Environmental Responsibility and Social Sustainability in Smart Port Governance

The maritime industry faces unprecedented challenges in reconciling corporate environmental responsibility with socio-environmental governance imperatives as ports transition toward green economy models. This systematic literature review synthesizes current knowledge on corporate environmental responsibility and socio-environmental governance in smart port development, examining how organizations balance environmental stewardship, social equity, and stakeholder engagement. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted comprehensive searches across multiple databases for articles published between 2021 and 2025, yielding 45 high-quality studies for analysis. The analysis reveals environmental responsibility integration across 77.8% of studies, social sustainability considerations in 44.4%, and multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms in 71.1%. Key findings demonstrate significant gaps between corporate environmental commitments and systematic socio-environmental implementation, with sustainability often remaining policy-driven rather than organizationally embedded. Limited integration of social equity with environmental initiatives creates a disconnect between corporate responsibility rhetoric and community engagement practice. Institutional barriers outweigh technical challenges, indicating governance rather than technology as the primary constraints. The research identifies a paradigm shift from compliance-based corporate environmental responsibility toward integrated socio-environmental governance encompassing stakeholder participation, social justice, and environmental stewardship. Critical gaps exist in multidimensional sustainability measurement and participatory environmental governance, necessitating interdisciplinary collaboration that bridges corporate environmental strategy, community engagement, and social sustainability to achieve equitable maritime ecosystems.