A global review of 30 financial studies show sustainability reporting is successfully linked with improved financial performance.
A new analysis by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has found that a clear majority of empirical studies linked sustainability reporting with stronger financial outcomes for companies.
The review, From impact to income: How sustainability reporting affects the bottom line, assessed 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025 to determine whether sustainability reporting improves access to capital, enhances operational efficiency and strengthens risk management.
GRI said 73 per cent of the studies showed a positive correlation between companies that disclose their impacts and improved financial performance.
Of the remainder, six were mixed or inconclusive and only two identified a negative correlation.
The review found that robust reporting aligned with GRI Standards was linked to reputational advantages, including increased stakeholder trust, brand loyalty and employee satisfaction.
According to GRI, these benefits can improve companies’ access to capital.
The analysis also concluded that sustainability reporting provides tangible financial gains influenced by factors such as sector, size, regulatory environment and geography.
Companies operating in high-risk industries including energy, mining and manufacturing were found to realise the strongest financial benefits, reinforcing the value of sector-specific disclosure guidance.
Bastian Buck, GRI chief standards officer, said: “At GRI, we have long understood that sustainability reporting offers multiple benefits to organizations, the environment and society.
“Yet its relevance to the corporate bottom line is often undervalued.
“It is therefore significant that 73 per cent of the studies we analyzed found a positive correlation between sustainability reporting and financial performance.
“More action and support are needed to increase the quality and use of sustainability reporting, including reporting on impacts. The GRI Standards have a central role to play in the emerging global reporting system.”
