Sustainable Development and European Banks: A Non-Financial Disclosure Analysis

Simona Cosma, Andrea Venturelli, Paola Schwizer and Vittorio Boscia
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Simona Cosma: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, n.7, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Andrea Venturelli: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, n.7, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Paola Schwizer: Department of Economics, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Vittorio Boscia: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, n.7, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: This paper aims at contributing to the debate on the relationships between the European financial sector and sustainable development. Using a non-financial disclosure analysis of 262 European banks, the research sought, first, to investigate the “scope” of the contribution of European banks to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, second, to explore the factors that seem to differentiate the SDGs approach among banks. The results show that country of origin, legal system, and adoption of an integrated report seem to differentiate banks in terms of contribution to the SDGs. The business model and stock exchange listing, conversely, do not seem to represent discriminatory factor in the contribution of banks toward the SDGs. The study can be useful for managers and decision makers to develop policies to support organizations in contributing to the SDGs.

Keywords: sustainable development goals; SDG reporting; 2030 agenda; European banks; non-financial disclosure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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