Spanish companies’ website communication of environmental, social, and governance information

Abstract

This study’s goal is to analyze the website communication of environmental, social, and governance –Environmental Social Governance (ESG)– information by companies on the Madrid Stock Exchange. The empirical descriptive and inferential analysis determines IBEX35 companies’ regulatory compliance in disclosure of non-financial information through examination of their website disclosure of ESG information. Economic-financial information from the Iberian Balance Sheet Analysis System (Sistema de Análisis de Balances Ibéricos (SABI)) database was also used to investigate whether the firms that communicate this information better are also more economically efficient. The study results reveal that IBEX35 companies’ website disclosure provides heterogeneous information that is difficult to access and that they need to improve website transparency by communicating sound, sustainable non-financial reports. Further, a significant correlation was found between the companies that disclose the most ESG information and those that have the highest economic profitability –that is, those that are best adapted to the Spanish legal system and compatible with the challenges established by the UN’s Agenda 2030.