Boutant Lapeyre, JenniferORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1376-1920 and Gatignol, Marc-Antoine (2025) Textual attributes of biodiversity disclosures and risk exposure: an investigation into French listed companies. Accounting in Europe, null (null). pp. 1-36.

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide insights into the textual attributes of biodiversity disclosures and the extent to which they participate in better disclosures. This work also aims to identify the drivers of these attributes. Through an analysis of listed firms in the mandatory French context, we demonstrate that the sectoral risk profile of companies and their acknowledgement of significant risks of impacts and dependencies on biodiversity influence the textual attributes of biodiversity disclosures. In low-risk sectors, firms provide higher-quality disclosures than do those in moderate-risk sectors due to more quantified and neutral information. In high-risk sectors, firms that recognise significant risks also have better disclosures. They disseminate more numerous, quantitative, and readable information. Conversely, those that do not recognise risks exhibit slightly lower-quality disclosures than do firms in moderate-risk sectors. Through legitimacy and impression managem