IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v29y2022i5p1647-1662.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revisiting the association between environmental performance and financial performance: Does the level of environmental orientation matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Ammar Ali Gull
  • Asif Saeed
  • Muhammad Tahir Suleman
  • Rizwan Mushtaq

Abstract

In this study, we re‐examine the nexus of environmental performance and financial performance by benchmarking firms relative to their industry peers based on environmental performance in a given year to identify best‐in‐class and worst‐in‐class firms. After correcting for distributional issues while using environmental performance scores (i.e., clustering scores around the median and material differences within industries and time) and financial performance ratios (i.e., the potential impact of extreme values), we find that best‐in‐class firms exhibit higher financial performance than their industry peers (i.e., worst‐in‐class and average firms). Our findings are robust to alternative measures of environmental performance (i.e., subdimensions of environmental performance) and financial performance. Finally, our results are robust to different identification strategies. Our findings present important and timely policy implications for firms, ESG fund managers and investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Ammar Ali Gull & Asif Saeed & Muhammad Tahir Suleman & Rizwan Mushtaq, 2022. "Revisiting the association between environmental performance and financial performance: Does the level of environmental orientation matter?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1647-1662, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:29:y:2022:i:5:p:1647-1662
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2310
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2310
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.2310?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. Amrou Awaysheh & Randall A. Heron & Tod Perry & Jared I. Wilson, 2020. "On the relation between corporate social responsibility and financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(6), pages 965-987, June.
    2. 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.
    3. Mahabubur Rahman & Saqib Aziz & Mathew Hughes, 2020. "The product‐market performance benefits of environmental policy: Why customer awareness and firm innovativeness matter," Post-Print hal-03004777, HAL.
    4. Thi Hong Van Hoang & Justyna Przychodzen & Wojciech Przychodzen & Elysé Segbotangni, 2020. "Does it pay to be green? A disaggregated analysis of US firms with green patents," Post-Print hal-02518497, HAL.
    5. Seonghoon Kim & Ann Terlaak & Matthew Potoski, 2021. "Corporate sustainability and financial performance: Collective reputation as moderator of the relationship between environmental performance and firm market value," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1689-1701, May.
    6. Thomas Bassetti & Silvia Blasi & Silvia Rita Sedita, 2021. "The management of sustainable development: A longitudinal analysis of the effects of environmental performance on economic performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 21-37, January.
    7. Asif Saeed & Ammar Ali Gull & Asad Ali Rind & Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik & Muhammad Shahbaz, 2022. "Do socially responsible firms demand high‐quality audits? An international evidence," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 2235-2255, April.
    8. Farooq, Muhammad Umar & Su, Kun & Boubaker, Sabri & Ali Gull, Ammar, 2022. "Does gender promote ethical and risk-averse behavior among CEOs? An illustration through related-party transactions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    9. Ismail O. Fasanya & Adegbemi B.O.Onakoya, 2013. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Improve Financial Performance of Nigerian Firms? Empirical Evidence from Triangulation Analysis," Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 9(3), pages 22-36, June.
    10. Ammar Ali Gull & Ayman Issa & Muhammad Atif & Tanveer Ahsan, 2021. "Gender diversity in boardrooms and corporate financial performance: Evidence from the male-dominated society of Qatar," Post-Print hal-03512978, HAL.
    11. 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.
    12. Shilu Sun & Tiantian Li & Hong Ma & Rita Yi Man Li & Kostas Gouliamos & Jianming Zheng & Yan Han & Otilia Manta & Ubaldo Comite & Teresa Barros & Nelson Duarte & Xiao-Guang Yue, 2020. "Does Employee Quality Affect Corporate Social Responsibility? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, March.
    13. Jennifer N. Carpenter & Richard Stanton & Nancy Wallace, 2019. "Employee Stock Option Exercise and Firm Cost," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(3), pages 1175-1216, June.
    14. Love, Inessa & Preve, Lorenzo A. & Sarria-Allende, Virginia, 2007. "Trade credit and bank credit: Evidence from recent financial crises," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 453-469, February.
    15. Chen-En Hou & Wen-Min Lu & Shiu-Wan Hung, 2019. "Does CSR matter? Influence of corporate social responsibility on corporate performance in the creative industry," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 278(1), pages 255-279, July.
    16. Ilinitch, Anne Y. & Soderstrom, Naomi S. & E. Thomas, Tom, 1998. "Measuring corporate environmental performance," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(4-5), pages 383-408.
    17. Boubaker, Sabri & Cellier, Alexis & Manita, Riadh & Saeed, Asif, 2020. "Does corporate social responsibility reduce financial distress risk?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 835-851.
    18. Abid, Ammar & Gull, Ammar Ali & Hussain, Nazim & Nguyen, Duc Khuong, 2021. "Risk governance and bank risk-taking behavior: Evidence from Asian banks," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Wintoki, M. Babajide & Linck, James S. & Netter, Jeffry M., 2012. "Endogeneity and the dynamics of internal corporate governance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(3), pages 581-606.
    20. Khanna, Madhu & Damon, Lisa A., 1999. "EPA's Voluntary 33/50 Program: Impact on Toxic Releases and Economic Performance of Firms," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, January.
    21. Thi‐Hong‐Van Hoang & Wojciech Przychodzen & Justyna Przychodzen & Elysé A. Segbotangni, 2020. "Does it pay to be green? A disaggregated analysis of U.S. firms with green patents," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1331-1361, March.
    22. Ding, David K. & Ferreira, Christo & Wongchoti, Udomsak, 2019. "The geography of CSR," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 265-288.
    23. Mehdi Nekhili & Ammar Ali Gull & Tawhid Chtioui & Ikram Radhouane, 2020. "Gender‐diverse boards and audit fees: What difference does gender quota legislation make?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1-2), pages 52-99, January.
    24. Gull, Ammar Ali & Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid, 2018. "Beyond gender diversity: How specific attributes of female directors affect earnings management," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 255-274.
    25. Yuriko Nakao & Akihiro Amano & Kanichiro Matsumura & Kiminori Genba & Makiko Nakano, 2007. "Relationship between environmental performance and financial performance: an empirical analysis of japanese corporations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 106-118, February.
    26. 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.
    27. Gull, Ammar Ali & Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid, 2018. "Beyond gender diversity: How specific attributes of female directors affect earnings management," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 255-274.
    28. Bryan W. Husted & Dima Jamali & Walid Saffar, 2016. "Near and dear? The role of location in CSR engagement," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(10), pages 2050-2070, October.
    29. Michael L. Barnett & Robert M. Salomon, 2012. "Does it pay to be really good? addressing the shape of the relationship between social and financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(11), pages 1304-1320, November.
    30. Mahabubur Rahman & Saqib Aziz & Mathew Hughes, 2020. "The product‐market performance benefits of environmental policy: Why customer awareness and firm innovativeness matter," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 2001-2018, July.
    31. 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.
    32. Robert D. Klassen & Curtis P. McLaughlin, 1996. "The Impact of Environmental Management on Firm Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(8), pages 1199-1214, August.
    33. Aaron K. Chatterji & Rodolphe Durand & David I. Levine & Samuel Touboul, 2016. "Do ratings of firms converge? Implications for managers, investors and strategy researchers," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(8), pages 1597-1614, August.
    34. Abban, Abdul Rashid & Hasan, Mohammad Zahid, 2021. "The causality direction between environmental performance and financial performance in Australian mining companies - A panel data analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    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. David Aristei & Manuela Gallo, 2024. "Green management, access to credit, and firms’ vulnerability to the COVID-19 crisis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 179-211, January.

