The sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC) has become an influential framework for integrating sustainability into strategic management. Despite its growing adoption, research remains fragmented, and insufficiently aligned with the sustainability regulatory frameworks. Drawing on institutional and goal-setting theory, this study examines whether SBSC indicators enable strategic integration or reveal compliance lags with respect to sustainability requirements. A Systematic Literature Review is conducted combining bibliometric analysis of 205 peer-reviewed papers and content analysis of the 66 most influential contributions. Findings reveal persistent reliance on early conceptual foundations of the SBSC and limited integration of regulatory requirements. Relevant gaps emerge at the indicator-level alignment between SBSC and ESRS, particularly regarding pollution, water use, biodiversity, value-chain social aspects, and governance-related metrics. This study contributes to the SBSC literature by providing an overview of its evolution, evaluating its alignment with ESRS, indicating potential avenues for future research, and highlighting some managerial implications.
- Strategic integration or compliance lag?
- Biagio Maria Amico (Corresponding Author) - Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUCRafaela Gjergji (Author) - Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC, Research field: Management scienceValentina Elena Lazzarotti (Author) - Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC, Research field: Management science
- Corporate social responsibility and environmental management, pp.1-26
- 04/08/2026
- Wiley; Hoboken
- 1535-3958; 1535-3966
- Online
- 26
- English
- Tutti i diritti sono riservati ai legittimi detentori del copyright. L'Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC pubblica i dati relativi alle pubblicazioni di ricerca realizzate dai propri affiliati. La presenza nell'archivio ARL di testi completi non determina in alcun modo la libera riproduzione degli stessi, ma esclusivamente la possibilità della loro consultazione sul sito di ARL.
- Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC
- Journal article
- 991001147123205126