Sustainability Reporting in the banking industry: An analysis of the reporting practice of german full-service banks in the context of the CSR Directive Implementation Act

This paper analyses the current practice of sustainability reporting in the German banking industry against the background of the EU-Directive on mandatory disclosure of non-financial and diversity information. It focuses on the three types of German full-service banks. The study uses content analysis to assess the development in the reporting practice of 33 Banks over the years 2014-2017. The approach considers both the disclosure on sustainability performance as well as the fulfillment of principles of sustainability reporting. The results suggest that sustainability is a relevant issue for German full-service banks. Nevertheless, their sustainability reporting shows different shortcomings. Major deficiencies concern the disclosures on sustainability issues concerning from products, services and supply chain as well as the severe lack of connectivity of financial and nonfinancial information.