IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i1p259-275.html

ISO 14001 and corporate financial performance: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Smaïl Benzidia
  • Siham Rahoui
  • Mohamed Ouiakoub
  • Louise Rostan

Abstract

The impact of the certification on financial performance is still a debated issue. While a number of research studies have highlighted the importance of the environmental management system in achieving environmental performance, there is a theoretical gap concerning the way in which the environmental management system affects the financial performance of companies. This paper aims to fill the identified gap on how ISO 14001 adoption affects companies' financial performance, and the moderating factors likely to influence this link. To address the research question, a systematic literature review was carried out over the last decade of the main studies on this issue published in peer‐reviewed journals between 2004 and 2024. The analysis of the 57 articles in our sample provides a comprehensive picture of the impact of ISO 14001 on financial performance. The results of this research highlight the factors that influence the relationship between financial performance and ISO 14001 certification and suggest that endogenous and exogenous factors should be taken into account in order to understand this complex link.

Suggested Citation

  • Smaïl Benzidia & Siham Rahoui & Mohamed Ouiakoub & Louise Rostan, 2025. "ISO 14001 and corporate financial performance: A Systematic Literature Review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 259-275, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:1:p:259-275
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.3969
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3969
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.3969?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. Philipp C. Sauer & Stefan Seuring, 2023. "How to conduct systematic literature reviews in management research: a guide in 6 steps and 14 decisions," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1899-1933, July.
    2. BLOME, Constantin & PAULRAJ, Antony & DE JONG, Pieter, 2014. "The financial impact of ISO 14001 certification: top-line, bottom-line, or both?," LIDAM Reprints CORE 2709, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    3. Hernandez-Vivanco, Alfonso & Domingues, Pedro & Sampaio, Paulo & Bernardo, Merce & Cruz-Cázares, Claudio, 2019. "Do multiple certifications leverage firm performance? A dynamic approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 386-399.
    4. 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.
    5. He, Wenlong & Liu, Chong & Lu, Jiangyong & Cao, Jing, 2015. "Impacts of ISO 14001 adoption on firm performance: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 43-56.
    6. Mark Anthony Camilleri, 2022. "The rationale for ISO 14001 certification: A systematic review and a cost–benefit analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1067-1083, July.
    7. Yonghwi Noh, 2019. "The Effects of Corporate Green Efforts for Sustainability: An Event Study Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Biao Li & Kekun Wu, 2017. "Environmental Management System Adoption and the Operational Performance of Firm in the Textile and Apparel Industry of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-11, June.
    9. Pieter Jong & Antony Paulraj & Constantin Blome, 2014. "The Financial Impact of ISO 14001 Certification: Top-Line, Bottom-Line, or Both?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 131-149, January.
    10. Ikram, M. & Sroufe, Robert & Rehman, E. & Shah, S.Z.A. & Mahmoudi, A., 2020. "Do Quality, Environmental, and Social (QES) Certifications Improve International Trade? A Comparative Grey Relation Analysis of Developing vs. Developed Countries," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 545(C).
    11. Tze San Ong & Boon Heng Teh & Sin Huei Ng & Wei Ni Soh, 2016. "Environmental Management System and Financial Performance," Institutions and Economies (formerly known as International Journal of Institutions and Economies), Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, vol. 8(2), pages 27-53, April.
    12. Emmanuel K. Yiridoe & J. Stephen Clark & Geb E. Marett & Robert Gordon & Peter Duinker, 2003. "ISO 14001 EMS standard registration decisions among Canadian organizations," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(4), pages 439-457.
    13. Tze San Ong & Ah Suat Lee & Boon Heng Teh & Hussain Bakhsh Magsi, 2019. "Environmental Innovation, Environmental Performance and Financial Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Environmental Proactive Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, June.
    14. Mihaela Iona?cu & Ion Iona?cu & Marian Sacarin & Mihaela Minu, 2017. "Exploring the Impact of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certification on Financial Performance: The Case of Companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(44), pages 166-166, February.
    15. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed & Muhammad Saad Baloch & Nasrullah & Zeeshan Ahmad Khan, 2019. "Valuation of Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001: Evidence from an Emerging Market," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, January.
    16. Artitzar Erauskin‐Tolosa & Eugenio Zubeltzu‐Jaka & Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria & Olivier Boiral, 2020. "ISO 14001, EMAS and environmental performance: A meta‐analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1145-1159, March.
    17. Frondel, Manuel & Krätschell, Karoline & Zwick, Lina, 2018. "Environmental management systems: Does certification pay?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 14-24.
    18. 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.
    19. Sang M. Lee & Yonghwi Noh & Donghyun Choi & Jin Sung Rha, 2017. "Environmental Policy Performances for Sustainable Development: From the Perspective of ISO 14001 Certification," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 108-120, March.
    20. Dieudonne Alemagi & Pius M. Oben & Jürgen Ertel, 2006. "Implementing environmental management systems in industries along the Atlantic coast of Cameroon: drivers, benefits and barriers," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(4), pages 221-232, September.
    21. Andrea Chiarini, 2019. "Factors for succeeding in ISO 14001 implementation in Italian construction industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 794-803, July.
    22. 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.
    23. Sascha Kraus & Raj V. Mahto & Steven T. Walsh, 2023. "The importance of literature reviews in small business and entrepreneurship research," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(3), pages 1095-1106, May.
    24. Ionut Viorel Herghiligiu & Ioan-Bogdan Robu & Marius Pislaru & Adrian Vilcu & Anca Laura Asandului & Silvia Avasilcăi & Catalin Balan, 2019. "Sustainable Environmental Management System Integration and Business Performance: A Balance Assessment Approach Using Fuzzy Logic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-30, September.
    25. Hu, Zhenyu & Chang, Jui-Chin, 2022. "Does air pollution affect dividend policy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    26. Andreani Hanjani & Rr. Karlina Aprilia Kusumadewi, 2023. "Environmental performance and financial performance: Empirical evidence from Indonesian companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1508-1513, May.
    27. Pablo Arocena & Raquel Orcos & Fedaous Zouaghi, 2021. "The impact of ISO 14001 on firm environmental and economic performance: The moderating role of size and environmental awareness," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 955-967, February.
    28. Nishitani, Kimitaka, 2009. "An empirical study of the initial adoption of ISO 14001 in Japanese manufacturing firms," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 669-679, January.
    29. Mei‐Jane Teng & Shih‐Ying Wu, 2018. "Sustainable Development and Competitive Advantages – Utilizing Matching to Overcome Sample Selection Bias," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 313-326, July.
    30. Qaisar Ali & Asma Salman & Shazia Parveen & Zaki Zaini, 2020. "Green Behavior and Financial Performance: Impact on the Malaysian Fashion Industry," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(3), pages 21582440209, 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. Jie Cheng & Ni Sun & Ya-Nan Zou & Ke-Bin Lu & Dan-Dan Wang, 2025. "Leveraging Big Data Analytics Capability and Green Supplier Integration for Improved Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability in Manufacturing Companies," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.

