Corporate environmental non-reporting - a UK FTSE 350 perspective

Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 24, Issue 11

Martin A.D., Hadley D.J. Business Strategy and the Environment, May 2008, Vol. 17 No. 4, Start page: 245, No of pages: 15

Purpose – To establish why companies do not issue environmental reports. Design/methodology/approach – Focuses on UK FTSE 350 companies,observes that some European countries require certain companies to publish environmental reports, conducts a brief review of papers studying reasons for voluntary environmental reporting, and refers to a challenge made by Prime Minister Blair to all FTSE 350 companies to publish environmental reports by 2001. Analyses and compares questionnaire responses of 74 reporting and 42 non-reporting companies, noting that some companies refused to respond as they thought environmental reporting was not relevant or did not apply to them. Findings – Tables both reporting and non-reporting respondents’ use of internal and certified environmental management systems, environmental accounting, management accounting for environmental issues and environmental benchmarking, gives results by industry sector, indicates which are FTSE 100 companies, and lists reasons for non-reporting as senior manager doubt about the benefits, no legal requirement, data collection effort being too great, no effect of publishing a report on sales, too expensive, choice of indicators too difficult, no stakeholder interest, competitors not publishing, other and better ways to communicate performance, threat of litigation, and reputation-related issues. Originality/value – Confirms that absence of a legal requirement is the principle for not reporting. ISSN: 0964-4733 Reference: 37AM010

Keywords: Corporate communications, Environmental management, Environmental politics, Reports