IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v27y2018i8p1422-1436.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The influence of carbon cost pass through on the link between carbon emission and corporate financial performance in the context of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme

Author

Listed:
  • Roel Brouwers
  • Frederiek Schoubben
  • Cynthia Van Hulle

Abstract

In this study we examine, within the context of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, whether firms' ability to pass through carbon costs affects the link between carbon emission and corporate financial performance. Our results, controlling for the endogenous relationship between carbon emission and financial performance, and robust to a number of alternative financial performance measures, demonstrate that good carbon emission performance does not always pay off. In fact, we find that lower levels of carbon emission are only rewarded if firms are not able to pass on carbon costs to consumers, either due to industry characteristics or firm‐specific carbon efficiency. Our results are in line with the view that as pollution is associated with increasing environmental costs, this negative impact of pollution on financial performance is mitigated for “carbon cost pass through” firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Roel Brouwers & Frederiek Schoubben & Cynthia Van Hulle, 2018. "The influence of carbon cost pass through on the link between carbon emission and corporate financial performance in the context of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1422-1436, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:27:y:2018:i:8:p:1422-1436
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2193
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2193
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.2193?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. Paul Lanoie, 2008. "When And Why Does It Pay To Be Green?," CIRANO Papers 2008n-02a, CIRANO.
    2. Dechezlepretre, Antoine & Sato, Misato, 2017. "The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 77700, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Chan, Hei Sing (Ron) & Li, Shanjun & Zhang, Fan, 2013. "Firm competitiveness and the European Union emissions trading scheme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1056-1064.
    4. Antoine Dechezleprêtre & Misato Sato, 2017. "The Impacts of Environmental Regulations on Competitiveness," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(2), pages 183-206.
    5. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    6. Raj Aggarwal & Sandra Dow, 2012. "Corporate governance and business strategies for climate change and environmental mitigation," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3-4), pages 311-331, April.
    7. Rennings, Klaus & Ziegler, Andreas & Ankele, Kathrin & Hoffmann, Esther, 2006. "The influence of different characteristics of the EU environmental management and auditing scheme on technical environmental innovations and economic performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 45-59, April.
    8. Raphael Calel & Antoine Dechezleprêtre, 2016. "Environmental Policy and Directed Technological Change: Evidence from the European Carbon Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(1), pages 173-191, March.
    9. Hidemichi Fujii & Kazuyuki Iwata & Shinji Kaneko & Shunsuke Managi, 2013. "Corporate Environmental and Economic Performance of Japanese Manufacturing Firms: Empirical Study for Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 187-201, March.
    10. Veith, Stefan & Werner, Jörg R. & Zimmermann, Jochen, 2009. "Capital market response to emission rights returns: Evidence from the European power sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 605-613, July.
    11. Venmans, Frank, 2012. "A literature-based multi-criteria evaluation of the EU ETS," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(8), pages 5493-5510.
    12. Wietze Lise & Jos Sijm & Benjamin Hobbs, 2010. "The Impact of the EU ETS on Prices, Profits and Emissions in the Power Sector: Simulation Results with the COMPETES EU20 Model," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 47(1), pages 23-44, September.
    13. Larcker, David F. & Rusticus, Tjomme O., 2010. "On the use of instrumental variables in accounting research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 186-205, April.
    14. Schmidt, Robert C. & Heitzig, Jobst, 2014. "Carbon leakage: Grandfathering as an incentive device to avert firm relocation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 209-223.
    15. Hayam Wahba, 2008. "Does the market value corporate environmental responsibility? An empirical examination," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 89-99, March.
    16. Oberndorfer, Ulrich, 2009. "EU Emission Allowances and the stock market: Evidence from the electricity industry," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 1116-1126, February.
    17. Philipp Schreck, 2011. "Reviewing the Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: New Evidence and Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(2), pages 167-188, October.
    18. Christoph Trumpp & Thomas Guenther, 2017. "Too Little or too much? Exploring U‐shaped Relationships between Corporate Environmental Performance and Corporate Financial Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 49-68, January.
