The term green accounting may not be widely heard and not quite as popular as traditional accounting concepts. However, in recent years, green accounting has received a lot of attention and has tried to be applied to various fields of business or industry.
The goal is that environmental conditions as a large ecosystem for business can remain sustainable and continue to be used in the future. If nature can continue to recover even after its resources are utilized in industrial processes, then the future of business can be maintained.
Therefore, in this review, we will discuss green accounting which includes, the definition of green accounting, its benefits and how important green accounting is so that it needs to be implemented.
What is Green Accounting?
Green Accounting is a financial recording method that includes environmental and social aspects in the process of making business decisions. The main objective of Green Accounting is to provide more complete and accurate information about the economic impact of business activities along with environmental and social impacts.
Green Accounting covers several important aspects, such as:
* Assessment of the environmental impact of business activities, including greenhouse gas emissions, water and soil pollution, and use of natural resources.
* Recording of environmental costs, including costs incurred for pollution prevention and control as well as costs incurred for the restoration of polluted environments.
* Recording of the social aspects of business activities, including impacts on local communities, human rights, and gender equality.
* The use of sustainable environmental management principles in the financial recording process.
And because of that green accounting is considered as an effective way to increase the transparency and accountability of business activities, as well as assisting in making decisions that are wiser and responsive to environmental and social challenges.
Benefits of Green Accounting
There are several benefits that can be obtained from implementing Green Accounting, including:
1 Provide more complete information about the economic impact of business activities, including environmental and social impacts.
2 Assist in making wiser business decisions and responsive to environmental and social challenges.
3 Increase transparency and accountability of business activities.
4 Assist in managing environmental and social risks associated with business activities.
5 ​Helps in increasing efficiency and reducing costs by optimizing the use of natural resources and reducing pollution. Helping in improving the company’s reputation in the eyes of stakeholders, including investors, consumers, and local communities.
6 Assist in increasing the long term value of the company by creating better business sustainability.
How important is green accounting?
Green Accounting is considered as an important way to manage the environmental and social impacts of business activities. The application of Green Accounting can assist companies in managing environmental and social risks associated with business activities, as well as increasing efficiency and reducing costs by optimizing the use of natural resources and reducing pollution.
In addition, Green Accounting can also help increase the transparency and accountability of business activities and improve the company’s reputation in the eyes of stakeholders, including investors, consumers and local communities. That way, the long-term value of the company will increase and the business will have a great chance to survive in the future.
In an era where the level of environmental damage is getting worse, and many parties are starting to realize and pay more attention to environmental and social issues, the role of Green Accounting is important for companies that want to be more responsible towards the environment and society.
Green Accounting provides an overview of efforts to protect the environment by combining environmental benefits with the costs of economic decisions through the company’s financial results in an effort to support sustainable development in the field of climate change management. In the concept that promotes the spirit of Green Accounting, it can be described that companies must have concern, awareness and moral responsibility towards efforts to protect the environment by combining environmental benefits with the costs of economic decisions through the company’s financial results. Here, various business entities and companies must balance the mission of profit motives with social and environmentally sound in the sense that they are not only pursuing profits but also must be concerned with making sacrifices to budget for environmental costs.
This concept is gaining popularity in various forums and meetings initiated by leaders of world countries including global environmental activists in campaigns to create awareness of the importance of realizing the concept of sustainable and environmentally sound development through the World Green scheme in an effort to anticipate the phenomenon of global climate change. Earth warming and air pollution are mostly caused by human activities, especially the industrial sector which is the most contributing to triggering global climate change today.
The agreement of world leaders to anticipate the phenomenon of climate change, rising global temperatures and other problems related to the environment is then implemented in various fields and sectors including in the realm of activities in the business and financial sectors to be morally responsible by setting aside costs in a green campaign that the form of transparency and accountability can be seen from the form of expenses for this matter in the company’s financial reporting documents to the public.
Conclusion
Green Accounting is a financial recording method that includes environmental and social aspects in the process of making business decisions. Green Accounting is considered as an effective way to increase the transparency and accountability of business activities, as well as assisting in making decisions that are wiser and responsive to environmental and social challenges.
The benefits that can be obtained from implementing Green Accounting include providing more complete information about the economic impacts of business activities, managing environmental and social risks associated with business activities, as well as increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Thus, the role of Green Accounting is increasingly important for companies that wish to become more environmentally and socially responsible.