Corporate Sustainability Disclosure in Emerging Markets

Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Practices in Emerging MarketsIII. FindingsA. Disclosure Indicators and Overall ResultsTable 2 lists the 20 disclosure items selected for this study. The indicators are arranged intothree categories: environmental (five indicators), social (five) and governance (10). Thenumber of companies disclosing in each category is listed in the column next to eachindicator. As reflected in Table 2 below, governance structures and board committees wasthe most commonly reported indicator among the companies studied (96 percent), followedby employee wages and benefits with breakdowns by employment type and gender (90percent) and risk management objectives (88 percent). The 10 governance metrics overallaveraged the highest reporting rates (72.7 percent). Another social indicator, total workforce composition by employment type, contract status and gender, also had a highdisclosure rate (83 percent).Table 2. Number of Companies Disclosing Information on each IndicatorIndicatorEnvironmentalNumber ofcompaniesEnergy use 39Water consumption 34Global warming contribution 30Material efficiency 27Waste generated 23SocialEmployee wages and benefits with breakdown by employment type and gender 90Total work force with breakdown by employment type, employment contract and gender 83Average hours of training per year per employee broken down by employee category 26Work days lost due to occupational accidents, injuries and illness 24Percentage of employees covered by collective agreements 14GovernanceGovernance structures, such as committees and other mechanisms to prevent conflict ofinterestRisk management objectives, system and activities 88Ownership structure 87Internal control systems 86Availability and accessibility of meeting agenda 84Process for holding annual general meetings 68Performance evaluation process 66Existence of procedure(s) for addressing conflicts of interest among board members 54The decision making process for approving transactions with related parties 53Policy on whistleblower protection for all employees 45Source: UNCTAD96December 2009 - 11