Why are ecological problems increasing when corporate sustainability practices are significantly growing? A planetary boundaries perspective of the Swedish food retail market’s sustainability reporting

Abstract

Background and Problem: The environmental debate has increased in society for the last couple of years and the main focus has been on climate change and carbon dioxide emissions. The concern has led to an increase of sustainability practices among companies and new directives from policymakers. Despite the increased concern, the status of earth systems are still worsening. The alarming status has been described in the research about planetary boundaries. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to receive a better understanding of what improvements are necessary in order to achieve better ecological sustainability in the Swedish food retail market. More specifically, the research aims to examine to what extent the two planetary boundaries biosphere integrity and biogeochemical flows are integrated in the selected companies ecological sustainability information. Method and Theory: The sustainability reports and the alternative sources were analysed through the consolidated interrogation model (CONI), which combines both the quantitative and the qualitative method. The two theories, impression management and stakeholder theory, are presented to explain underlying forces affecting the companies’ operation. Information about sustainability reporting, the Swedish law and the Global Reporting Initiative, are included to provide background information about mandatory demands and voluntary guidelines. Lastly, previous research is presented to provide the reader with an overview of earlier findings concerning the topic of the planetary boundaries. Findings: The quantitative results show that all companies cover at least one of the two planetary boundaries to some extent. The qualitative results indicate that there is a lack of numeric measurements and to some extent a lack of explanatory descriptions of the boundaries. The two examined boundaries are not considered to be cared for in a reasonable proportion to the food industry’s severe and alarming impacts, especially when comparing findings between the two boundaries and the alternative category climate change. The results can be explained by what the media highlights, since such information leads to what is considered to be general knowledge concerning ecological issues. If it is considered general knowledge, the possibility that stakeholders will put pressure on the companies to act on the matter increases. Furthermore, the findings show that sustainability information can be presented in a favorable way that influences stakeholders perception of corporate sustainability achievements.