An assessment of integrated sustainability reporting in JSE-listed tourism and leisure companies using the global reporting initiative (GRI)

Abstract

South African companies have used the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as a sustainability reporting tool to assist in the transparency of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) data in their integrated reporting. They have a responsibility to the environment which their products are derived from and a social obligation to the communities in which they provide services, furthermore they need to report these ESG attributes in an accountable and transparent manner for stakeholders to make accurate and well-informed decisions. The study assesses integrated sustainability reporting using the GRI in the Tourism and Leisure Sector in South Africa over a three-year period, from 2016 to 2018. The study focuses on 11 Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies and their 33 Integrated Annual Reports (IARs) and/or Sustainability Reports (SRs) in the Tourism and Leisure Sector. The results and findings have contributed to the increased knowledge of sustainability reporting within the South African context. The results indicated that the GRI was seen as an effective tool for companies taking the initial step in understanding sustainable reporting but tended to lose its effectiveness in the long run, as it had the potential to be a manipulative tool to push the companies’ agenda which might not align with the principles of the GRI or the tool it was meant to be used for.