Australian companies are lagging behind their international counterparts when it comes to disclosing information about sustainability in their business operations, a new global survey by KPMG says.

Sustainability Advisory Group head Margaret Smylie says the survey shows corporate social responsibility reporting was becoming the norm rather than the exception within the world’s largest companies.

“More companies report the information as it relates to specific objectives, and more companies include this information in their annual reports,” she told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

Ms Smylie says corporate responsibility reporting has gone “mainstream” with nearly 80% of the largest 250 companies worldwide issuing reports, up from about 50% in 2005.

The survey also showed that the finance, insurance and securities sector, which represented 38% of company’s surveyed, “is under-represented in sustainability reporting”.