    19. Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & Isabel M. García‐Sánchez & Cléber da Silva Vieira, 2014. "Climate Change and Financial Performance in Times of Crisis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(6), pages 361-374, September.
    20. Nikolaos Sariannidis & Eleni Zafeiriou & Grigoris Giannarakis & Garyfallos Arabatzis, 2013. "CO2 Emissions and Financial Performance of Socially Responsible Firms: An Empirical Survey," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(2), pages 109-120, February.
    21. Kneller, Richard & Manderson, Edward, 2012. "Environmental regulations and innovation activity in UK manufacturing industries," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 211-235.
    22. Shameek Konar & Mark A. Cohen, 2001. "Does The Market Value Environmental Performance?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(2), pages 281-289, May.
    23. Ben Kheder, Sonia & Zugravu, Natalia, 2012. "Environmental regulation and French firms location abroad: An economic geography model in an international comparative study," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 48-61.
    24. K.E. Hughes II & J. Kenneth Reynolds, 2001. "Uncertainty Associated with Future Environmental Costs and the Market's Differential Response to Earnings Information," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(9&10), pages 1351-1386.
    25. James J. Cordeiro & Joseph Sarkis, 1997. "Environmental proactivism and firm performance: evidence from security analyst earnings forecasts," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(2), pages 104-114, May.
    26. Stuart L. Hart & Gautam Ahuja, 1996. "Does It Pay To Be Green? An Empirical Examination Of The Relationship Between Emission Reduction And Firm Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 30-37, March.
    27. Barth, Me & Mcnichols, Mf, 1994. "Estimation And Market Valuation Of Environmental Liabilities Relating To Superfund Sites," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32, pages 177-209.
    28. Paul Shrivastava, 1995. "Environmental technologies and competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(S1), pages 183-200.
    29. Kimitaka Nishitani & Katsuhiko Kokubu, 2012. "Why Does the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Enhance Firm Value? The Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(8), pages 517-529, December.
    30. Roberto Garcia-Castro & Miguel Ariño & Miguel Canela, 2010. "Does Social Performance Really Lead to Financial Performance? Accounting for Endogeneity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 107-126, March.
    31. Regina Betz & Misato Sato, 2006. "Emissions trading: lessons learnt from the 1st phase of the EU ETS and prospects for the 2nd phase," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(4), pages 351-359, July.
    32. Frank Venmans, 2015. "Capital market response to emission allowance prices: a multivariate GARCH approach," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 17(4), pages 577-620, October.
    33. Lei Wang & Steven Li & Simon Gao, 2014. "Do Greenhouse Gas Emissions Affect Financial Performance? – an Empirical Examination of Australian Public Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 505-519, December.
    34. K.E. Hughes II & J. Kenneth Reynolds, 2001. "Uncertainty Associated with Future Environmental Costs and the Market’s Differential Response to Earnings Information," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(9‐10), pages 1351-1386, November.
    35. Jong, Thijs & Couwenberg, Oscar & Woerdman, Edwin, 2014. "Does EU emissions trading bite? An event study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 510-519.
    36. Larelle Chapple & Peter M. Clarkson & Daniel L. Gold, 2013. "The Cost of Carbon: Capital Market Effects of the Proposed Emission Trading Scheme ( ETS )," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 49(1), pages 1-33, March.
    37. Fischer, Carolyn & Fox, Alan K., 2012. "Comparing policies to combat emissions leakage: Border carbon adjustments versus rebates," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 199-216.
    38. Dam, Lammertjan & Scholtens, Bert, 2012. "The curse of the haven: The impact of multinational enterprise on environmental regulation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 148-156.
    39. Michael Grubb & Christian Azar & U. Martin Persson, 2005. "Allowance allocation in the European emissions trading system: a commentary," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 127-136, January.
    40. Albert Czerny & Peter Letmathe, 2017. "Eco‐efficiency: GHG reduction related environmental and economic performance. The case of the companies participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(6), pages 791-806, September.
    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. Xun Liu & Xiaoliang Yu & Simon Gao, 2019. "A quantitative study of financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies: A three‐stage data envelopment analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 858-871, July.
