Sustainability reporting in pandemics: Theoretical development of guidelines for improved reporting

Given the pervasive effects that COVID-19 and previous pandemics had on companies, the purpose of this study was to develop pandemic-related sustainability reporting guidelines to improve corporate reporting. Pandemic-related reporting was found to be a necessary part of companies’ sustainability disclosure. However, this is not required by any South African or international sustainability framework scrutinised by the researchers. Literature proves the wide-ranging effects of pandemics on companies’ sustainability, though current reporting practices are lacking. The researchers consequently developed corporate reporting guidelines that specifically require and formalise pandemic-related disclosure, through applying grounded theory. With the lack of pandemic-related reporting requirements in existing corporate sustainability frameworks, this study is the first, according to the researchers’ knowledge, to propose corporate reporting guidelines to inform stakeholders of companies’ sustainability regarding pandemics. Framework setters could use these guidelines by incorporating it into existing reporting requirements. The guidelines serve to encourage pandemic-related disclosure by companies with a genuine interest in sustainability. Such disclosure would provide important information for stakeholders, especially given the recurring yet unprecedented nature of pandemics.