Apples to apples : Accurately assessing corporate carbon performance

Title data

Bendig, David ; Schulz, Colin ; Erbar, Florent ; Heubeck, Tim:
Apples to apples : Accurately assessing corporate carbon performance.
In: Journal of Cleaner Production. Vol. 486 (2025) . - 144338.
ISSN 0959-6526
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.144338

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

Despite a rapidly growing interest in corporate carbon performance (CCP), no consensus exists about how CCP should be defined and operationalized. Inconsistent interpretations have led to divergent research results and differing practical applications. Based on a systematic literature review, this study develops a definition of CCP incorporating three components: carbon usage (absolute emissions), carbon intensity (relative emissions), and carbon assessment metrics (across peer, past, and target benchmarks). Using panel data with 9403 firm-year observations from Standard & Poor's 1500 firms from 2011 to 2019, two fundamental issues for consistent CCP operationalization are examined. First, three benchmark types for carbon assessment are discussed. These are competitors, previous emissions, and global reduction targets. Recommendations for operationalizing them are developed. Second, the differences in data quality for verified, self-reported, and estimated data are quantified. This study concludes by discussing the differences between CCP metrics, including the unique information each metric conveys about a different aspect of CCP. This study provides a framework and clear methodological guidelines to improve the comparability and consistency of future CCP assessments by scholars and practitioners.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	Corporate carbon performance; Greenhouse gas emissions; Measurement comparability; Panel and pooled analysis; CSR; Natural environment
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration > Chair Business Administration IX - International Management > Chair Business Administration IX - International Management - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Reinhard Meckl
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
Date Deposited:	13 Jan 2025 07:58
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2025 07:58
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/91530