Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Paradigms, Determinants and Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29358/sceco.v0i42.622Keywords:
corporate governance, sustainability reporting, business environment , paradigm shiftsAbstract
Due to climate change, pressures from civil society and national and international bodies, the objectives of sustainable development, social responsibility and ethical governance have become an integral part of companies' management strategy. Thus, if in the past, the main objective of business was to maximize profit or economic growth by any means, nowadays, to be successful in the long term, firms must integrate the principles of sustainability and corporate governance into their strategic objectives. In this sense, the aim of this article is to analyze the main paradigm shifts in the business world in the context of implementing sustainability and corporate governance principles in business models, while identifying the motivations for sustainability reporting and the impact on firm performance. The research methodology is theoretical and documentary, focusing on literature review and international regulations on sustainability and corporate governance. The research results consist in highlighting the main paradigm shifts in sustainability reporting and its implications on firm performance.
Downloads
References
Abdul Rahman, F., Khairunnisa, H., & Agustin, H. (2024). Determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosure: The influence of non financial factors in Indonesian energy and pulp & paper industries. Journal of Logistics, Informatics and Service Science, 11(10), 352–365. https://doi.org/10.33168/JLISS.2024.1020
Aifuwa, H. O. (2020). Sustainability reporting and firm performance in developing climes: A review of literature. Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting, 9(1), 9–29. https://doi.org/10.12775/CJFA.2020.001
Alshhadat, M. Q. Q. (2023). The determinants of sustainability reporting: Evidence from Saudi petrochemical companies. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-04-2023-0216
Arkoh, P., Costantini, A., & Scarpa, F. (2023). Determinants of sustainability reporting: A systematic literature review. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(3), 1578–1597. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2645
Baumüller, J., & Grbenic, S. O. (2021). Moving from non financial to sustainability reporting: Analyzing the EU Commission’s proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Facta Universitatis, Series: Economics and Organization, 18(4, Special Issue), 369–381. https://doi.org/10.22190/FUEO210817026B
Bello, M. S., Said, R. M., Johari, J., & Kamarudin, F. (2022). Moderating role of financial performance on the relationship between board attributes and corporate sustainability disclosure compliance. International Journal of Economics and Management, 16(3), 383–395. http://www.ijem.upm.edu.my
Benvenuto, M., Aufiero, C., & Viola, C. (2023). A systematic literature review on the determinants of sustainability reporting systems. Heliyon, 9(4), e14893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14893
Brans, M., Bloemberg, R., & Felder, F. (2024). Reporting under the ‘E’ of the CSRD: An overview of legal requirements and a comparison with existing obligations under environmental law, focussing on the Netherlands. European Energy and Environmental Law Review, 33(5), 232–245. https://doi.org/10.54648/eelr2024015
Buallay, A. (2024). Sustainability reporting in IT sector vs. other sectors: The impacts on multidimensional performance. International Journal of E Business Research, 20(1), Article 339916. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJEBR.339916
Celli, M., Arduini, S., & Beck, T. (2024). Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its future application scenario for Italian SMEs. International Journal of Business and Management, 19(4), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v19n4p44
Chan, S., & Fong Yew Ong. (2022). Corporate social responsibility and firm performance among Malaysian firms. Journal of Technology Management and Business, 9(1), 45–61. https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/jtmb/article/view/10574
Dienes, D., Sassen, R., & Fischer, J. (2016). What are the drivers of sustainability reporting? A systematic review. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 7(2), 154–189. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2014-0050
European Parliament & Council of the European Union. (2014). Directive 2014/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of non financial and diversity information by certain large undertakings and groups. Official Journal of the European Union, L 330, 1–9. https://eur lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/95/oj EUR-LexEUR-Lex
European Parliament & Council of the European Union. (2022). Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive 2013/34/EU, as regards corporate sustainability reporting. Official Journal of the European Union, L 322, 15–80. https://eur lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2464/oj
Felita, A., & Faisal, F. (2021). The effect of sustainability reporting on company performance. Diponegoro Journal of Accounting, 10(4).
Glaveli, N., Alexiou, M., Maragos, A., Daskalopoulou, A., & Voulgari, V. (2023). Assessing the maturity of sustainable business model and strategy reporting under the CSRD shadow. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 16(10), 445. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm16100445
Hommelhoff, P. (2021). Primärrechtlich begründete Mängel im CSRD Vorschlag und deren Beseitigung [Primary law based deficiencies in the CSRD proposal and their elimination]. Der Betrieb, 74(42), 2437–2447.
Huq, A. M., & Mohammadrezaei, M. (2024). A review of ex ante and ex post materiality measures, and consequences and determinants of material disclosures in sustainability reporting. Journal of Accounting Literature. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAL-04-2024-0084
Hummel, K., & Bauernhofer, K. (2024). Consequences of sustainability reporting mandates: Evidence from the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Accounting Forum. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01559982.2024.2301854
Hummel, K., & Jobst, D. (2024). An overview of corporate sustainability reporting legislation in the European Union. Accounting in Europe, 21(3), 320–355. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2024.2312145
Kasbun, N. F., Teh, B. H., & Ong, T. S. (2016). Sustainability reporting and financial performance of Malaysian public listed companies. Institutions and Economies, 8(4), 78–93.
