Exploring the Role of Sustainability Committees in Carbon Performance: Evidence From ASEAN ‐5 for Good or for Worse?

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of sustainability committees (SCs) on corporate carbon performance in ASEAN‐5, based on 1033 firm‐year observations from 2018 to 2023. Utilizing panel regression with robustness checks including coarsened exact matching (CEM), propensity score matching (PSM), and Heckman Two‐Stage regression, the results indicate a negative association between SC presence and carbon performance. Firms with SCs tend to disclose higher emissions, driven by enhanced transparency and legitimacy‐seeking behavior, rather than actual reductions in carbon output. This tendency is more evident in environmentally sensitive industries, while the influence of SCs remains limited in non‐sensitive sectors. Country‐specific contexts and emission scopes (Scopes 1 and 2) further shape the effectiveness of SCs. These findings underscore the largely symbolic role of SCs at the sub‐board level and emphasize the need for firms and policymakers to enhance SC capacity to drive meaningful carbon reductions in ASEAN's emerging markets.