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Title: Sustainability accounting and reporting: from theory to practice in a transition economy

Authors: Šviesa Leitonienė; Lina Dagilienė; Kristina Rudžionienė

Addresses: School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino g. 50, LT-44239 Kaunas, Lithuania ' School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino g. 50, LT-44239 Kaunas, Lithuania ' Institute of Social Sciences and Applied Informatics, Kaunas Faculty, Vilnius University, Muitinės g. 8, LT-44280 Kaunas, Lithuania

Abstract: The aim is to explore the development of sustainability accounting theory and practice in a transition economy through a longitudinal analysis of sustainability reporting in Lithuania. The research methodology, based on a longitudinal analysis of the country case study in 2000-2020, is twofold: chronological analysis of the institutional environment and systematic literature review of sustainability accounting research based on the identified sustainability accounting approaches. The first signs of sustainability reporting practices and research appear only at the beginning of the 21st century in Lithuania, while the two first stages have passed in non-transition economies. Initiatives to implement sustainability and improve reporting come from EU legal legislation and foreign capital companies. The stakeholders are not interested in reported sustainability information; society has no expectations of such reporting, not even regarding the harmful activities of a company. Lithuanian case is similar to developing countries where sustainability reporting is influenced by external forces/powerful stakeholders.

Keywords: sustainability accounting; sustainability reporting; corporate social responsibility; transition economy; Lithuania.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2024.135641

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2024 Vol.23 No.1, pp.74 - 96

Received: 15 Feb 2022
Accepted: 12 Jan 2023

Published online: 20 Dec 2023 *

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