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Assessing the Sustainability of Construction Companies in the Digital Context: An Econometric Approach Based on Financial, Social, and Environmental Indicators

Author

Listed:
  • Lucia Morosan-Danila

    (Faculty of Economics, Administration and Business, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania)

  • Claudia-Elena Grigoras-Ichim

    (Faculty of Economics, Administration and Business, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania)

  • Florin Victor Jeflea

    (Faculty of Economic Sciences, Ovidius University of Constanta, 900527 Constanta, Romania)

  • Dumitru Filipeanu

    (Faculty of Constructions and Installations, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, 700050 Iasi, Romania)

  • Alexandru Tugui

    (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania)

Abstract

The increasing pressure for transparency in corporate sustainability reporting, especially under frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, has raised the need for sector-specific models to integrate financial, social, and environmental indicators coherently and measurably. This study proposes a composite econometric model to assess the sustainability performance of companies in the construction sector in a digital context, a domain that remains underexplored despite its substantial economic and environmental impact. Drawing on a sample of 1600 Romanian construction companies over ten years (2013–2023), this study develops a multidimensional sustainability score and tests its financial drivers using ordinary least squares regression models. The model incorporates nine financial structure variables as predictors of sustainability outcomes across three dimensions—financial, social, and environmental—while ensuring robustness through heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity diagnostics. The results show that indicators such as the return on assets, debt ratio, and equity structure significantly influence sustainability performance, particularly in the financial and environmental dimensions. In contrast, the social dimension exhibits lower explanatory power. The findings suggest that financial resilience plays a critical role in shaping sustainable practices in the construction industry and support the adoption of integrated models for performance benchmarking and policy alignment.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia Morosan-Danila & Claudia-Elena Grigoras-Ichim & Florin Victor Jeflea & Dumitru Filipeanu & Alexandru Tugui, 2025. "Assessing the Sustainability of Construction Companies in the Digital Context: An Econometric Approach Based on Financial, Social, and Environmental Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-26, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4744-:d:1661247
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ioan Batrancea & Ioan-Dan Morar & Ema Masca & Sabau Catalin & Liviu Bechis, 2018. "Econometric Modeling of SME Performance. Case of Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, January.
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    6. León-Bravo, Verónica & Caniato, Federico, 2024. "Sustainability performance measurement in the food supply chain: Trade-offs, institutional pressures, and contextual factors," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 633-646.
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