The practices of corporate sustainability in the European wind energy industry: An analysis of sustainability reports

The acceptance of corporate sustainability implementation and sustainability reporting has continued to grow gradually in recent years. On the other hand, energy, which has been among the most important needs of people since the past, plays an important role in the social and economic development of countries. World energy production and consumption, the value of which is increasing and becoming widespread day by day, has brought many problems, especially global warming. To deal with these problems, countries and companies have turned to clean and sustainable energy sources. This situation has led to an increase in the importance of sustainability in the energy sector. In this study, the sustainability reports of 4 wind turbine manufacturers in the European-based wind energy industry, published in 2020-2021, will be analysed in terms of corporate sustainability practices. It aims to help understand how corporate sustainability is being implemented in the European wind industry through analysis of corporate sustainability practices in selected companies. The results confirm the importance of certain policy instruments in practice, such as the use of environmental management systems and standards, and related changes in organizational structures. Second, it highlights the need for appropriate adaptation of corporate strategy, philosophy, goals and targets, objectives, culture and values, policies, and activities, as well as the involvement of all other relevant stakeholders. The results of the analysis show that companies mainly deal with the social dimension of sustainability in their sustainability reports. These dimensions are followed by ecological, general and economic issues, respectively. As a result of the analysis shows that while companies are well-aware of the importance of sustainability for their industry, some tend to lag- behind others when it comes to implementation.