The different dimensions of sustainability and bank performance: Evidence from the EU and the USA

Abstract

Abstract This paper looks at four different dimensions of sustainability and examines their effects on bank performance in the United States of America and the European Union. Content analysis is applied to a sample of 483 reports to construct a consistent index that reflects the multi-dimensionality of sustainability. Using structural equation modelling path analysis to test the sustainability model, the results reveal a significant positive relationship between the internal social dimensions of sustainability and bank performance while no evidence was found for the relationship between the environmental dimensions of sustainability and bank performance.