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The legislation of environmental disclosures in three Nordic countries—a comparison

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  • Siv Nyquist

Abstract

This paper compares the legislation in Denmark, Norway and Sweden concerning what kind of environmental information firms must disclose. These three Nordic countries have great similarities regarding accounting legislation and standards. However, Denmark has chosen a different way to force firms to disclose their environmental performance compared with Norway and Sweden. Danish firms must deliver separate ‘green accounts’, while Norwegian and Swedish firms are bound to report on environmental issues in the administrative report. The Norwegian and Swedish firms' information mainly addresses the financial consequences of environmental impact and the Norwegian legislation is also found to be more extensive than the Swedish legislation. The information from the Danish firms addresses society in general. The comparison indicates some interesting topics for further analysis, e.g. how the extensive demands in Norway for information about products' impacts when discharged may be fulfilled. As a background for this comparison, an outline of the discussions about voluntary versus regulated environmental information is given as well as an overview of some international standards and recommendations concerning firms' environmental disclosures. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.

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  • Siv Nyquist, 2003. "The legislation of environmental disclosures in three Nordic countries—a comparison," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 12-25, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:12:y:2003:i:1:p:12-25
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.344
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    10. Ali M Gerged & Christopher J Cowton & Eshani S Beddewela, 2018. "Towards Sustainable Development in the Arab Middle East and North Africa Region: A Longitudinal Analysis of Environmental Disclosure in Corporate Annual Reports," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 572-587, May.
    11. Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez, 2018. "Assessing corporate environmental issues in international companies: A study of explanatory factors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1284-1294, December.
    12. Jason Chi‐hin Chan & Richard Welford, 2005. "Assessing corporate environmental risk in China: an evaluation of reporting activities of Hong Kong listed enterprises," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), pages 88-104, June.
    13. Matthias S. Fifka & Maria Drabble, 2012. "Focus and Standardization of Sustainability Reporting – A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Finland," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(7), pages 455-474, November.
    14. Holm, Claus & Rikhardsson, Pall, 2006. "Experienced and Novice Investors: Does Environmental Information Influence on Investment Allocation Decisions?," Financial Reporting Research Group Working Papers R-2006-02, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Business Studies.
    15. Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen & Peter Neergaard & Janni Thusgaard Pedersen & Wencke Gwozdz, 2013. "Conformance and Deviance: Company Responses to Institutional Pressures for Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(6), pages 357-373, September.
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    17. Fallan, Even & Fallan, Lars, 2019. "Corporate tax behaviour and environmental disclosure: Strategic trade-offs across elements of CSR?," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(3).

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