Resumo

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has been proven to be the primary cause of global warming. Corporations can be both causes and solutions for carbon emissions, which should be responsible for reducing their negative impact on the environment. However, Corporations vary substantially in the way they prioritize either reactive solutions or proactive approaches to climate change. voluntary initiatives, such as the nonprofit CDP, have emerged on the international level and put pressure on companies to report their efforts and performance regarding GHG emissions.

Obtaining A grade in the CDP is being compared by some experts as the Oscar for Sustainability. The A list is awaited every year with expectations and more understanding why the CDP is arousing so much interest in companies that are reporting their carbon emissions is the objective of this study. Questions: 1) What have been the themes highlighted in published research that addresses the CDP or voluntary reporting of carbon emissions? 2) What are the current topics being discussed? 3) What are the main research trends in academic publications and what are the opportunities for future research?

Financial institutions can play an essential role in encouraging CSR reporting and other initiatives since there is growing political and economic prominence in terms of climate change and the commitment to a lower-carbon future (Kuo et al., 2012; Noronha et al., 2012). The largest effort of institutional investors has been the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which was launched in 2000 to achieve two objectives: to inform managers about investors’ concerns about climate change and to provide investors with information about firms’ risks associated with climate change (Stanny and Ely, 2008).

Bibliometric analysis involving quantitative techniques (performance analysis and scientific mapping). Exploratory work that identified 491 publications in Web of Science (WoS), refined to 300 and upload in VOSviewer. The analysis was triangulated with a systematic literature review (SLR), aiming to investigate qualitatively. Followed by content analysis and data interpretation using sensemaking techniques to transform descriptive data into proactive information insights for future research aimed at the theory and practice of the field.

The results indicate that interest in CDP is growing and current. Among the 300 identified publications, 62% were in the recent years (2019 to 2023). Five clusters of studies were identified in the scientific mapping of keyword co-occurrence analysis. This map encourages researchers to highlight the connection between the dominant theme and the emerging subfields of study like: governance, firm performance, social responsibility, gender diversity, cost, strategy, supply chain management, policy, self-regulation, legitimacy, firm value, risk, market, politics, and stakeholder theory.

Based on literature in the area and scientific mapping, the main answers are related to: 1) Stakeholders are demanding more transparency, and companies themselves are under increasing pressure to demonstrate a commitment to corporate responsibility 2) A penalty is do not disclose carbon emission; 3) Dynamic business models; 4) positive relationship to financial performance; 5) Company’s image 6) energy costs 7) risks related to climate change; 8) attractive options for climate-conscious investors.

Ben‐Amar, W., & McIlkenny, P. (2015). Board effectiveness and the voluntary disclosure of climate change information. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(8), 704-719. Hahn, R., Reimsbach, D., & Schiemann, F. (2015). Organizations, climate change, and transparency: Reviewing the literature on carbon disclosure. Organization & Environment, 28(1), 80-102.] Mukherjee, D., Lim, W. M., Kumar, S., & Donthu, N. (2022). Guidelines for advancing theory and practice through bibliometric research. Journal of Business Research, 148,101-115.