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Carbon Emissions by South American Companies: Driving Factors for Reporting Decisions and Emissions Reduction

Author

Listed:
  • Carmen Córdova

    (Department of Business Sciences, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano alto s/n, Loja 11-01-608, Ecuador)

  • Ana Zorio-Grima

    (Department of Accounting, Universitat de València, Av. Tarongers, s/n, 46071 Valencia, Spain)

  • Paloma Merello

    (Department of Accounting, Universitat de València, Av. Tarongers, s/n, 46071 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

In the last decade, companies have started to disclose information on carbon emissions. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to look into this phenomenon in South America, which is a very important geographical area regarding climate change because of the local nature and developing economies. This paper explores the relationships between some corporate variables and two important decisions: (i) whether to report carbon emissions, and (ii) the impact on the evolution of carbon emissions. Logit and linear panel data models are used to determine the driving factors for decisions (i) and (ii). Our results show that regarding the carbon reporting decision, a company’s size, sustainability reporting, existence of a sustainability committee, and whether it belongs to a certain sector (telecom, utilities, and consumer discretionary) are significant positive factors, whereas the country is a negatively significant factor if the company is based in either Chile or Peru. Regarding the factors that lead to more sustainable behavior, our results reveal that a company’s size, the existence of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee, and the disclosure of a sustainability report lead to a decrease in emissions levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Carmen Córdova & Ana Zorio-Grima & Paloma Merello, 2018. "Carbon Emissions by South American Companies: Driving Factors for Reporting Decisions and Emissions Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2411-:d:157299
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maria Ángeles Alcaide González & Elena De La Poza Plaza & Natividad Guadalajara Olmeda, 2020. "The impact of corporate social responsibility transparency on the financial performance, brand value, and sustainability level of IT companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 642-654, March.
    3. Yu, Lu & Liu, Yinwei & Niu, Yiran & Xiao, Zumian, 2023. "Greener together: The impact of China's mixed-ownership reform on firm carbon emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    4. Renato Garzón-Jiménez & Ana Zorio-Grima, 2021. "Effects of Carbon Emissions, Environmental Disclosures and CSR Assurance on Cost of Equity in Emerging Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-11, January.
    5. Xinguang Li & Tong Lv & Jun Zhan & Shen Wang & Fuquan Pan, 2022. "Carbon Emission Measurement of Urban Green Passenger Transport: A Case Study of Qingdao," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Merello, Paloma & Barberá, Antonio & la Poza, Elena De, 2022. "Is the sustainability profile of FinTech companies a key driver of their value?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    7. Antonio J. Mateo-Márquez & José M. González-González & Constancio Zamora-Ramírez, 2021. "Components of Countries’ Regulative Dimensions and Voluntary Carbon Disclosures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-22, February.
    8. Córdova Román, Carmen & Zorio-Grima, Ana & Merello, Paloma, 2021. "Economic development and CSR assurance: Important drivers for carbon reporting… yet inefficient drivers for carbon management?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    9. Fernández-Vázquez, José-Santiago & Sancho-Rodríguez, Ángel, 2020. "Critical discourse analysis of climate change in IBEX 35 companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

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