Kosi, U., & Relard, P. (2024). Are firms (getting) ready for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive? TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency Working Paper Series (No. 148). SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4870357
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press.
Kumar, K., Kumari, R., Poonia, A., & Kumar, R. (2023). Factors influencing corporate sustainability disclosure practices: Empirical evidence from Indian National Stock Exchange. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 21(2), 300–321. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-01-2021-0023
Laskar, N. (2018). Impact of corporate sustainability reporting on firm performance: An empirical examination in Asia. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 12(4), 571–593. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-11-2016-0157
Macuda, M., & Zieniuk, P. (2024). Voluntary assurance on sustainability reporting in European companies prior to CSRD implementation. Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowości, 48(4), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0054.8689
Martinčević, I., Primorac, D., & Dorić, B. (2024). Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Obligations, challenges and requirements for companies. ENTRENOVA – ENTerprise REsearch INNOVAtion, 10(1), 317–327. https://doi.org/10.54820/entrenova-2024-0026
Martínez Torres, V. (2024). Regulatory developments on sustainability issues in light of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 (ESRS). Review of European and Comparative Law, 58(3), 223–239. https://doi.org/10.31743/recl.17459
Miloud, T. (2024). Corporate governance and CSR disclosure: Evidence from French listed companies. Global Finance Journal, 59, Article 100943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2024.100943
Mol, A., van Schie, V., & Budding, T. (2024). Drivers of sustainability reporting by local governments over time: A structured literature review. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4885851
Monteiro, S., Roque, V., & Faria, M. (2024). Does sustainability reporting impact financial performance? Evidence from the largest Portuguese companies. Sustainability, 16(15), 6448. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156448
Morganho, C., Milanés Montero, P., & Pérez Calderón, E. (2025). The determinants of materiality assessment disclosures in the sustainability statements of Iberian listed companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 32(3), 1050–1067. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.3148
Nampoothiri, M. V., Entrop, O., & Annamalai, T. R. (2024). Effect of mandatory sustainability performance disclosures on firm value: Evidence from listed European firms. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(6), 5220–5235. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2860
Odobaša, R., & Marošević, K. (2023). Expected contributions of the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to the sustainable development of the European Union. EU and Comparative Law Issues and Challenges Series, 7, 593–612. https://doi.org/10.25234/eclic/27463
Oncioiu, I., Petrescu, A. G., Bîlcan, F. R., Petrescu, M., Popescu, D. M., & Anghel, E. (2020). Corporate sustainability reporting and financial performance. Sustainability, 12(10), 4297. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104297
Operato, L., Gallo, A., Marino, E. A. E., & Mattioli, D. (2025). Navigating CSRD reporting: Turning compliance into sustainable development with science based metrics. Environmental Development, 54, 101138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101138
Orazalin, N., & Mahmood, M. (2019). Determinants of GRI based sustainability reporting: Evidence from an emerging economy. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 10(1), 140–164. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAEE-12-2018-0137
Raković, T. S. (2025). The impact of corporate sustainability reporting regulation on business and financial performances of companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatian Economic Survey, 26(2), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.15179/ces.26.2.3
Ruohonen, J., & Kullas, H. (2024). The assurance of corporate sustainability reports and the renewed role of certified auditors. European Company and Financial Law Review, 21(3 4), 501–536. https://doi.org/10.1515/ecfr-2024-0013
Shalihin, M. Y., Suharman, H., & Hasyir, D. A. (2020). Impact of corporate sustainability on firm value: Indonesian context. Journal of Accounting Auditing and Business, 3(1), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.24198/jaab.v3i1.25834
Vander Bauwhede, H., & Van Cauwenberge, P. (2022). Determinants and value relevance of voluntary assurance of sustainability reports in a mandatory reporting context: Evidence from Europe. Sustainability, 14(15), 9795. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159795
Zdolšek, D. (2023). Post CSRD world: Prospective amendments to Slovenian legislation in the field of auditing. In R. Repnik (Ed.), Strengthening resilience by sustainable economy and business – Towards the SDGs (pp. 675–687). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.epf.3.2023.45
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
N/A
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Florin Boghean, Anatol Melega

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Studies and Scientific Researches. Economics Edition (SCECO) agree to the following terms:
-
Copyright Retention
Authors retain full copyright over their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. The published article is simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits others to:-
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
-
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
for any purpose, even commercially, as long as proper attribution is given to the original author(s) and source.
-
-
Additional Distribution
Authors may enter into separate, non-exclusive contractual arrangements for the distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, include it in a book), with clear credit to the initial publication in SCECO. -
Preprint and Open Posting Policy
Authors are encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in preprint archives, institutional repositories, or personal websites) before submission, during review, and after publication.
This practice supports academic exchange and can lead to earlier and broader dissemination and citation of published work.
(See: “The Effect of Open Access” – PLOS)
For further inquiries regarding copyright, licensing, or archiving, please contact the editorial office at Editorial Board

