Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
Faculty of Economics and Management
Guizhou Light Industry Technical College
Guizhou, CHINA.
Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
Abstract
China has traditionally been regarded as a country with comparatively limited information disclosure practices compared with Western countries, particularly regarding sensitive issues such as environmental and social matters. As China’s business landscape has undergone a significant transformation—from a primarily domestic focus to becoming a major player in the global economy—the imperative for corporate information disclosure has become ever more pressing. Over the past decade, China has implemented a series of national policies and regulations to improve transparency, particularly in sustainability-related information disclosure. However, Chinese sustainability reports have been criticised for showing little improvement over an extended period, and are even viewed as compliance products, ‘stamped’ with ‘government certificates’. At the same time, international sustainability standards have been increasingly embraced by Chinese companies in recent years. It is worth examining the roles these standards have played in Chinese corporate sustainability disclosure. Exploring the application of international sustainability standards in Chinese enterprises offers a valuable perspective on sustainability disclosure in China. Therefore, this paper aims to address these questions by providing a systematic review focused on two key perspectives: the determinants and impacts of adopting international sustainability standards in China. In addition, the researchers propose definitions for substantive and symbolic adoption of sustainability standards. By adopting a systematic approach, the researchers identified 46 relevant articles. The results show that Chinese companies’ interests drive substantive adoption of international sustainability standards, and that markets have rewarded these companies. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.