Does the Establishment of Sustainability Committees Reduce Carbon Emissions? Evidence From Taiwan

Abstract

This study explores the impact of sustainability committees and their composition on corporate carbon emissions and reductions. Analyzing data from 983 observations between 2015 and 2020, the research finds that the mere establishment of a sustainability committee does not significantly reduce carbon emissions. Interestingly, contrary to initial hypotheses, the number of female members and the proportion of experts on the committee are associated with higher carbon emissions. Firm size, R&D expenditure, financial leverage, and profitability significantly influence carbon emissions. Larger firms and those with higher R&D investments tend to emit more carbon, although R&D positively impacts emission reductions over time