The voluntary disclosures of sustainability management reports by listed companies in the securities market last year were tallied to have increased by nearly 30% compared to the previous year.
According to the Korea Exchange on the 9th, among the listed companies in the securities market, 204 corporations voluntarily disclosed sustainability management reports last year, an increase of 27% compared to the previous year (161 corporations).
Monthly, 136 corporations, accounting for 67% of the 204 companies, submitted reports in June, and larger corporations tended to have higher disclosure rates. While 63% of corporations with total assets exceeding 2 trillion won disclosed reports, the disclosure rate for corporations below 2 trillion won was only 9%.
By market capitalization, 88% of corporations with over 10 trillion won disclosed reports, while the disclosure rate for corporations with a market cap between 2 trillion and 10 trillion won was 73%, and for corporations below 2 trillion won, it was 16%. Among the disclosing corporations, 143 belonged to large corporate groups, accounting for about 70% of the total.
In terms of groups, ▲Hyundai Motor (11 corporations) ▲Samsung (10 corporations) ▲Lotte, SK, LG (9 corporations) ▲Hanwha, HD Hyundai (8 corporations) ranked at the top. By industry, manufacturing (105 corporations) had the largest number, followed by finance and insurance (44 corporations).
Seventy-nine percent of corporations that disclosed reports identified risks and opportunities related to climate change. Among them, 18% quantitatively analyzed the financial impacts of risks and opportunities, and 33% conducted scenario analyses, showing an increase compared to the previous year, but still represented a low proportion.
Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, 99% (202 corporations) disclosed direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1) and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2). However, the consolidation-based disclosures were only 3% (7 corporations), indicating difficulties in calculating emissions including those from subsidiaries. Corporations that disclosed other indirect emissions occurring throughout the value chain (Scope 3) were 66% (135 corporations). The exchange explained that reliability and comparability remain at a low level.
The exchange plans to strengthen the disclosure capabilities of climate-related corporations by posting exemplary case studies in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) portal and reviewing various support measures in preparation for the mandatory ESG disclosure.
A transaction exchange official noted, "We will assist corporations in preparing for practical disclosures through education based on the sustainability standards committee (KSSB) standards to ensure that voluntary disclosures are further activated before mandatory disclosures are enacted."