Accounting for Sustainability

This book provides a broad overview of how sustainability reporting has grown, how it is used now, and where it is heading.

Daily, we encounter concepts such as corporate social responsibility (CSR); sustainability reporting; sustainability accounting; environmental reports; corporate citizenship or environmental management systems; or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosures. Accounting for Sustainability decodes this terminology by offering an accessible introduction that explores sustainability reporting from both internal and external perspectives. It begins with an overview of key terms and theories, followed by chapters on financial management, sustainability standards, accounting communication, and capital markets. This new edition has been fully revised and expanded with four new chapters, including coverage of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), and the global efforts of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). It also includes critical reflections on digitalisation, standard-setting, and assurance.

With learning outcomes and study questions embedded in each chapter, this book will be of great interest to students of sustainability reporting and accounting, as well as practitioners taking related professional accreditations.

Gunnar Rimmel is Professor and Chair in Accounting and Sustainability Reporting and Head of the Accounting Research Group at Aalborg University Business School, Denmark. He previously held the Chair in Accounting at Henley Business School, UK, and held senior academic positions in Sweden. A widely published researcher, he has led several externally funded research programmes and contributes actively to international accounting networks, including the European Accounting Association and CSEAR. His work has supported EFRAG, where he contributed to the development of implementation guidelines for the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. He also serves on the editorial boards of leading journals in accounting and sustainability.