IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v31y2022i7p3318-3334.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do corporate sustainability initiatives improve corporate carbon performance? Evidence from European firms

Author

Listed:
  • Faizul Haque
  • Collins G. Ntim

Abstract

We contribute to the business strategy and the environment literature by investigating the influence of corporate sustainability initiatives and corporate carbon performance of European listed firms. We use three‐way fixed‐effects model, and our sample comprises of 2444 firm‐year observations from 12 European countries, covering a 16‐year period (2004–2019). First, we find that corporate sustainability initiatives, a composite measure comprising of emission reduction initiatives, environmental innovations and efficient use of resources, has a positive relationship with corporate carbon performance, in terms of reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity. Second, we find that the relationship between corporate sustainability initiatives and corporate carbon performance is stronger for firms in polluting industries. Overall, our evidence lends support for the efficiency‐oriented arguments of the neo‐institutional theory in that organisations respond to climate‐related risks by making substantive engagements in corporate sustainability initiatives, such as emission reduction initiatives, environmental innovations and efficient use of resources, which in turn facilitates organisations' effort to reduce GHG emission and improve corporate carbon performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Faizul Haque & Collins G. Ntim, 2022. "Do corporate sustainability initiatives improve corporate carbon performance? Evidence from European firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3318-3334, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:31:y:2022:i:7:p:3318-3334
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.3078
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3078
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.3078?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Blake E. Ashforth & Barrie W. Gibbs, 1990. "The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(2), pages 177-194, May.
    2. Choi, Bobae & Luo, Le, 2021. "Does the market value greenhouse gas emissions? Evidence from multi-country firm data," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    3. Claudio Nuber & Patrick Velte, 2021. "Board gender diversity and carbon emissions: European evidence on curvilinear relationships and critical mass," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1958-1992, May.
    4. Grigoris Giannarakis & Eleni Zafeiriou & Nikolaos Sariannidis, 2017. "The Impact of Carbon Performance on Climate Change Disclosure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1078-1094, December.
    5. Tantawy Moussa & Amir Allam & Said Elbanna & Ahmed Bani‐Mustafa, 2020. "Can board environmental orientation improve U.S. firms' carbon performance? The mediating role of carbon strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 72-86, January.
    6. Filippou, Ilias & Taylor, Mark P., 2021. "Pricing ethics in the foreign exchange market: Environmental, Social and Governance ratings and currency premia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 66-77.
    7. Bai Xue & Zhuang Zhang & Pingli Li, 2020. "Corporate environmental performance, environmental management and firm risk," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1074-1096, March.
    8. Faizul Haque & Collins G Ntim, 2018. "Environmental Policy, Sustainable Development, Governance Mechanisms and Environmental Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 415-435, March.
    9. Chitra Sriyani De Silva Lokuwaduge & Kumudini Heenetigala, 2017. "Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosure for a Sustainable Development: An Australian Study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 438-450, May.
    10. Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Sina Kirkerud & Kim Theresa & Tanveer Ahsan, 2020. "The impact of sustainability (environmental, social, and governance) disclosure and board diversity on firm value: The moderating role of industry sensitivity," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1199-1214, March.
    11. Rory Sullivan & Andy Gouldson, 2017. "The Governance of Corporate Responses to Climate Change: An International Comparison," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 413-425, May.
    12. Stefan Lewandowski, 2017. "Corporate Carbon and Financial Performance: The Role of Emission Reductions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1196-1211, December.
    13. Asit Bhattacharyya & Lorne Cummings, 2015. "Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance – Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 309-325, July.
    14. Yenny Naranjo Tuesta & Cristina Crespo Soler & Vicente Ripoll Feliu, 2021. "Carbon management accounting and financial performance: Evidence from the European Union emission trading system," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1270-1282, February.
    15. Qian, Wei & Schaltegger, Stefan, 2017. "Revisiting carbon disclosure and performance: Legitimacy and management views," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 365-379.
    16. Li Chang & Wenjing Li & Xiaoyan Lu, 2015. "Government Engagement, Environmental Policy, and Environmental Performance: Evidence from the Most Polluting Chinese Listed Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(1), pages 1-19, January.
    17. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    18. Liao, Lin & Luo, Le & Tang, Qingliang, 2015. "Gender diversity, board independence, environmental committee and greenhouse gas disclosure," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 409-424.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cheng, Louis T.W. & Shen, Jianfu & Wojewodzki, Michal, 2023. "A cross-country analysis of corporate carbon performance: An international investment perspective," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    2. Fengxue Yin & Yanling Xiao & Rui Cao & Jianhua Zhang, 2023. "Impacts of ESG Disclosure on Corporate Carbon Performance: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in Heavy Pollution Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Ali Meftah Gerged & Rami Salem & Eshani Beddewela, 2023. "How does transparency into global sustainability initiatives influence firm value? Insights from Anglo‐American countries," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4519-4547, November.
