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The impact of voluntary programs on polluting behavior: Evidence from pollution prevention programs and toxic releases

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  • Bui, Linda T.M.
  • Kapon, Samuel

Abstract

We investigate how a class of voluntary environmental initiatives known as pollution prevention (“P2”) programs affect toxic pollution. We construct a data base of federal and state-level P2 programs and exploit variation in adoption dates and program characteristics to study their effects on facility-level releases. We find convincing evidence that these mechanisms alter polluter behavior. In particular, we find that (1) state P2 programs had a significant impact on average facility level toxic releases, reducing annual releases by 11–15%; (2) for every $100,000 of federal matching funds awarded for state P2 activities, average facility level releases in the recipient state declined on the order of 1–1.5%; (3) P2-induced reductions are significantly enhanced by information spillovers, diffused primarily via industry networks rather than geographic proximity; (4) facilities respond to technical assistance programs by reducing toxic releases, but only for substances that are not simultaneously regulated by formal command and control strategies; and (5) facilities respond to filing fees and non-reporting penalties by altering their toxic releases, but only for chemicals that are easily monitored by regulators.

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  • Bui, Linda T.M. & Kapon, Samuel, 2012. "The impact of voluntary programs on polluting behavior: Evidence from pollution prevention programs and toxic releases," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 31-44.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:64:y:2012:i:1:p:31-44
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2012.01.002
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    3. Bin Ni, 2015. "Productivity, Capital Intensity and ISO14001 Adoption \Theory and Evidence from Vietnam," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 15-26, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    4. 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.
    5. Kube, Roland & von Graevenitz, Kathrine & Löschel, Andreas & Massier, Philipp, 2019. "Do voluntary environmental programs reduce emissions? EMAS in the German manufacturing sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(S1).
    6. Keith Brouhle & Brad Graham & Donna Ramirez Harrington, 2023. "Patents and P2: Innovation and Technology Adoption for Environmental Improvements," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(2), pages 439-474, February.
    7. Fraas, Art & Egorenkov, Alex, 2015. "A Retrospective Study of EPA’s Air Toxics Program under the Revised Section 112 Requirements of the Clean Air Act," RFF Working Paper Series dp-15-23, Resources for the Future.
    8. Xiang Bi & Connor Mullally, 2021. "Does Peer Adoption Increase the Diffusion of Pollution Prevention Practices?," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 97(1), pages 224-245.
    9. Finger, Stephen R. & Gamper-Rabindran, Shanti, 2013. "Mandatory disclosure of plant emissions into the environment and worker chemical exposure inside plants," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 124-136.
    10. Hidemichi Fujii & Shunsuke Managi, 2013. "Decomposition of Toxic Chemical Substance Management in Three U.S. Manufacturing Sectors from 1991 to 2008," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 17(3), pages 461-471, June.
    11. Christopher J. Blackburn & Mallory E. Flowers & Daniel C. Matisoff & Juan Moreno-Cruz, 2018. "Do Pilot and Demonstration Projects Work?," CESifo Working Paper Series 7252, CESifo.
    12. Daniel Matisoff, 2015. "Sources of specification errors in the assessment of voluntary environmental programs: understanding program impacts," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(1), pages 109-126, March.
    13. Xiang Bi & Madhu Khanna, 2017. "Inducing pollution prevention adoption: effectiveness of the 33/50 voluntary environmental program," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(12), pages 2234-2254, December.
    14. Stephen Bahadar & Muhammad Nadeem & Rashid Zaman, 2023. "Toxic chemical releases and idiosyncratic return volatility: A prospect theory perspective," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(2), pages 2109-2143, June.
    15. Li, Huan & Khanna, Neha & Vidovic, Martina, 2014. "Third Party Certification and Self-Regulation: Evidence from Responsible Care and Accidents in the US Chemical Industry," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170492, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    16. Martina Vidovic & Michael S. Delgado & Neha Khanna, 2019. "Third‐Party Certification And The Effectiveness Of Voluntary Pollution Abatement Programs: Evidence From Responsible Care," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 57(4), pages 1751-1770, October.
    17. Henian Wang & Xinxiao Yu, 2014. "A review of the protection of sources of drinking water in China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(2), pages 99-108, May.
    18. Huan Li & Neha Khanna & Martina Vidovic, 2018. "The effects of third party certification on voluntary self-regulation of accidents in the U.S. chemical industry," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 327-356, June.
    19. Gupta, Sonam & Innes, Robert, 2014. "Private politics and environmental management," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 319-339.
    20. Sangyoul Lee & Xiang Bi, 2019. "Can adoption of pollution prevention techniques reduce pollution substitution?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    21. Fabien Martinez, 2015. "A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Framework of Corporate Water Responsibility," Post-Print hal-02887624, HAL.
    22. Linh Pham & Travis Roach, 2024. "Spillover benefits of carbon dioxide cap and trade: Evidence from the Toxics Release Inventory," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(1), pages 449-467, January.
    23. Bin Ni & Hanae Tamechika & Tsunehiro Otsuki & Keiichiro Honda, 2016. "Does ISO14001 raise firms f awareness of environmental protection? |Case from Vietnam," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 16-05, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    24. Linda T. M. Bui, 2012. "What we Know About What we Know About Toxic Polluter Behavior from the TRI: Evidence from (almost) Twenty Years of TRI Data in The Petroleum Refining Industry," Working Papers 45, Brandeis University, Department of Economics and International Business School.
    25. Huang, Henry He & Liu, Chanjuan & Sun, Li, 2019. "Chemical releases and corporate cash holdings," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 159-173.

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