Accounting for carbon and reframing disclosure: a business model approach

dc.contributor.authorHaslam, C.
dc.contributor.authorButlin, J.
dc.contributor.authorAndersson, T.
dc.contributor.authorMalamatenios, J.
dc.contributor.authorLehman, G.
dc.date.issued2014
dc.descriptionLink to a related website: http://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/2299/16833/2/907227.pdf, Open Access via Unpaywall
dc.description.abstractThis paper contributes to the research in accounting and the debate about the nature of carbon footprint reporting for society. This paper utilises numbers and narratives to explore changes in carbon footprint using UK national carbon emissions data for the period 1990–2009 and six years (2006–2011) of carbon emissions data for the FTSE 100 group of companies and a case study that focuses on the UK mixed grocery sector. Our argument is that existing approaches to framing carbon disclosure generate malleable, inconsistent and irreconcilable numbers and narratives. In this paper we argue for an alternative framing of carbon disclosure informed by a reporting entities business model. Specifically, we suggest, that a reporting entity disclose its carbon–material stakeholder relations. This alternative, we argue, would increase the visibility of carbon generating stakeholder relations and avoid some of the difficulties and arbitrariness associated with framing carbon disclosure around a reporting entity boundary where judgements have to be made about responsibility and operational control.
dc.identifier.citationAccounting Forum, 2014; 38(3):200-211
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.accfor.2014.04.002
dc.identifier.issn0155-9982
dc.identifier.issn1467-6303
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/159657
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.fundingInstitute of Chartered Accountants Scotland (ICAS)
dc.rightsCopyright 2014 Elsevier Ltd
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2014.04.002
dc.subjectcarbon footprint
dc.subjectbusiness model
dc.subjectcarbon disclosure
dc.subjectsustainability accounting
dc.titleAccounting for carbon and reframing disclosure: a business model approach
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.mmsid9915910139701831

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