Abstract

The integration of sustainability within accounting practices has gained increasing importance as businesses and societies face escalating environmental challenges. This critical review explores the evolution of sustainability in accounting emphasizing its role in addressing environmental impacts. Traditional accounting methods often focused solely on financial performance are inadequate for capturing the broader implications of business activities on the environment. This paper examines the shift towards more comprehensive accounting frameworks such as Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) and Triple Bottom Line (TBL) reporting which aim to quantify and disclose environmental and social metrics alongside financial data. The review analyzes the effectiveness of these frameworks in fostering transparency and accountability highlighting both their potential and limitations. Key challenges include the lack of standardized metrics the complexity of integrating environmental data into f