A Decade of Sustainable Development Goals: A Systematic Literature Review on the Integration of Corporate Sustainability Practices in Islamic Banking

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched by the United Nations in 2015, have reshaped global development strategies, including the financial sector. SDGs are a concept developed from the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework proposed by Elkington (1998), which measures corporate performance based on economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social equity. This TBL concept is currently evolving and being implemented by companies as part of their Corporate Sustainability Practices (CSP), Environmental Social Governance (ESG). Islamic banking, grounded in ethical and Sharia-compliant principles, is naturally aligned with the SDGs agenda. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using the PRISMA framework to investigate the progress, challenges, and thematic contributions of Islamic banking to the SDGs over the past decade (2015–2025). The review identifies dominant themes, emerging research trends, and gaps, particularly in areas of financial inclusion, green finance, social financing, and SDG reporting in Islamic banks. Our findings highlight the strong conceptual alignment but limited practical implementation of SDGs initiatives in Islamic financial institutions. The paper offers recommendations for future research and policy formulation to enhance the role of Islamic banks in sustainable development.