Research on Voluntary Carbon Information Disclosure Mechanism of Enterprises from the Perspective of Stakeholders—A Case Study on the Automobile Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

As the primary source of carbon emissions, enterprises must work hard to save energy, reduce emissions, and disclose timely carbon information to the public. As a key means of communicating carbon management performance to stakeholders, carbon information disclosure is directly tied to the future sustainability of enterprises. Based on panel data of 118 listed firms in the automotive manufacturing industry from 2017 to 2021, this study rates the sample companies’ quality of carbon information disclosure. The impact of the government, creditors, media, employees, and suppliers on such disclosure is also examined from the stakeholders’ standpoint. The findings reveal that: (1) Although there has been a gradual increase in the degree of disclosure, overall levels are still low, and the willingness to voluntarily disclose is insufficient. (2) When other variables are neglected, the government, creditors, media, and employees all assist enterprises in disclosing carbon information, but the influence of suppliers will inhibit such disclosure. In the context of a complex economic system, the level of carbon disclosure is positively correlated with the government, the media, and employees, while negatively correlated with creditors. The influence of suppliers is not significant. These findings may aid in formulating related policies from different dimensions, directing enterprises to publish carbon information actively and strengthening carbon management.