Account4GreenEco: Sustainability accounting helps companies become future-proof

Sustainability accounting measures and analyzes a company's social and environmental impact, such as its carbon footprint or positive sustainability contributions, for example, to the regeneration of insect habitats. Environmental and social factors are integrated into traditional financial accounting, and new accounting methods are developed to obtain a more comprehensive view of a company's performance. According to Benkert, many companies face the challenge of not knowing where to start. However, the researcher is certain: “Sustainability accounting helps companies become future-proof.” At the project's final conference in Madrid in November 2025, this was directly demonstrated in collaboration with industry partners. Sustainability accounting not only supports sustainable social and environmental outcomes, but also shows how this can be achieved economically. For example, companies can use tools such as material flow cost accounting and environmental management accounting (EMA) to identify inefficiencies in material, energy, and water consumption. This leads to cost savings in raw materials, waste management, and production processes.

The new learning platform offers an approach to gaining an initial overview of the topic. Three modules, each with six units, have been developed by researchers at the University of Burgos, the University of Trento, Montpellier Business School, and Leuphana University. Together with their Spanish technology partner Gestionet, they have translated the content into a didactic “serious game.” What makes this special is that students and industry partners from across Europe actively participated in the development and provided feedback throughout the various phases. In summary, Benkert explains that sustainability accounting is not simply about applying sustainability-oriented instruments and tools in accounting, but about taking into account impacts both within the organization and beyond its boundaries. This supports systemic and interdisciplinary thinking and the development of transformative approaches instead of mere compliance. 

Since 2023, Dr. Julia Benkert has been a research assistant in the field of sustainability management under Stefan Schaltegger, Professor of Sustainability Management and Head of the MBA Sustainability Management program. Both are actively involved in the “Account4GreenEco” project in collaboration with the three partner universities Universidad de Burgos, Università degli Studi di Trento, and Montpellier Business School. The final conference of the project took place in Madrid in November 2025, where students and representatives from academia, large companies, and political decision-making bodies discussed how sustainability accounting can be integrated into higher education and corporate practice and how it can support the EU's sustainability transformation.

The researcher is grateful for the European cooperation in this project and hopes that the teaching platform will help to create more legitimacy for sustainability accounting.