Sustainability in the Waste Management Sector: An Analysis through the GRI Reports

Abstract

This work aims to determine if the characteristics of the sustainability reports issued by companies in the waste management sector of the European Union in their GRI reports are influenced by the particularities of these companies. Specifically, we study their location (country), the type of company, whether it is listed on a stock market, and its size and explain the relationships between sustainability GRI reports and these variables. The waste management sector is highly relevant in achieving sustainability objectives. Therefore, this paper is focused on studying the factors that determine the disclosure level of the sustainability reports of European companies in this sector. The background shows how certain factors that characterize the companies that issue sustainability reports influence the level of transparency or voluntary disclosure and the reports’ characteristics. Specifically, much of the research finds evidence that relates these aspects to factors such as the country in which the company is located, its size, its public or private nature, or the fact that the company is listed on a stock exchange, characteristics that are analyzed in this study. A statistical study is carried out on the reports reported in the GRI database for a sample of all the European companies in the waste management sector through the statistical technique of Chi-square contrast on the independence of variables, adjusted standardized residual analysis, and logistic regression model. The factors analyzed have been determined based on the experience of previous studies. This is the case of the country variable that has been characterized based on Hofstede´s dimensions. The results show that the factors analyzed are consistent and influence some of the elements selected for the characterization of the reports. Specifically, the type of report, its level of adherence, the inclusion of the OECD guidelines, the mention of the UNGC pact, or the existence of external verification depends on the company´s characteristics. Furthermore, the explanatory analysis was done by running a logistic regression model, allowing us to add knowledge to the current process of sustainability standardization and to explain the differences in sustainability information in a sector crucial for the circular economy.

Keywords

• GRI
• Sustainability reporting
• Waste management
• Corporate social responsibility