Consistency and Variability of Environmental, Social, and Governance Reports from Taiwanese Healthcare Institutions: An Analysis of Standardization Trends and Practices

Background: As global attention to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues continues to rise, healthcare institutions have increasingly incorporated ESG principles into their sustainability strategies. However, significant variations exist in ESG implementation and disclosure among hospitals, leading to inconsistencies in standardization. Understanding the alignment and discrepancies in ESG reporting among Taiwanese healthcare institutions is crucial for enhancing transparency and promoting sustainable development in the healthcare sector. Objective: This study aims to analyze the ESG disclosures of Taiwanese healthcare institutions, examining their consistency and divergence while assessing compliance with international standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Additionally, this research compares the ESG reporting practices of Taiwan’s top ten hospitals based on overall and core business profitability in 2022 to evaluate trends in ESG standardization and its potential impact. Methods: This study collected ESG reports from 30 hospitals in Taiwan, including medical centers, regional hospitals, and district hospitals, to assess their adherence to international ESG standards (GRI, SASB, and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures [TCFD]) and third-party certification. Furthermore, the ESG reporting status of Taiwan's top ten hospitals based on overall and core business profitability in 2022 was analyzed to explore the differences in ESG disclosure among hospitals with varying financial performance. Results: Among Taiwan’s 464 hospitals, only 30 (6.5%) publicly disclosed a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or ESG sustainability report on their official websites. Of these, 29 hospitals followed GRI standards, 20 complied with SASB, and 15 aligned with TCFD guidelines, while 17 hospitals obtained third-party certification. Additionally, among the top ten hospitals in terms of overall profitability in 2022, only eight published ESG reports, whereas among the top ten hospitals based on core business profitability, only five released ESG reports. These findings indicate that there is still room for improvement in ESG disclosure among Taiwanese hospitals. Conclusion: Taiwanese healthcare institutions remain in the early stages of ESG disclosure, with a relatively low proportion of hospitals publishing ESG reports and significant variations in the standardization of their disclosures. To promote the sustainable development of the healthcare industry, policymakers, hospital administrators, and relevant stakeholders must collaborate to enhance the prevalence and consistency of ESG disclosures, thereby strengthening the social responsibility commitments of healthcare institutions.