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The impact of voluntary environmental protection instruments on company environmental performance

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  • David Annandale
  • Angus Morrison‐Saunders
  • George Bouma

Abstract

In the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on the use of voluntary environmental protection tools such as corporate environmental reporting (CER) and environmental management systems (EMSs). There has been relatively little research, however, on the impact of these tools on the actual environmental performance of companies. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 40 companies operating in Western Australia to determine the extent to which the implementation of two voluntary instruments has influenced company environmental performance. The research considered four questions: To what extent have CER and EMSs influenced the environmental performance of companies operating in Western Australia? What are the characteristics of these influences? How does the influence of EMSs on environmental performance compare to that of CER? Have other external factors concurrently influenced environmental performance? In general, most respondents indicated that EMSs had influenced environmental management practices to some extent. On the other hand, CER was seen more as a public relations exercise and had less impact on company practices compared with EMSs. Other factors that influenced environmental performance included pressure from clients, senior management, the public and regulators; corporate culture; and cost savings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

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  • David Annandale & Angus Morrison‐Saunders & George Bouma, 2004. "The impact of voluntary environmental protection instruments on company environmental performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:13:y:2004:i:1:p:1-12
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.390
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    6. Alexandra Danila & Maria-Gabriela Horga & Oana Oprisan & Tanase Stamule, 2022. "Good Practices on ESG Reporting in the Context of the European Green Deal," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(61), pages 847-847, August.
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    12. Blanca L. Delgado‐Márquez & Luis Enrique Pedauga, 2017. "Environmental Behavior and MNEs: A Strategy Pulled by Stakeholder Engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 927-939, November.
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    15. Suhong Li & Thomas Ngniatedema & Fang Chen, 2017. "Understanding the Impact of Green Initiatives and Green Performance on Financial Performance in the US," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(6), pages 776-790, September.

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