Einde inhoudsopgave
Sustainability Reporting in capital markets: A Black Box? (ZIFO nr. 30) 2022/1.3.1.1
1.3.1.1 Two leading European countries: Sweden and the Netherlands. A mandatory approach to sustainability reporting
A. Duarte Correia, datum 20-11-2019
- Datum
20-11-2019
- Auteur
A. Duarte Correia
- JCDI
JCDI:ADS169075:1
- Vakgebied(en)
Financieel recht / Bank- en effectenrecht
Ondernemingsrecht / Jaarrekeningenrecht
Voetnoten
Voetnoten
See, detailed description of the Swedish and Dutch state of the art of sustainability reporting in chapter 3. The comparison of their initiatives is provided in chapter 4.
I conducted my PhD research at the VU Amsterdam in the Netherlands in English, I am familiar with the Dutch language and have easy access and professional support in any translation eventually needed. As for the Swedish language, I also have easy access and professional support in any translation needed but most importantly all relevant official Swedish documents are available in English in the websites of the Swedish Government. Regarding the choice of Brazil, Portuguese is my mother tongue which contributed to gaining full access to all the information needed. As for the US, the fact that I am proficient in English eliminated any potential barrier to understanding the relevant documentation and gathering information in the US. Finally, the more favorable political context both in Brazil and in the US contributed to expecting a more favorable future for sustainability reporting and therefore, highly contributed to this choice.
Sweden and the Netherlands are amongst the frontrunners in the development and implementation of mandatory sustainability reporting.1 The most significant mandatory developments concerning sustainability reporting in the world are registered, since the 1990s, in the northern European countries. Robert Gray et al. (1996) stated precisely that, as translated below.
By the mi-1990s, regulations requiring corporate disclosure of both financial and non- financial details about the environment were emerging from Denmark, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. This was providing an inexorable impetus to the inevitability of company environmental reporting. (p. 169)
This is the main reason for the country selection. Among others, the proximity of the countries, the language2 and openness of these countries by sharing information contributed to this choice.