    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. Gull, Ammar Ali & Atif, Muhammad & Ahsan, Tanveer & Derouiche, Imen, 2022. "Does waste management affect firm performance? International evidence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    2. Danquah Jeff Boakye & Ishmael TIngbani & Gabriel Ahinful & Isaac Damoah & Venancio Tauringana, 2020. "Sustainable environmental practices and financial performance: Evidence from listed small and medium‐sized enterprise in the United Kingdom," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2583-2602, September.
    3. 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.
    4. Ammar Ali Gull & Nazim Hussain & Sana Akbar Khan & Zaheer Khan & Asif Saeed, 2023. "Governing Corporate Social Responsibility Decoupling: The Effect of the Governance Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility Decoupling," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(2), pages 349-374, June.
    5. Rayenda Khresna Brahmana & Maria Kontesa, 2021. "Does clean technology weaken the environmental impact on the financial performance? Insight from global oil and gas companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3411-3423, November.
    6. Stefan Ambec & Paul Lanoie, 2007. "When and Why Does It Pay To Be Green?," CIRANO Working Papers 2007s-20, CIRANO.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Tzouvanas, Panagiotis & Kizys, Renatas & Chatziantoniou, Ioannis & Sagitova, Roza, 2020. "Environmental and financial performance in the European manufacturing sector: An analysis of extreme tail dependency," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    10. Wolfgang Schultze & Ramona Trommer, 2012. "The concept of environmental performance and its measurement in empirical studies," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 375-412, January.
    11. 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.
    12. Kimitaka Nishitani & Shinji Kaneko & Satoru Komatsu & Hidemichi Fujii, 2011. "Firm's reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and economic performance: analyzing effects through demand and productivity," IDEC DP2 Series 1-1, Hiroshima University, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC).
    13. 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.
    14. Horváthová, Eva, 2010. "Does environmental performance affect financial performance? A meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 52-59, November.
    15. 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.
    16. 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.
    17. Abid, Ammar & Gull, Ammar Ali & Hussain, Nazim & Nguyen, Duc Khuong, 2021. "Risk governance and bank risk-taking behavior: Evidence from Asian banks," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Saqib Aziz & Mahabubur Rahman & Dildar Hussain & Duc Nguyen, 2021. "Does corporate environmentalism affect corporate insolvency risk? The role of market power and competitive intensity," Post-Print hal-03344206, HAL.
    19. 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.
    20. Aziz, Saqib & Rahman, Mahabubur & Hussain, Dildar & Nguyen, Duc K., 2021. "Does corporate environmentalism affect corporate insolvency risk? The role of market power and competitive intensity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(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:wly:corsem:v:29:y:2022:i:5:p:1647-1662. 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: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.