Sustainable accounting and its impact on business development: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic literature review (SLR) examines how sustainable accounting influences business development by synthesizing evidence from 71 articles published between 2020 and 2025 and indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of sustainable accounting on business development and identify the main organizational challenges, implementation strategies, and outcomes associated with its adoption. Using the PICO strategy and the PRISMA protocol, the study identifies key organizational challenges, implementation strategies, and outcomes related to sustainable accounting. The findings show that sustainable accounting strengthens business development through corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability reporting, environmental management accounting, technological innovation, risk management, cost efficiency, and long-term value creation. In particular, 42 percent of the reviewed studies emphasized improvements linked to social responsibility and corporate governance, while the remaining evidence highlighted financial transparency, technological innovation, and environmental accounting practices. Consistent with Schaltegger et al. (2022) and Alsarayrah et al. (2024), the review concludes that sustainable accounting is both a managerial and strategic tool for integrating economic, social, and environmental performance. The article contributes by systematizing recent evidence, identifying research gaps, and supporting the adoption of sustainable accounting practices for long-term business development.