Cogent Business & Management

ESG Information Quality: The Role of Accounting, Control, and Assurance in Sustainability Reporting

Commitment to sustainability is not just a passing trend but a strategic pillar that enables organizations to address increasingly complex economic, social, and environmental challenges. However, the rapid expansion of ESG reporting has also raised concerns about the credibility, comparability, and decision-usefulness of disclosed information, particularly in a context of increasing regulatory scrutiny and exposure to greenwashing risks. Anchored in business ethics, integrating sustainability into accounting systems enhances an organizations’ ability to identify emerging risks more effectively, anticipate financial and operational impacts, and support proactive strategic management to convert risks into opportunities for innovation and competitiveness. This Article Collection examines how accounting, internal control, and assurance mechanisms ensure that ESG disclosures are reliable, decision-useful, and ethically grounded. Although the quality of ESG information is a broad concept it may depend on whether a Big 4 firm audits it, the internal control systems implemented and the quality of financial information. By focusing on ESG information quality and reporting credibility, it explores how accounting strengthens organizational integrity, ensuring that reported sustainability performance reflects concrete actions and a culture of ethical responsibility that drives long-term value.

Accounting plays a central role in this process by identifying areas for improvement that can reduce costs, such as process optimization or waste reduction, while highlighting investment opportunities in clean technologies, renewable energies, and circular business models. By aligning accounting practices with business ethics, organizations strengthen reputation and trust with clients, investors, and partners, creating a competitive advantage. Accounting also supports access to sustainable financing and fiscal benefits, both of which rely on robust ESG information. However, the growing volume of ESG disclosures has not been consistently matched by improvements in information quality, raising concerns about reliability and verifiability. While prior research has largely focused on ESG performance and disclosure, less attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms - particularly internal control systems and assurance processes - that ensure the quality and credibility of ESG information. In this context, auditing and internal control are critical to ensuring that sustainability reports reflect actual practices rather than intentions, reducing ESG-related risks, including greenwashing, and enhancing reporting credibility. Strengthening ESG information quality is therefore essential for informed decision-making and stakeholder trust. This Article Collection emphasizes accounting, control, and assurance as key drivers of effective governance and credible ESG reporting.

This Article Collection invites original research and comprehensive reviews that explore the intersections of accounting, control, and assurance in the context of sustainability reporting. We seek submissions that address how ESG disclosure quality influences organizational transparency and how internal control and management systems support the integration of sustainability into corporate strategy. The scope also includes the relationship between sustainability reporting and earnings management, particularly how the quality of non-financial information affects reporting accuracy and integrity. We encourage studies on sustainability audit and assurance processes that enhance the credibility of ESG disclosures, improve reporting reliability, and mitigate greenwashing risks. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, ESG factors, internal control, management systems, lean methodology, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and green finance. These areas may contribute to organizational sustainability by improving resource efficiency, process optimization, transparency, and decision-making. However, contributions should maintain a clear focus on ESG information quality, reporting integrity, and the role of accounting, control, and assurance mechanisms in strengthening credible sustainability reporting. We welcome research and review articles that provide significant theoretical or practical contributions aligned with the journal’s scope.

When submitting to this Collection, please be sure to select the section name, Accounting, Corporate Governance & Business Ethics, as well as the name of the Collection from the dropdown menu when prompted.

Professor Cláudia Maria Ferreira Pereira: Ph.D. in Accounting and Management Control in 2011, at Economics and Business School, University of Porto. Professor of Accounting at Porto Accounting and Business School (ISCAP) from 2003 and visiting Professor at the School of Economy and Management, University of Porto. Responsible lecturer of the courses in Financial Accounting and Corporate Accounting, Corporate Social Responsibility and International Accounting. Member of the Scientific Technical Council of ISCAP since 2012. Coordinator of the Master degree of Sustainability and Corporate Reporting at ISCAP and Coordinator of the Accounting and Taxation graduate and Public Accounting graduate at Porto Executive Academy. Integrated member of the research Centre for Organizational and Social Studies of the Polytechnic of Porto CEOS.PP. Her research interests are Financial Accounting, International Accounting, Earnings Management, Earnings Quality, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting with several published papers in international scientific reviews, indexed on WoS and Scopus, and in international conferences, specifically BAFA, EAA, and AECA.

Professor Armindo Fernando Sousa Lima: Coordinator of the bachelor’s degree in accounting at ISVOUGA. He holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Minho and is a professor in the scientific area of Accounting at ISVOUGA – Instituto Superior de Entre Douro e Vouga. He also teaches at another higher education institution and coordinates several course units. His main research areas are Financial Accounting, Public Sector Accounting, and Accounting History. He regularly participates in leading accounting conferences and publishes scientific articles in WoS and Scopus-indexed journals.

Professor Carla Manuela Teixeira de Carvalho: She holds a PhD in Accounting from the Universities of Aveiro and Minho. She is a Professor at Aveiro University, where she has coordinated courses in Financial Accounting and Reporting, Auditing, Corporate Governance, Research Methodologies, Technologies Applied to Accounting, and Business Simulation since 1999 across Bachelor's and Master’s degrees, and doctoral programs. She is an effective researcher at the Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP) unit, Vice-President of the School Council of ISCA-UA, and a member of the Editorial Board of UA Press. She was President of the College of Financial Accounting Specialty at the Order of Certified Accountants (OCC) and a member of the OCC Access Examination Board. Her research interests include Financial and Sustainability Reporting, Information Quality and Earnings Management, Corporate Governance, International Accounting, The Profession and Teaching in Accounting, Intangible Assets and Goodwill, with several published papers in international scientific reviews, indexed on WoS and Scopus, and in international conferences.

The Guest Advisors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

For more information about this Collection, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Dr. Molly Cole, at [email protected].