2nd European Sustainability Accounting & Reporting Conference (ESARC)

We are pleased to announce the 2nd European Sustainability Accounting & Reporting Conference (ESARC) organised by Henley Centre for Accounting Regulation & Practice (HARP), Department of Finance & Accounting, Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom. Henley Business School is located in Reading and takes 30 minutes by train from Paddington Station in London. Reading is easy to reach by flight, train, or car. After a successful first conference in Aalborg, this is the second ESARC, which is the first conference of its kind in Europe focusing specifically on all aspects of research on Sustainability Accounting and Sustainability Reporting. The conference comprises parallel full paper with discussants, developmental paper sessions and a doctoral stream.

The ESARC Conference welcomes submissions on multiple themes within the general scope of Sustainability Accounting and Sustainability Reporting that includes, but is not limited to, the following research areas are of interest:

• The purpose of the modern corporate report

• Implementation of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) in corporations

• The effectiveness of sustainability reporting standards

• Sustainability accounting measurement, metrics, KPIs and disclosure

• The composition, visualisation, and format of sustainability reports

• Sustainability accounting, reporting, and accountability in the public sector

• Sustainability reporting assurance of and the future of auditing, assurance and related standards

• The role of sustainability accounting and sustainability reporting in capital markets

• ESG reporting versus sustainability reporting

• Data sources for ESG information

• Double materiality and business risk assessments

• Sustainable governance

• Current issues in the sustainability reporting standards arena – standards or standardisation?

• Sustainability and accounting education

Call for Papers

The ESARC Conference welcomes papers using different methodological, empirical, theoretical, and conceptual approaches, including action research, case studies or experiments. Papers are invited on these topics and on other aspects of Sustainability Accounting and Sustainability Reporting.

DEADLINE

Papers should be submitted by 30th May 2025 (please mark as FULL or DEVELOPMENTAL paper) by emailing to esarc@henley.ac.uk

Abstract and Full Paper

Please submit an abstract and full paper (up to 12,000 words) for parallel sessions. Discussants will be allocated to full paper submissions, and we expect that all presenters will be prepared to act as discussants on other papers and to chair a session. Please submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) or short developmental paper (up to 5,000 words) for developmental paper sessions.

Notification of Acceptance

The acceptance of submissions will be announced by 13th June 2025.

Registration & Early Bird Fee

The registration opens 1st February 2025 and the Deadline for the Early Bird Fee is Friday 27th June 2025

Accommodation

The accommodation is at Greenlands hotel on site.

Guests will be able to book their own bedrooms online via our website. A unique promotional code GROUP172235 has been set up for guests to use when booking, to receive the agreed reduced rates:

• Single occupancy bed & breakfast discounted rate £128.34 inc vat per person per night,
• Double occupancy bed & breakfast discounted rate £154.89 inc vat per night,
• Family room (1 double & 2 twins) bed & breakfast discounted rate £194.88 inc vat per night.

Conference Venue

Henley Business School, Greenlands Campus, University of Reading, Reading , RG9 2AU, U.K.

Conference Organiser

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ronita Ram (Henley Business School)

Conference Co-Organiser

Prof. Dr. Gunnar Rimmel (Aalborg University Business School)

Conference Scientific Committee

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ronita Ram (Henley Business School)
Prof. Dr. Gunnar Rimmel (Aalborg University Business School)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Diogenis Baboukardos (Audencia & University of Athens)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joanna Krasodomska (Krakow University of Economics)
Prof. Dr. Frank Schiemann (Bamberg University)

Travel information

Getting to Greenlands Campus

By rail:

South West Trains and First Great Western operate from London Paddington to Reading via Twyford or there is a regular train service from London Marylebone to High Wycombe.

The easiest way to get to the Greenlands campus from Twyford or High Wycombe is by taxi.

There is a rail link from Henley to Twyford and then back to London Paddington.

There are also direct rail links to Reading from many major cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter.

By car:

Sat nav postcode: RG9 3AU

From M4/London/Heathrow:

• Leave the M4 motorway at Junction 8/9 signposted to Henley (via the A404(M) ). Take the A4130 into the centre of Henley.

From M4/Bristol:

• Leave the M4 at Junction 10 signposted A329(M) towards Reading. Follow the Henley signs via the A4 and the A321 through Wargrave. Then join the A4130 towards Henley Bridge.

From M40:

• Leave the M40 at Junction 4. Take the A404 dual carriage way signposted Marlow/Bourne End. From Marlow town centre take the A4155, towards Henley-on-Thames.

From M25/North:

• Leave the M25 at Junction 16. Take the M40, signposted Oxford. Then follow the directions above for arrival from M40

From M25/South:

• Leave the M25 at Junction 15. Take the M4 West. Then follow the directions for M4/London as above.

Approaching the Greenlands campus

• Approaching from Marlow/A4155:
  The main Business School entrance is on the left approximately 1 mile after the speed de-restriction sign as you leave the village of Mill End.
• Approaching from Henley Bridge/A4130:
  Go straight across the traffic lights on the bridge over the river. Go up to the next traffic lights in the town centre. Turn right following the signs for Marlow (A4155). At the first mini roundabout, go straight ahead, then turn right towards Marlow/A4155 at the second mini roundabout. The Business School is situated on the right approximately 2 miles from Henley.

The turning into the Greenlands site is quite acute. It can be identified by a small white gatehouse, behind a low brick wall with black railings.