Voluntary Disclosure of Carbon Emissions Information, Managerial Ability, and Credit Ratings

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information and credit ratings, and whether managerial ability affects this association. I examine a sample of 7996 non-financial companies with fiscal year-end in December listed in the Korea Stock Exchange Market (KSE) for the period of 2011–2019. Using CDP reports to measure the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information, this study reports that, on average, credit ratings can be increased through the proactive disclosure activities of environmental problems in South Korea. Moreover, in companies managed by competent managers, the positive association between the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information and credit ratings is pronounced, implying that competent managers encourage the disclosure of qualitative information to assess the intrinsic corporate value. These results are robust even after analyses with different empirical models.