    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. Jing Wang & Yunshi Mao, 2020. "Pains and gains of environmental management system certification for the sustainable development of manufacturing companies: Heterogeneous effects of industry peer learning," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 2092-2109, July.
    2. Rocio Carrillo-Labella & Fatiha Fort & Manuel Parras-Rosa, 2020. "Motives, Barriers, and Expected Benefits of ISO 14001 in the Agri-Food Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Yang, Minghui & Chen, Shaoming & Maresova, Petra, 2024. "Environmental corporate social responsibility and stock price crash risk: The role of environmental performance and ISO 14001," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    4. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed, 2020. "Impact of environmental policy on firm's market performance: The case of ISO 14001," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 681-693, March.
    5. Obey Dzomonda & Olawale Fatoki, 2020. "Environmental Sustainability Commitment and Financial Performance of Firms Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed & Muhammad Saad Baloch & Nasrullah & Zeeshan Ahmad Khan, 2019. "Valuation of Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001: Evidence from an Emerging Market," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Mark Anthony Camilleri, 2022. "The rationale for ISO 14001 certification: A systematic review and a cost–benefit analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1067-1083, July.
    8. Marco Pesce & Chenyi Shi & Andrea Critto & Xiaohui Wang & Antonio Marcomini, 2018. "SWOT Analysis of the Application of International Standard ISO 14001 in the Chinese Context. A Case Study of Guangdong Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-19, September.
    9. Eugenio Zubeltzu-Jaka & Artitzar Erauskin-Tolosa & Itziar Barinaga-Rementeria, 2026. "Throwing light on the relationship between voluntary environmental certification and corporates’ financial performance: a meta-analysis-based study," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 6389-6412, March.
    10. Neda Trifkovic, 2024. "Certifiable management standards, labor productivity, and worker wages: Evidence from the food sector in Vietnam," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(1), pages 161-184, January.
    11. Alsadan, Abdullah, 2025. "Strategic adoption of ISO14001 certification and stock price crash risk," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    12. Frederick Kibon Changwony & Anthony Kwabena Kyiu, 2024. "Business strategies and corruption in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises: The impact of business group affiliation, external auditing, and international standards certification," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 95-121, January.
    13. Riillo, Cesare Antonio Fabio, 2025. "ISO 14001 and innovation: Environmental management system and signal," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    14. Zuzana Jurská Tešovičová & Hana Krchová, 2022. "Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility Environmental Actions in Comparison of Small, Medium, and Large Enterprises in the Slovak Republic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-21, May.
    15. Ionut Viorel Herghiligiu & Ioan-Bogdan Robu & Marius Pislaru & Adrian Vilcu & Anca Laura Asandului & Silvia Avasilcăi & Catalin Balan, 2019. "Sustainable Environmental Management System Integration and Business Performance: A Balance Assessment Approach Using Fuzzy Logic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-30, September.
    16. Hernandez-Vivanco, Alfonso & Domingues, Pedro & Sampaio, Paulo & Bernardo, Merce & Cruz-Cázares, Claudio, 2019. "Do multiple certifications leverage firm performance? A dynamic approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 386-399.
    17. Cheng, Zhonghua & Yan, Xueqin, 2025. "Environmental management system certification and corporate ESG greenwashing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    18. Ying Zhang & Hongfei Ruan & Guiyao Tang & Li Tong, 2021. "Power of sustainable development: Does environmental management system certification affect a firm's access to finance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3772-3788, December.
    19. Yang, Zhenbing & Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili, 2021. "Unintended consequences of carbon regulation on the performance of SOEs in China: The role of technical efficiency," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    20. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed & Tahiru Azaaviele Liedong & Tazeeb Rajwani, 2022. "Environmental management, nonmarket strategy, and firm performance in emerging markets: The case of ISO 14001," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 139-163, January.

    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:34:y:2025:i:1:p:259-275. 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.