Tracking of Planetary and Social Boundaries in Banking: A Content Analysis of Sustainability Reports in Central-Eastern Europe

Human economic activities have caused major damage to Earth’s ecosystems during recent times. This have led businesses to adopt sustainability practices throughout their operations and reporting systems. This research investigates the degree to which major banks in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) include planetary and social boundaries within their sustainability reports. The research examines 59 official sustainability and non-financial reports from major banks in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic through a longitudinal content analysis from 2017 to 2023. The research shows that sustainability reporting in CEE banks is inconsistent because they focus strongly on climate change but show weak engagement with biodiversity loss and freshwater consumption and land-system change. The corporate disclosures focused more on social boundaries which included education, jobs, income, gender equality and healthcare. The study shows that climate change mentions increased after 2019 when the European Union launched its Green Deal and social indicators reached their peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study shows that corporate sustainability reporting has become more compliance-based instead of transformational, despite rising regulatory and stakeholder expectations. The research adds to sustainability discourse by revealing reporting practice deficiencies and providing guidance for improvement. The research demonstrates that financial institutions operating in Central-Eastern European economies need to develop a more complete sustainability framework. The research findings demonstrate the need for stronger regulatory frameworks and corporate sustainability dedication to establish a resilient equitable global economy.