ifkad articles

Biodiversity Reporting in the Agri-food Sector: Bridging the Gap Between Accountability and Disclosure

Martina Panero, Paola De Bernardi, Canio Forliano

This paper addresses the urgent need to understand and address the profound reasons of corporate activities on biodiversity and natural capital. Despite the significant reliance of various sectors on natural resources, corporate accountability for biodiversity remains understudied, particularly within the agrifood industry. This study aims to fill this gap by examining corporate reporting practices, motivations, and challenges related to biodiversity conservation. Through two case studies in the coffee sector, the research explores the perspectives of business managers and analyses sustainability reports and company websites. The study employs a qualitative content analysis, using a biodiversity disclosure index to evaluate the comprehensiveness of companies’ disclosures. Additionally, interviews with managers provide insights into their attitudes towards biodiversity and the strategies driving corporate involvement in biodiversity reporting. By triangulating primary and secondary data, the research sheds light on the extent to which companies genuinely address biodiversity conservation in their operations. The results reveal biodiversity as a longstanding focal point for these companies. While strategic initiatives aimed at environmental protection indeed underscore the genuine accountability of these companies in biodiversity matters, their disclosures remain superficial. This limitation hampers a comprehensive understanding of corporate commitments as quantitative and verifiable data are lacking. This study contributes to the emerging field of biodiversity accounting and reporting by providing empirical evidence from the agrifood sector and advancing theoretical understanding surrounding biodiversity disclosure.

IN: Proceedings IFKAD 2024 – Translating Knowledge into Innovation Dynamics
PP: 1448-1467