Technology plays a crucial role in helping organizations achieve their goals, whether by maximizing economic gain or making positive impacts on society. 

With the growing emphasis on sustainability in the regulatory and competitive market context, emerging digital tools such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and block chain are widely used by companies and financial institutions to tackle environmental and social concerns (Xu et al., 2024). Indeed, scholars have highlighted the importance of technology in improving the way organizations assess, evaluate, manage and report on the environmental and social impacts of their operations (Agostini et al., 2022; Andreadakis, 2023; Valentinetti and Rea, 2024). 

One pressing issue in the context of sustainability is biodiversity loss, partly driven by corporate activities and investments. The decline of biodiversity has reached a critical stage and is recognized as one of the greatest risks of the 21st century (OECD, 2019; WEF, 2025). In response, policymakers have added more stringent requirements related to the disclosure of biodiversity risks and impacts. Unlike other environmental issues, the complexity of biodiversity and the absence of standardized metrics create challenges for report preparers, resulting in inconsistencies and uncertainty (KPMG, 2024; Wauchope et al., 2024). Technology can potentially untangle this ambiguity by providing truth-grounded, accurate data that helps disclosers meet reporting requirements and increase accountability among stakeholders (Wanner and Janiesch, 2019). While conceptual studies suggest these benefits, empirical research on the actual impact of technology on biodiversity reporting remains scarce. Moreover, the enablers and barriers of technology adoption, as well as its role in altering organizational reporting practices, have received limited attention in extant research (Jackson and Allen, 2024).

This study, therefore, addresses these gaps by exploring how technology enhances organizational accountability in biodiversity reporting. Through a multi-case study approach, we assess the implications of technology adoption for measuring, monitoring, and disclosing biodiversity impacts in corporate settings. Our analysis is guided by stakeholder theory, institutional theory, and control theory, providing a structured lens to understand the conditions under which technology can significantly improve transparency, accuracy and comparability of corporate biodiversity information. From our findings, we develop a conceptual framework that illustrates the interplay between organizational factors, external pressures, and technology adoption in shaping corporate biodiversity disclosure.
 

References:

Agostini, Marisa, Daria Arkhipova, and Chiara Mio. 2023. “Corporate Accountability and Big Data Analytics: Is Non-Financial Disclosure a Missing Link?” Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal 14: 62–89.

Andreadakis, Stelios. 2023. “Accountability and Multinational Corporations: Minding the Gap and Mechanisms for Responsible Business.” Revista de Derecho Público Iberoamericano, no. 23: 13–35.

Jackson, Denise, and Christina Allen. 2024. “Enablers, Barriers and Strategies for Adopting New Technology in Accounting.” International Journal of Accounting Information Systems 52: 100666.

KPMG. 2024. Assessing What Matters: The Advantages of Corporate Biodiversity Management Implementation. KPMG. Available at: https://kpmg.com/nl/en/home/insights/2024/10/advantages-of-corporate-biodiversity-management-implementation.html [Accessed January 27, 2025].

OECD. 2019. Biodiversity: Finance and the Economic and Business Case for Action. Report prepared for the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting, May 5–6, 2019.

Valentinetti, Daniela, and Maria A. Rea. 2024. “Factors Influencing the Digitalization of Sustainability Accounting, Reporting and Disclosure: A Systematic Literature Review.” Meditari Accountancy Research. Ahead of print.

Xu, Ying, Muhammad Sarfraz, Jian Sun, Lucia Ivascu, and Ilhan Ozturk. 2025. “Advancing Corporate Sustainability via Big Data Analytics, Blockchain Innovation, and Organizational Dynamics—A Cross-Validated Predictive Approach.” Business Strategy and the Environment 34 (1): 1399–1418.

Wanner, Jonas, and Christian Janiesch. 2019. “Big Data Analytics in Sustainability Reports: An Analysis Based on the Perceived Credibility of Corporate Published Information.” Business Research 12 (1): 143–173.

Wauchope, Hannah S., S. O. S. E. zu Ermgassen, J. P. G. Jones, H. Carter, H. Schulte to Bühne, and E. J. Milner-Gulland. 2024. “What Is a Unit of Nature? Measurement Challenges in the Emerging Biodiversity Credit Market.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B 291: 20242353.

World Economic Forum. 2025. The Global Risks Report 2025. 20th ed. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2025/.

Acknowledgements

Funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU - PNRR - MISSION 4 COMPONENT 2 INVESTMENT 1.4 - AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES - D.D. 3138 OF 16.12.2021 - NBFC - National Center for the Future of Biodiversity (CN 00000033) CUP: J53C21000290006. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU - PNRR - MISSION 4 COMPONENT 2 in the framework of the GRINS -Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable project (GRINS PE00000018 – CUP J53C22003140001). The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, nor can the European Union be held responsible for them.