Industry 4.0-Enabled ESG Reporting: A Case from a Chinese Energy Company

Forthcoming in Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting

30 Pages Posted: 30 Mar 2022 Last revised: 7 Oct 2022

See all articles by Wenjun Yu

Wenjun Yu

Shengang Securities Co., Ltd.

Yu Gu

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Accounting & Information Systems

Jun Dai

Michigan Technological University

Date Written: March 21, 2022

Abstract

Accelerating climate change, deforestation, and pollution have all turned a global spotlight on corporate sustainability. Many countries have issued standards on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, especially from heavily polluting companies. ESG disclosure has become a main channel for investors, the public, and other external stakeholders to understand companies’ impact on the environment. However, the current methods of collecting and processing environmental information are insufficient and infrequent, impairing stakeholders’ decision-making. Moreover, the complexity and diversity of environmental measures can inhibit information reliability, accuracy, and objectivity. We propose the use of Industry 4.0 technologies to improve existing ESG reporting processes, and demonstrate a novel environmental reporting system that could allow a Chinese energy company to collect and report environmental information in real time, enhancing the completeness, reliability, and efficiency of their environmental disclosure.

Keywords: ESG, Environmental reporting, environmental accounting, environmental disclosure, Industry 4.0, IoT

JEL Classification: M41, M42, O14

Suggested Citation

Yu, Wenjun and Gu, Yu and Dai, Jun, Industry 4.0-Enabled ESG Reporting: A Case from a Chinese Energy Company (March 21, 2022). Forthcoming in Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4063071 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4063071

Wenjun Yu

Shengang Securities Co., Ltd. ( email )

Wenbo Building No. 2305
Lianhua Road
Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000
China

Yu Gu (Contact Author)

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Accounting & Information Systems ( email )

1 washington park
newark, NJ 07102
United States

Jun Dai

Michigan Technological University ( email )

Houghton, MI 49931
United States

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