Without sanctions, making companies disclose their environmental and social impacts has limited effect

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:42:28 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/without-sanctions-making-companies-disclose-their-environmental-and-social-impacts-has-limited-effect-237656>

"As of last year, New Zealand’s largest companies and financial institutions
have been required to disclose their climate-related risks and opportunities in
their annual reports and regulatory filings.

This follows a global trend for businesses to be more upfront about their
social and environmental impact. Companies are increasingly expected to provide
safe and environmentally friendly products, and ensure all their activities are
socially and environmentally responsible.

But does requiring businesses to report these things actually push them to make
better decisions around climate and sustainability? While it is too early to
tell from the New Zealand experience, a decade of data from Europe offers a
better insight.

Our new research examining the effect of the European Union’s sustainability
reporting regulation (Directive 2014/95/EU) on business performance suggests
reporting is not always enough.

If New Zealand (and other countries) want businesses to take their impact on
the climate seriously, our research suggests reporting requirements need to
include sanctions for companies that fail to achieve basic environmental
standards."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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