Think sustainability: A comparative analysis on the sustainable development efforts and accomplishments of Philippine publicly listed entities and Fortune 500 companies in the banking industry

• Main Authors: Faustino, Cristoffer Greg, Francia, Cristina Beatriz D., Maximo, Erika Xam R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Banks and banking—Philippines; Sustainable development—Philippines; Finance and Financial Management
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_dsi/36; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_dsi/article/1102/viewcontent/Think_Sustainability__A_Comparative_Analysis_on_the_Sustainable_D_Redacted.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Financial institutions have transitioned to sustainable practices within their firms. These firms have reported their sustainability practices through their Sustainability or ESG reports. This study aims to assess the sustainability efforts and accomplishments of Fortune 500 Companies and Philippine Publicly Listed Entities. A sample of 10 companies – five for each segment – was used in this study. The sustainability efforts of the two segments and the 10 companies under them were examined, the researchers utilized a descriptive-comparative research design under the qualitative research method. The researchers used content analysis and comparative analysis to examine the Sustainability or ESG reports of the ten companies. Through content analysis, the researchers were able to identify the initiatives and practices done by each company and segment them under the following variables: sustainability components, sustainability approaches, sustainability decisions, and sustainability tools through their Sustainability or ESG reports. Firms from both segments had initiatives for the components on People, Profit, Planet, and the triple bottom line. Furthermore, the companies practiced the 8 principles for sustainability assessment and measurement of Pinter et. Al. (2011). The firms also had strategic and tactical decisions that address the firms’ sustainability goals. Lastly, the following are the commonly used sustainability tools for sub-variable: stakeholder engagement for data collection, materiality analysis for data analysis, the ESG model is integrated into in their sustainability practices, and a common practice of using the GRI index for indicators. The study showed the areas of further improvement as well as the strengths of each company in their sustainability reports. Through content analysis the researchers were able to ascertain the common practices within each segment and between the two segments. This study adds to the knowledge of current sustainability practices of financial institutions.