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Voluntary development of environmental management systems: motivations and regulatory implications

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  • Toshihiro Uchida
  • Paul Ferraro

Abstract

Encouraging firms to develop voluntarily more comprehensive environmental management systems (EMSs) is touted as a policy tool to augment mandatory environmental regulations. Using a unique dataset of environmental management practices of Japanese manufacturers and controlling for self-selection bias in survey responses, we find that proxies for regulatory pressures and consumer pressures are the most important factors that motivate firms toward more comprehensive EMSs. Despite the oft-claimed “voluntary” nature of EMS development, our results show that the government may have a role to play in both directly and indirectly affecting EMS development by firms. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Toshihiro Uchida & Paul Ferraro, 2007. "Voluntary development of environmental management systems: motivations and regulatory implications," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 37-65, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:32:y:2007:i:1:p:37-65
    DOI: 10.1007/s11149-006-9016-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Takashi Hatakeda & Katsuhiko Kokubu & Takehisa Kajiwara & Kimitaka Nishitani, 2012. "Factors Influencing Corporate Environmental Protection Activities for Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions: The Relationship Between Environmental and Financial Performance," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 53(4), pages 455-481, December.
    2. Sarah L. Stafford, 2016. "Environmental management systems and compliance at small and lightly regulated facilities: evidence from the New Hampshire hazardous waste program," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 292-314, June.
    3. Naoto Jinji, 2013. "Is Corporate Environmentalism Good for Domestic Welfare?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(5), pages 901-911, November.
    4. Binh Bui & Muhammad Nurul Houqe & Muhammad Kaleem Zahir-ul-Hassan, 2022. "Moderating effect of carbon accounting systems on strategy and carbon performance: a CDP analysis," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 483-524, December.
    5. Mary Evans & Lirong Liu & Sarah Stafford, 2011. "Do environmental audits improve long-term compliance? Evidence from manufacturing facilities in Michigan," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 279-302, December.
    6. Sam, Abdoul G., 2009. "Impact of Government-Sponsored Pollution Prevention Practices on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement: Evidence from a Sample of US Manufacturing Facilities," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49306, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Abdoul Sam, 2010. "Impact of government-sponsored pollution prevention practices on environmental compliance and enforcement: evidence from a sample of US manufacturing facilities," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 266-286, June.
    8. Le Luo & Qingliang Tang & Juan Peng, 2018. "The direct and moderating effects of power distance on carbon transparency: An international investigation of cultural value and corporate social responsibility," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1546-1557, December.
    9. Luis Miguel Fonseca & José Pedro Domingues, 2018. "Exploratory Research of ISO 14001:2015 Transition among Portuguese Organizations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, March.
    10. Laura Bravi & Gilberto Santos & Alessandro Pagano & Federica Murmura, 2020. "Environmental management system according to ISO 14001:2015 as a driver to sustainable development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2599-2614, November.
    11. D. W. Kinkini Hemach & ra, "undated". "Adoption of Voluntary Environmental Practices: Evidence from the Textile and Apparel Industry in Sri Lanka," Working papers 93, The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics.
    12. Luo, Le & Tang, Qingliang, 2016. "Determinants of the Quality of Corporate Carbon Management Systems: An International Study," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 275-305.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental management; Japan; Pollution; Voluntary approaches; Q5; L5;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy

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