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Corporate Carbon Emission and Financial Performance: Does Carbon Disclosure Mediate the Relationship in the UK?

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  • Yang Stephanie Liu

    (Keele Management School, Keele University)

  • Xiaoyan Zhou

    (ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

  • Jessica Yang

    (Henley Business School, University of Reading)

  • Andreas Hoepner

    (ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading)

Abstract

Academic debate relating to the link between corporate environmental disclosures, environmental performance and financial performance is persistent and controversial. In this paper, we investigate whether and if so, how, carbon emission performance is related to corporate financial performance and how disclosures of carbon emission in the annual and standalone reports mediate such relationship. Specifically, we construct a 42-item disclosure index to quantify the quality of corporate carbon emission information of 62 FTSE 100 companies from the period of 2010 to 2012. We find that while carbon emission is negatively associated with financial performance, it is positively related to the level of carbon disclosures which is significantly and positively related to financial performance. The findings show that market responses to excessive carbon emission; however, companies with poor carbon performance tend to use disclosure strategically to manage the legitimacy threat and to reduce the information asymmetry.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Stephanie Liu & Xiaoyan Zhou & Jessica Yang & Andreas Hoepner, 2016. "Corporate Carbon Emission and Financial Performance: Does Carbon Disclosure Mediate the Relationship in the UK?," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2016-03, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    • Handle: RePEc:rdg:icmadp:icma-dp2016-03
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    2. My Hanh Doan & Remmer Sassen, 2020. "The relationship between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: A meta‐analysis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1140-1157, October.

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