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Exploring sustainable development goals reporting practices: From symbolic to substantive approaches—Evidence from the energy sector

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  • Francesca Manes‐Rossi
  • Giuseppe Nicolo'

Abstract

Based on the legitimacy theory, the study enhances the understanding of disclosure practices of European companies operating in the energy sector regarding the adherence to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Toward this end, the study analyses how SDGs reporting is evolving and what are the most addressed SDGs in the context of European energy sector companies. The paper's ultimate contribution is to dive deep into how such companies disclose their contributions to the SDGs to determine whether they adopt a substantive or merely symbolic approach to corporate legitimacy. To address the research objectives, a content analysis has been performed on non‐financial reports published by a sample of 15 European energy sector companies included in the Global Reporting Initiative database as SDGs reporters for the period 2017–2019. Our findings suggest that while SDGs are becoming an integral part of corporate disclosure, symbolic rather than substantial changes appear to prevail, calling for actions from legislators and policy‐makers.

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  • Francesca Manes‐Rossi & Giuseppe Nicolo', 2022. "Exploring sustainable development goals reporting practices: From symbolic to substantive approaches—Evidence from the energy sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1799-1815, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:29:y:2022:i:5:p:1799-1815
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2328
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    3. Thanya Weerasinghe & Dileepa Samudrage & Nuwan Gunarathne, 2023. "The influence of top management team diversity on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reporting: Evidence from Sri Lanka," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5922-5934, December.
    4. Jonathan Taglialatela & Kevin Pirazzi Maffiola & Roberto Barontini & Francesco Testa, 2023. "Board of Directors' characteristics and environmental SDGs adoption: an international study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2490-2506, September.
    5. Giovanni Zampone & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Giuseppe Sannino, 2023. "Imitation is the sincerest form of institutionalization: Understanding the effects of imitation and competitive pressures on the reporting of sustainable development goals in an international context," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4119-4142, November.
    6. Veltri, Stefania & Bruni, Maria Elena & Iazzolino, Gianpaolo & Morea, Donato & Baldissarro, Giovanni, 2023. "Do ESG factors improve utilities corporate efficiency and reduce the risk perceived by credit lending institutions? An empirical analysis," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Kyoko Sasaki & Wendy Stubbs & Megan Farrelly, 2023. "The relationship between corporate purpose and the sustainable development goals in large Japanese companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2475-2489, September.

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