Framing Climate Action in Vietnam’s CSR Communication: Anthropocentric and Ecocentric Approaches

Background and objective: As climate change becomes a central theme in corporate communication, the way organizations construct their environmental messages reveals their underlying perspectives a nd ethical orientation toward nature. This study examines how Vietnamese enterprises communicate about climate change within their corporate social responsibility (CSR) frameworks, analyzing their content through the lenses of action frame as well as ecocentric and anthropocentric approaches.Methods: The combination of content analysis and discourse analysis was employed for studying the annual and sustainability reports from top-rated domestic companies recognized for sustainable practices in Vietnam in 2025. The analysis focused on three categories: long-term corporate framing of climate change via their action plans, greenhouse gas inventories scopes, and the beneficiaries highlighted within the reports.Results: Findings reveal that the studied Vietnamese corporations demonstrate awareness and concrete actions regarding climate change. These actions, ranging from greenhouse gas emissions reduction and energy efficiency to renewable energy adoption and biodiversity initiatives, suggest that climate change has increasingly become an integral component of CSR planning and communication among leading Vietnamese firms. Nevertheless, some of them have not yet paid sufficient attention to the detailed requirements of the greenhouse gas inventories and still lack a concrete roadmap for achieving Net Zero in the coming years. Besides, the studied firms’ CSR communication predominantly reflects an anthropocentric frame, emphasizing the nature’s instrumental values, human-centered benefits, and economic growth. A smaller proportion of firms adopt an ecocentric stance, recognizing nature’s intrinsic value.Conclusion: The study suggests that future efforts should prioritize more greenhouse gas accounting and the development of transparent Net Zero roadmaps to enhance the accountability of corporate climate strategies. Besides, corporates should integrate both anthropocentric and ecocentric perspectives to strengthen their climate change communication. Emphasizing respect for and protection of nature’s inherent worth may enhance message credibility and reinforce their leadership in sustainable development.