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Financial materiality in the informativeness of sustainability reporting

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  • Eduardo Schiehll
  • Sam Kolahgar

Abstract

This study examines whether financial materiality in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure benefits the stock market by increasing the amount of accessible and relevant firm‐specific information. Based on the value relevance of information and the principle of financial materiality, we demonstrate that disclosing material ESG information increases stock price informativeness. We conduct an automated content analysis of 150,000 electronic documents filed by firms listed on the S&P/TSX Composite Index from 1999 to the end of 2014. Our findings show that ESG disclosure is indeed value relevant for investors and that financial materiality in ESG disclosure leads to more informative stock prices. In addition, the effect of ESG disclosure on stock price informativeness differs across the ESG components, being more sensitive to the social component. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability reporting, and in particular to the ongoing discussion about whether the financial materiality of ESG issues matters. This study also deepens the understanding of agency theory predictions about the economic effects of ESG disclosure.

Suggested Citation

  • Eduardo Schiehll & Sam Kolahgar, 2021. "Financial materiality in the informativeness of sustainability reporting," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 840-855, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:30:y:2021:i:2:p:840-855
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2657
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    2. Jun Xie & Yoshitaka Tanaka & Alexander Ryota Keeley & Hidemichi Fujii & Shunsuke Managi, 2023. "Do investors incorporate financial materiality? Remapping the environmental information in corporate sustainability reporting," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 2924-2952, November.
    3. Wang, Kai & Li, Tingting & San, Ziyao & Gao, Hao, 2023. "How does corporate ESG performance affect stock liquidity? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    4. Iulia Lupu & Gheorghe Hurduzeu & Radu Lupu, 2022. "How Is the ESG Reflected in European Financial Stability?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Srikanth Potharla & Neeraj Kumar & Pooja Choudhary & Surya Kumari Turubilli, 2024. "Is ESG Data Financially Viable? A Case of Stock Price Synchronicity," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 49(1), pages 62-81, February.
    6. Akrum Helfaya & Rebecca Morris & Ahmed Aboud, 2023. "Investigating the Factors That Determine the ESG Disclosure Practices in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-23, March.
    7. Xin Wang & Xiayun Song & Mingyang Sun, 2023. "How Does a Company’s ESG Performance Affect the Issuance of an Audit Opinion? The Moderating Role of Auditor Experience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Clea Beatriz Macagnan & Rosane Maria Seibert, 2021. "Sustainability Indicators: Information Asymmetry Mitigators between Cooperative Organizations and Their Primary Stakeholders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Falko Paetzold & Timo Busch & Sebastian Utz & Anne Kellers, 2022. "Between impact and returns: Private investors and the sustainable development goals," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3182-3197, November.
    10. Guler Aras & Evrim Hacioglu Kazak, 2022. "Enhancing Firm Value through the Lens of ESG Materiality: Evidence from the Banking Sector in OECD Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-29, November.

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