Sinergi International Journal of Accounting and Taxation
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): February 2026

The Role of Firm Size in Moderating the Relationship Between Environmental Accounting and Financial Performance of Listed Manufacturing Firms in Nigeria

Awe-Mathias, Chris (Unknown)
Tonade, Abiola Mikail (Unknown)
Kajola, Sunday Olugboyega (Unknown)
Aderibigbe, Amos Adejare (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Feb 2026

Abstract

This study determine the moderating role of firm size (FS) on the effect of environmental accounting (EA) on the financial performance (FP) of listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Secondary sourced from annual reports of 20 selected firms (2010–2024) were employed for the study. EA was proxied by environmental compliance cost (ECC), environmental protection cost (EPC), waste management expenditure (WME), energy intensity (EIT), and environmental impact per energy (EI_GJ), while FP was measured using ROE and NPM, (FS) measured by log of total assets. Panel regression technique was employed, including Random Effects and Fixed Effects models, with interaction terms to capture moderation effects. Model selection was ensured through diagnostic tests such as the Hausman test, variance inflation factor, Wooldridge test for serial correlation, heteroskedasticity, and cross-sectional dependence tests. The findings reveal that EIT exerts a positive and significant effect on ROE, meaning that efficient energy management enhances shareholder returns significantly. In contrast, EI_GJ shows a negative and significant relationship with return on equity, indicating that higher environmental burdens reduce profitability. For NPM, ECC exhibit a positive and significant direct effect in the non-moderated model, while EPC becomes positive and significant when firm size is introduced. Interaction effects involving firm size are insignificant across the two models. The study concludes that EA significantly influence financial performance, although firm size does not significantly moderate this relationship. It recommends that manufacturing firms strategically integrate efficiency-oriented and preventive environmental investments into their core operations to enhance profitability and long-term value creation.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

ijat

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

Sinergi International Journal of Accounting and Taxation with ISSN Number 2988-1587 (Online) published by Yayasan Sinergi Kawula Muda, published original scholarly papers across the whole spectrum of accounting and taxation. The journal attempts to assist in the understanding of the present and ...