    2. Simone Lazzini & Zeila Occhipinti & Angela Parenti & Roberto Verona, 2021. "Disentangling economic crisis effects from environmental regulation effects: Implications for sustainable development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2332-2353, July.
    3. Alexandra França & Lucas López‐Manuel & Antonio Sartal & Xosé H. Vázquez, 2023. "Adapting corporations to climate change: How decarbonization impacts the business strategy–performance nexus," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5615-5632, December.
    4. Wu, Qingyang & Tan, Chang & Wang, Daoping & Wu, Yongtao & Meng, Jing & Zheng, Heran, 2023. "How carbon emission prices accelerate net zero: Evidence from China's coal-fired power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    5. Martha Cristina Linares Rodríguez & Nicolás Gambetta & María Antonia García-Benau, 2023. "Carbon management strategy quality in Colombian companies: the influence of the national and regional public sector and company-inherent characteristics," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8367-8394, August.
    6. Yilmaz Yildiz & Mehmet Baha Karan, 2020. "Environmental policies, national culture, and stock price crash risk: Evidence from renewable energy firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2374-2391, September.
    7. Zhang, Yue-Jun & Liang, Ting & Jin, Yan-Lin & Shen, Bo, 2020. "The impact of carbon trading on economic output and carbon emissions reduction in China’s industrial sectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Saleh F. A. Khatib & Iyad H. M. Ismail & Naeem Salameh & Alhamzah F. Abbas & Ayman Hassan Bazhair & Hamid Ghazi H Sulimany, 2023. "Carbon Emission and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Management Environmental Training," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-19, July.
    9. Zhu, Bo & Hou, Rui, 2022. "Carbon risk and dividend policy: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Linda Kusumaning Wedari & Amir Moradi‐Motlagh & Christine Jubb, 2023. "The moderating effect of innovation on the relationship between environmental and financial performance: Evidence from high emitters in Australia," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 654-672, January.
    11. Zhang, Wei & Liu, Xuemeng & Wang, Die & Zhou, Jianping, 2022. "Digital economy and carbon emission performance: Evidence at China's city level," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    12. Phan, Dinh Hoang Bach & Tran, Vuong Thao & Ming, Tee Chwee & Le, Anh, 2022. "Carbon risk and corporate investment: A cross-country evidence," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    13. Guerrero-Escobar Santiago & Hernández-del-Valle Gerardo & Hernández Vega Marco & De-la-Mora Paula, 2023. "The Stock Market Effects of Committing and Setting GHG Targets: Evidence from the Science-Based Initiative," Working Papers 2023-15, Banco de México.
    14. Wenting Lu & Naiping Zhu & Jing Zhang, 2021. "The Impact of Carbon Disclosure on Financial Performance under Low Carbon Constraints," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    15. Lukas Benz & Stefan Paulus & Julia Scherer & Janik Syryca & Stefan Trück, 2021. "Investors' carbon risk exposure and their potential for shareholder engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 282-301, January.
    16. Zhu, Bo & Zhao, Yue, 2022. "Carbon risk and the cost of bank loans: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    17. Jia Meng & ZhongXiang Zhang, 2022. "Corporate Environmental Information Disclosure and Investor Response: Empirical Evidence from China's Capital Market," Working Papers 2022.03, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    18. Su-In Kim & Yujin Kim, 2023. "Analysis of the relationship between investment inefficiency and climate risk and the moderating effects of managerial ownership," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(9), pages 9337-9358, September.
    19. De Beule, Filip & Schoubben, Frederiek & Struyfs, Kristof, 2022. "The pollution haven effect and investment leakage: The case of the EU-ETS," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    20. Sadia Samar Ali & Rajbir Kaur & D. Jinil Persis & Raiswa Saha & Murugan Pattusamy & V. Raja Sreedharan, 2023. "Developing a hybrid evaluation approach for the low carbon performance on sustainable manufacturing environment," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 324(1), pages 249-281, May.
    21. Robin van Emous & Rytis Krušinskas & Wim Westerman, 2021. "Carbon Emissions Reduction and Corporate Financial Performance: The Influence of Country-Level Characteristics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.