    4. Zhang, Wei & Qin, Chu & Zhang, Wenyao, 2023. "Top management team characteristics, technological innovation and firm's greenwashing: Evidence from China's heavy-polluting industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    5. Pingguo Xu & Leyi Chen & Huajuan Dai, 2022. "Pathways to Sustainable Development: Corporate Digital Transformation and Environmental Performance in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-21, December.
    6. Lorenzo Dal Maso & Laura Gianfagna & Federico Maglione & Nicola Lattanzi, 2024. "Going green: Environmental risk management, market value and performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 122-132, January.
    7. Provaty, Sagira Sultana & Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Luo, Le, 2024. "Organization capital and GHG emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    8. Zheng, Deyuan & Song, Hang & Zhao, Chunguang & Liu, Yujiao & Zhao, Wenhao, 2024. "Is it possible for semiconductor companies to reduce carbon emissions through digital transformation? Evidence from China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    9. Alatawi, Ibrahim A. & Ntim, Collins G. & Zras, Anis & Elmagrhi, Mohamed H., 2023. "CSR, financial and non-financial performance in the tourism sector: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shoaib Aslam & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Ramiz Ur Rehman & Collins G. Ntim, 2021. "Environmental management practices and financial performance using data envelopment analysis in Japan: The mediating role of environmental performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1655-1673, May.
    2. Maximilian Hettler & Lorenz Graf‐Vlachy, 2024. "Corporate scope 3 carbon emission reporting as an enabler of supply chain decarbonization: A systematic review and comprehensive research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 263-282, February.
    3. Haque, Faizul & Jones, Michael John, 2020. "European firms’ corporate biodiversity disclosures and board gender diversity from 2002 to 2016," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    4. Jiang, Yan & Luo, Le & Xu, JianFeng & Shao, XiaoRui, 2021. "The value relevance of corporate voluntary carbon disclosure: Evidence from the United States and BRIC countries," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3).
    5. Faizul Haque & Collins G Ntim, 2018. "Environmental Policy, Sustainable Development, Governance Mechanisms and Environmental Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 415-435, March.
    6. Kentaro Azuma & Akira Higashida, 2024. "Climate change disclosure and evolving institutional investor salience: Roles of the Principles for Responsible Investment," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3669-3686, May.
    7. Douglas A. Adu & Antoinette Flynn & Colette Grey, 2022. "Executive compensation and sustainable business practices: The moderating role of sustainability‐based compensation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 698-736, March.
    8. Dewan Muktadir‐Al‐Mukit & Firoz Haroon Bhaiyat, 2024. "Impact of corporate governance diversity on carbon emission under environmental policy via the mandatory nonfinancial reporting regulation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 1397-1417, February.
    9. Dong Ding & Bin Liu & Millicent Chang, 2023. "Carbon Emissions and TCFD Aligned Climate-Related Information Disclosures," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(4), pages 967-1001, February.
    10. Provaty, Sagira Sultana & Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Luo, Le, 2024. "Organization capital and GHG emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    11. Charl de Villiers & Jing Jia & Zhongtian Li, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility: A review of empirical research using Thomson Reuters Asset4 data," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4523-4568, December.
    12. Bauckloh, Michael Tobias & Klein, Christian & Pioch, Thomas & Schiemann, Frank, 2022. "Under pressure: The link between mandatory climate reporting and firms' carbon performance," CFR Working Papers 22-01, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    13. Córdova Román, Carmen & Zorio-Grima, Ana & Merello, Paloma, 2021. "Economic development and CSR assurance: Important drivers for carbon reporting… yet inefficient drivers for carbon management?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    14. Yi Chen & Zhongwen Xu & Xuehao Wang & Yining Yang, 2023. "How does green credit policy improve corporate social responsibility in China? An analysis based on carbon‐intensive listed firms," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 889-904, March.
    15. Konadu, Renata & Ahinful, Gabriel Sam & Boakye, Danquah Jeff & Elbardan, Hany, 2022. "Board gender diversity, environmental innovation and corporate carbon emissions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    16. Omaima A.G. Hassan & Peter Romilly, 2018. "Relations between corporate economic performance, environmental disclosure and greenhouse gas emissions: New insights," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 893-909, November.
    17. Nurlan Orazalin, 2020. "Do board sustainability committees contribute to corporate environmental and social performance? The mediating role of corporate social responsibility strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 140-153, January.
    18. Simona Galletta & Sebastiano Mazzù & Valeria Naciti, 2021. "Banks' business strategy and environmental effectiveness: The monitoring role of the board of directors and the managerial incentives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2656-2670, July.
    19. Khaled Alsaifi & Marwa Elnahass & Abdullah M. Al-Awadhi & Aly Salama, 2022. "Carbon disclosure and firm risk: evidence from the UK corporate responses to climate change," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(3), pages 505-526, September.
    20. Cheng, Louis T.W. & Shen, Jianfu & Wojewodzki, Michal, 2023. "A cross-country analysis of corporate carbon performance: An international investment perspective," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:31:y:2022:i:7:p:3318-3334. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.