Global Reporting Initiative-reporting in two industries : A comparative study on Global Reporting Initiative-reporting

Sustainability reporting today is an important tool for companies to show how they work with sustainable development. The design of the companies' sustainability reports can vary since the regulations can be seen as somewhat vague. GRI provides a framework and standards that create a common language for organizations and its reporting of current economic, environmental, and social aspects. However, GRI is voluntary to follow which creates a possibility for both similarities and differences in companies' sustainability reporting. The study was conducted with a qualitative research strategy and a comparative design. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sustainability work of selected companies based on sustainability reporting according to GRI based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and institutional theory. The aim of the study is to compare companies active in the trade and real estate industry to distinguish any similarities and differences. To shed light on the purpose of the study, an analysis of the companies' sustainability reports of four selected years has been carried out, as well as an interview from one of the real estate companies. A comparison has then been made between the companies to point out potential similarities or differences. The analysis of the empirical material indicates that there are some similarities and differences between the surveyed industries' reporting of GRI standards. The main differences are found in the social part of GRI reporting, while the financial and environmental reporting appears to be equally similar. Development over time of GRI reporting also differs between industries. These similarities and differences have been analyzed with the use of stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and institutional theory