Research on the Quality of ESG Information Disclosure: A Case Study of BYD and Tesla

Abstract

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices become increasingly important in evaluating corporate sustainability, differences in disclosure approaches have led to significant variations in ESG reporting quality and comparability. This study examines the ESG disclosure quality of BYD and Tesla between 2022 and 2024. A unified evaluation framework covering content completeness, data continuity, and visualization effectiveness is developed to compare the two companies. The findings show that BYD follows a standards-oriented disclosure approach characterized by increasing alignment with international ESG frameworks and stronger institutionalization. In contrast, Tesla adopts a strategy-oriented approach that emphasizes product impact and technological innovation. The study concludes that companies should balance standardized disclosure with strategic communication to improve transparency and reporting quality.