The evolution of corporate social responsibility disclosure and its relationship with the sustainable development goals

Abstract

The information needs of stakeholders have changed significantly over the years with the growing environmental awareness of society. This led to considerable changes in companies’ behavior due to the information needs of the various stakeholders focused on environmental and social performance. Regulation on corporate social responsibility disclosure, usually designated by non-financial reporting, evolved to promote comparability and relevant information on these matters. In this book chapter, we review the main standards and regulatory initiatives that have been undertaken by several international organisations. We also analyse the disclosure of social and environmental indicators by Portuguese-listed companies in the pulp, paper, and paperboard sector, between 2017 and 2019, and their contribution to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).Results reveal a high disclosure of environmental information, which may be associated with the increased social scrutiny that companies in this sector have in these matters, and a strong connection between the indicators disclosed in terms of sustainability reporting and the SDG to which companies commit themselves. This book chapter should be particularly useful to early career economic and management researchers seeking to better understand the evolution of non-financial reporting disclosed by companies and its relationship with SDG.