    22. Meng, Jia & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2022. "Corporate environmental information disclosure and investor response: Evidence from China's capital market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    23. Kim, Sang Joon & Atukeren, Erdal & Kim, Hohyun, 2023. "Does the market's reaction to greenhouse gas emissions differ between B2B and B2C? Evidence from South Korea," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(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. Ryo Aruga & Keiichi Goshima & Takashi Chiba, 2022. "CO2 Emissions and Corporate Performance: Japan's Evidence with Double Machine Learning," IMES Discussion Paper Series 22-E-01, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    2. Brouwers, Roel & Schoubben, Frederiek & Van Hulle, Cynthia & Van Uytbergen, Steve, 2016. "The initial impact of EU ETS verification events on stock prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 138-149.
    3. Nazim Hussain & Ugo Rigoni & Elisa Cavezzali, 2018. "Does it pay to be sustainable? Looking inside the black box of the relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1198-1211, November.
    4. Sergio Manrique & Carmen-Pilar Martí-Ballester, 2017. "Analyzing the Effect of Corporate Environmental Performance on Corporate Financial Performance in Developed and Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-30, October.
    5. Josep Garcia‐Blandon & David Castillo‐Merino & Nour Chams, 2020. "Sustainable development: The stock market's view of environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3273-3285, December.
    6. Markus Hang & Jerome Geyer‐Klingeberg & Andreas W. Rathgeber, 2019. "It is merely a matter of time: A meta‐analysis of the causality between environmental performance and financial performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 257-273, February.
    7. Joltreau, Eugénie & Sommerfeld, Katrin, 2016. "Why does emissions trading under the EU ETS not affect firms' competitiveness? Empirical findings from the literature," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-062, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    8. Ruiqian Li & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, 2018. "Impacts of Industrial Heterogeneity and Technical Innovation on the Relationship between Environmental Performance and Financial Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-25, May.
    9. Christoph Trumpp & Thomas Guenther, 2017. "Too Little or too much? Exploring U‐shaped Relationships between Corporate Environmental Performance and Corporate Financial Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 49-68, January.
    10. Meltem Kılıç & Hasan Emin Gurler & Ahmet Kaya & Chang Won Lee, 2022. "The Impact of Sustainability Performance on Financial Performance: Does Firm Size Matter? Evidence from Turkey and South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Qingxia (Jenny) Wang, 2023. "Financial effects of carbon risk and carbon disclosure: A review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4175-4219, December.
    12. Kai Quan Zhang & Hsing Hung Chen, 2017. "Environmental Performance and Financing Decisions Impact on Sustainable Financial Development of Chinese Environmental Protection Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Nazim Hussain, 2015. "Impact of Sustainability Performance on Financial Performance: An Empirical Study of Global Fortune (N100) Firms," Working Papers 1, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    14. Dechezleprêtre, Antoine & Kozluk, Tomasz & Kruse, Tobias & Nachtigall, Daniel & de Serres, Alain, 2019. "Do Environmental and Economic Performance Go Together? A Review of Micro-level Empirical Evidence from the Past Decade or So," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 13(1-2), pages 1-118, April.
    15. Khaled Alsaifi & Marwa Elnahass & Aly Salama, 2020. "Carbon disclosure and financial performance: UK environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 711-726, February.
    16. Ki‐Hoon Lee & Beom Cheol Cin & Eui Young Lee, 2016. "Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: The Application of an Environmental, Social and Governance Model," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 40-53, January.
    17. 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.
    18. Lei Wang & Steven Li & Simon Gao, 2014. "Do Greenhouse Gas Emissions Affect Financial Performance? – an Empirical Examination of Australian Public Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 505-519, December.
    19. Dechezleprêtre, Antoine & Nachtigall, Daniel & Venmans, Frank, 2023. "The joint impact of the European Union emissions trading system on carbon emissions and economic performance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    20. Böning, Justus & Di Nino, Virginia & Folger, Till, 2023. "Benefits and costs of the ETS in the EU, a lesson learned for the CBAM design," Working Paper Series 2764, European Central Bank.

    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:27:y:2018:i:8:p:1422-1436. 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.