External Communication About Sustainability: Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and Social Media Activity

ABSTRACT

External communication about corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability activities may vary significantly across firms. Communication channel, content, and frequency may reflect a company’s resource allocation priorities, its culture, and its leadership in the sustainability domain. This empirical research compares n = 11 global consumer apparel companies, with brands ranging from Adidas to Prada to Wrangler, in terms of their communication about CSR and sustainability in both formal outlets (annual CSR reports), informal channels (Twitter and Facebook social media), and voluntary participation in external rankings (the Global Reporting Initiative). In addition, the sample is divided into “High-Ranked” and “Low-Ranked” subsamples, using Newsweek’s Greenest Companies 2014 rankings, to examine if companies ranked highly by Newsweek communicate more often and display higher levels of engagement in sustainability reporting, compared to low-ranked firms. Results provide support for our research propositions. We conclude with recommendations for companies seeking to strengthen their CSR external communication.

KEYWORDS:

• External communication
• corporate social responsibility
• sustainability
• social media

Acknowledgements

The comments and suggestions from Environmental Communication’s editor and reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 21^st annual International Association of Jesuit Business Schools World Forum, Montevideo, Uruguay, July 2015.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.