Exploring Sustainability in Startups: A Systematic PRISMA Review

Munyaradzi Duve () and Benjamin Marx
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Munyaradzi Duve: Department of Accountancy, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway and University Road, Aukland Park, Johannesburg P.O. Box 524, South Africa
Benjamin Marx: School of Accounting, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Kingsway and University Road, Aukland Park, Johannesburg P.O. Box 524, South Africa

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-35

Abstract: Startups are essential to solving contemporary global financial and social challenges. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the literature on the economic, environmental, and social values of sustainability in startups. Research papers that included the terms “sustainability in startups”, “sustainability of entrepreneurship”, “environmentally friendly new businesses”, “startups”, “entrepreneur”, “sustainable development”, “green economy”, “green investment”, “green development”, “financial sustainability”, “entrepreneurship performance”, and “agriculture entrepreneurship” were considered for analysis. The PRISMA 2020 protocol was used for the screening of relevant articles addressing economic, environmental, and social sustainability in startups. This study is limited to 42 research papers extracted from SCOPUS and DOAJ databases covering the period 2010 to 2024. Most of these provide literature on European, American, and Asian countries, indicating that startups prioritise the economic value of sustainability. However, the review of the literature demonstrates that startups are beginning to adopt a more balanced approach to sustainability as all three pillars addressing economic, environmental, and social values are represented. Sustainable practices improve startups’ performance. There is a need for active research in startup sustainability in the African context to address the research gap identified in the analysis of the literature.

Keywords: sustainability; startups; economic; environmental; social; sustainable development goals; startup performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:14:p:6475-:d:1702109

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