Do SDGs Really Matter for Business? Using GRI Sustainability Reporting to Answer the Question

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present an opportunity for companies to address the world’s biggest sustainable development challenges. In doing so, SDGs require companies to integrate sustainability into their strategic decisions, making stakeholders aware about the corporate contribution to SDGs. To this aim, according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, corporate sustainability reporting is a powerful tool to explain if SDGs really matter to the private sector and in what ways companies effectively contribute to them. The paper analyses SDG reporting practices of a sample of companies of different sizes operating in the tourism sector. The aim of the analysis is to seize how companies identify relevant sustainability challenges and set SDGs priorities. Findings reveal that despite companies cite SDGs in their reports, they do not explain how significant sustainability initiatives shape the business contribution to SDGs.  The study adds to the literature on corporate SDGs reporting by highlighting the need for a practical approach to guide companies towards transparency in sustainability reporting about their relevant contribution to the Agenda 2030.