relationship between external supervisory behavior and green innovation. This study employs a game‐theoretic model to examine the relationship between institutional investors' site visits (SVs) and green innovation. Using a unique dataset covering SVs from 2012 to 2021, empirical findings reveal that institutional investors' SVs are dramatically favorable to green innovation performance, particularly among stress‐resistant institutional investors. More broadly, SVs by institutional investors with higher shareholdings and stronger reputations exhibit a substantial response to green innovation. Similarly, institutional investors' SVs significantly boost the green innovation of firms with inadequate environmental disclosure. Additional analysis documents that the quality improvement of green innovation significantly increases after institutional investors conduct more than three SVs in a calendar year. This study proposes that policymakers should improve the institutional environment for site visits, and enterprises can strategically involve institutional investors to enhance external monitoring mechanisms. The theoretical and practical implications of this contribute to boosting green innovation capabilities.

Environmental disclosure analysis of manufacturing companies to realize sustainable green economy

Purpose: Environmental sustainability is a critical issue for many countries, including Indonesia, whose economy is heavily reliant on natural resource extraction. Profitability, liquidity, capital structure, and environmental performance are investigated as potential factors of environmental disclosure in the Indonesian context.Design/methodology/approach: Data from a final sample of 235 observations of manufacturing industries were collected and analyzed using a partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).Findings: The findings reveal that profitability, liquidity, capital structure, and environmental performance all have a role in motivating corporations to disclose their environmental responsibilities. This is because environmental disclosure can be utilized to attract new potential investors. As a result, the higher the score for environmental performance, the greater the voluntary effect of environmental disclosure.Research limitations/implications: This research is not devoid of limitations. First, this study is limited to manufacturing firms in Indonesia. Second, this research only uses a single proxy of measurement. Thus, further research might utilize more sample firms from multiple countries or provide a comparative study between firms that adopt sustainability reporting. Hence, the implication might apply to sustainability reporting-adopted countries, and it might apply not only to emerging countries but also to developed countries. Further research is expected to use more measurements of environmental performance and environmental disclosure so that the result is more robust and has more impact. Moreover, utilizing alternative statistical methods can help validate the results of this study and reinforce the relevant theories.Practical implications: This research recommends that businesses should view environmental sustainability as a chance to make a positive impact on a more sustainable world for the "well-being of humans as well as the planet" while also improving their financial performance. Businesses that adopt socially and sustainably responsible business practices are likely to see improvements in their financial performance as well as increased credibility and confidence from important stakeholders.Social Implications: Eco-friendly products desired by consumers can be achieved through the combined influence of financial and environmental performance.Originality/value: The incorporation of an unbiased evaluation carried out by an external organization, together with the transparent distribution of outcomes utilizing a five-color rating scheme (PROPER), provides significant contributions to the current corpus of knowledge.

Untying the nexus between environmental information disclosure, green finance, and green technological innovation: a multi-analytical (SEM-ANN) approach

Environmental information disclosure (EID) is integral to government environmental policies and corporate social responsibilities. The current research presents a theoretical model that analyses the connection between EID, green finance, and green technological innovation (GTI). The required data was collected through a structured questionnaire, and final data analysis was performed using 230 valid responses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) combined with artificial neural networks (ANN) is used in the present framework to analyze constructs’ linear and non-linear relationships. The empirical analysis found that government EID significantly improved the value of green securities (GS) and green credit (GC), aided considerably by enterprises’ openness about environmental practices. Green securities and GC are also used, which has a good impact on the development of GTI. Green financing is critical when linking environmental disclosure with green technologies in businesses. The results reveal the mediating role of GC and GS in the relationship between the two aspects of EIDs (EEID and GEID) and GTI, providing a new perspective on how EID influences GTI through financial mechanisms. The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between EID, green finance, and GTI, providing valuable insights for policymakers, businesses, and investors working toward sustainable development.

Revealing the contribution of corporate sustainability practices to financial performance: Case of BIST Sustainability 25 Index companies

The purpose of the paper is to study the impact of corporate sustainability practices on the financial performance of companies included in the BIST Sustainability 25 Index. To assess the efficiency and quality of corporate sustainability, general (ESG Disclosure Index) and partial (Environmental Disclosure Index, Social Disclosure Index, and Corporate Governance Disclosure Index) indices were used, calculated based on content analysis of sustainability reports. Based on the two given types of indices and four types of financial performance indicators (return on assets, return on equity, assets turnover ratio, and Tobin’s Q), two types of regression models (GEN models and PART models) were built, and eight analytical models were examined. Company size and leverage were included as control variables in each model. The regression analysis results were contradictory, partially confirming the conclusions of some scientists and refuting the findings of others. A study of GEN models revealed that companies implementing more effective general corporate sustainability practices have a significant positive impact only on return on equity; as for other measures (return on assets, assets turnover ratio, and Tobin’s Q), an insignificant relationship between them and ESG Disclosure Index was found. Results of the PART models analysis revealed a significant positive effect of the Social Disclosure Index on return on equity and assets turnover ratio and a negative relationship between the Corporate Governance Disclosure Index and assets turnover ratio. Using control variables for the two types of models showed a significant negative effect of company size on Tobin’s Q. AcknowledgmentThis study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine within the project “Development of a mechanism for the sustainable development of economic systems in the conditions of military operations and post-war recovery of the economy” (Registration number of the project: 0124U000463).