Environmental Accounting Disclosure and Financial Performance: Evidence from Listed Manufacturing and Service Sector Companies in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The most challenging environmental issues that the world is facing today are climate change and global warming, which stem from business operations. Hence, it is the responsibility of the business sector to protect the environment and society. Thus, the observation intends to examine the impact of environmental accounting disclosure on the financial performance of manufacturing and services sector companies listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange, Sri Lanka. The methodology was a quantitative survey approach involving a sample of 28 manufacturing and 17 service sector companies over consecutive financial years from 2012 to 2022. The content analysis technique was used to measure the level of environmental accounting disclosures. The Environmental Accounting Disclosure Index (EADI) was prepared based on eight environmental accounting disclosure items. The regression analysis revealed a significant positive impact of environmental accounting disclosures and the firm’s financial performance of manufacturing companies but not service companies. The results of this study will make it easier for regulators and those who prepare annual reports for highly environmentally sensitive industries to set the foundation for environmental accounting disclosure practices that lead to improved financial performance.