Sustainability Transition in SMEs: Stakeholder Incentives, Reporting Frameworks, and Performance Implications

Abstract Background and purpose This paper examines sustainability transition in SMEs through three interconnected lenses: stakeholder incentives, sustainability reporting, and performance implications. Building on stakeholder theory, it develops an integrative framework showing how pressures from customers, suppliers, financiers, employees, communities, and regulators shape the adoption and disclosure of sustainable business practices. Methods The paper combines a conceptual literature synthesis with a structured bibliometric review. The stake-holder-incentive and reporting sections synthesize theoretical and regulatory literature, while the performance section relies on a structured Scopus-based review and keyword co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer. Results The conceptual synthesis shows that stakeholder pressures and value-chain information demands are key drivers of SME sustainability transition. The review of reporting frameworks indicates that, for SMEs, the regulatory centre of gravity has shifted toward proportionate and largely voluntary reporting tools, especially the VSME framework in the EU. The bibliometric analysis identifies eight clusters that can be synthesized into four broader logics: operational and circular transformation; innovation and strategic competitiveness; stakeholder-, finance-, governance-, and reporting-related infrastructures; and socio-organizational and normative embedding, suggesting that sustainability transition in SMEs is a multidimensional capability-building process. Conclusion Sustainability transition in SMEs should be understood not only as a compliance issue but as a stake-holder-driven strategic process. For SMEs, transparent and proportionate reporting can support access to finance and value-chain integration, while sustainable practices can improve innovation, competitiveness, and long-term performance.