The Effect of Environmental Management Accounting on Firm Performance with Management Commitment as a Moderating Variable: A Literature Review
Keywords:
Corporate Performance, Environmental Management Accounting, Management Commitment, Sustainability, Systematic Literature ReviewAbstract
Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) has become an important management accounting approach for managing environmental costs and improving sustainable corporate performance. However, previous studies have produced inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between EMA and corporate performance. This study aims to analyze the influence of EMA on corporate performance and examine the role of management commitment as a moderating variable. A Systematic Literature Review was conducted using a qualitative descriptive approach following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Articles were retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, and SINTA using relevant keywords and limited to publications from 2020 to 2025. Of the 87 articles initially identified, 32 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using content analysis. The findings show that 24 articles (75%) reported a positive influence of EMA on corporate performance, whereas eight articles (25%) identified insignificant, indirect, or relatively weak effects. EMA improves performance by supporting environmental cost control, resource efficiency, waste reduction, managerial decision-making, and environmental strategy implementation. However, its effectiveness depends on contextual factors, including industry characteristics, firm size, implementation maturity, innovation, and environmental management systems. Management commitment strengthens the relationship between EMA and corporate performance through policy support, resource allocation, employee involvement, and the integration of environmental information into strategic decision-making. Therefore, companies should integrate EMA into their management and sustainability strategies and reinforce its implementation through consistent management commitment.
References
C. Jasch, “The use of Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) for identifying environmental costs,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 667–676, 2003.
K. L. Christ and R. L. Burritt, “Environmental management accounting: the significance of contingent variables for adoption,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 41, pp. 163–173, 2013.
Y. N. Pratiwi, I. Meutia, and S. Syamsurijal, “The effect of environmental management accounting on corporate sustainability,” Binus Bus. Rev., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 43–49, 2020.
B. C. Deb, M. M. Rahman, and M. S. Rahman, “The impact of environmental management accounting on environmental and financial performance: empirical evidence from Bangladesh,” J. Account. Organ. Chang., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 420–446, 2023.
J. S. Appannan, R. Mohd Said, T. S. Ong, and R. Senik, “Promoting sustainable development through strategies, environmental management accounting and environmental performance,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1914–1930, 2023.
L. Degenhart, V. C. da Silva Zonatto, L. Rigon, and A. Silva Monteiro, “Effects of the environmental management system and top management support on the relationship between environmental management accounting practices and performance,” Rev. Ibero-Americana Estratégia, vol. 23, no. 2, p. 1, 2024.
D. Agustia, “Innovation, environmental management accounting, future performance: evidence in Indonesia.,” J. Secur. Sustain. Issues, vol. 9, no. 3, p. 1005, 2020.
B. K. Appiah, D. Zhang, S. C. Majumder, and M. P. Monaheng, “Effects of environmental strategy, uncertainty and top management commitment on the environmental performance: Role of environmental management accounting and environmental management control system,” Int. J. Energy Econ. Policy, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 360–370, 2020.
O. Barani, A. D. Ahmed, M. Joshi, and K. Asiaei, “How environmental management accounting drives performance: a meta-analysis considering national EMA maturity,” J. Account. Lit., vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 416–443, 2025.
D. T. Otley, “The contingency theory of management accounting: achievement and prognosis,” Accounting, Organ. Soc., vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 413–428, 1980.
T. Andrian, E. Murwaningsari, and Y. A. Sudibyo, “Factors Influencing Carbon Management Accounting Adoption in Indonesia.,” Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Plan., vol. 18, no. 6, p. 1919, 2023.
E. C. Mayndarto and E. Murwaningsari, “The effect of environmental management accounting, environmental strategy on environmental performance and financial performance moderated by managerial commitment,” J. Ind. Eng. Manag. Res., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 35–38, 2021.
T. Donaldson and L. E. Preston, “The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications,” Acad. Manag. Rev., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 65–91, 1995.
M. C. Suchman, “Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches,” Acad. Manag. Rev., vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 571–610, 1995.
M. M. Swalih, R. Ram, and E. Tew, “Environmental management accounting for strategic decision‐making: A systematic literature review,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 6335–6367, 2024.
M. J. Page et al., “The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews,” bmj, vol. 372, 2021.
K. Asiaei, N. Bontis, R. Alizadeh, and M. Yaghoubi, “Green intellectual capital and environmental management accounting: Natural resource orchestration in favor of environmental performance,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 76–93, 2022.
T. T. Hoai, N. N. Minh, H. V. Van, and N. P. Nguyen, “Accounting going green: The move toward environmental sustainability in Vietnamese manufacturing firms,” Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag., vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 1928–1941, 2023.
S. A. S. Hasan, S. N. Waghule, and M. B. Hasan, “Linking environmental management accounting to environmental performance: the role of top management support and institutional pressures,” Cogent Bus. Manag., vol. 11, no. 1, p. 2296700, 2024.
S. Somjai, R. Fongtanakit, and K. Laosillapacharoen, “Impact of environmental commitment, environmental management accounting and green innovation on firm performance: An empirical investigation,” Int. J. Energy Econ. Policy, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 204–210, 2020.










