Integrating sustainability performance indicators into digital maturity models: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Digital transformation and sustainability have emerged as two dominant and interrelated strategic imperatives for contemporary organizations. However, existing digital maturity models predominantly focus on technological capabilities while largely overlooking sustainability performance outcomes. This study addresses this gap by systematically reviewing the literature on integrating sustainability performance indicators into digital maturity models. A systematic literature review was conducted following Kitchenham' s protocol and the PRISMA framework, covering peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2016 and 2026 and retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The review synthesizes conceptual and empirical contributions, identifies commonly applied environmental, social, and governance (ESG) indicators, and examines methodological approaches for integration. The findings reveal three dominant integration approaches: combined maturity models, parallel assessment frameworks, and embedded dimensional models. Environmental indicators are most frequently operationalized, while social and governance dimensions remain comparatively underdeveloped. The analysis also highlights persistent challenges related to limited empirical validation, lack of standardization, data availability constraints, and SME applicability. The study contributes by providing a structured synthesis of integration mechanisms and proposing a conceptual foundation for integrated digital-sustainability maturity assessment, offering guidance for researchers and practitioners seeking to advance holistic organizational evaluation frameworks.