IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v128y2023ics0140988323006953.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do M&As impact firm carbon intensity?11The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the institutions with which they are affiliated.

Author

Listed:
  • Altunbaş, Yener
  • Khan, Atiqur
  • Thornton, John

Abstract

We examine the impact of domestic and cross-border M&As on firm carbon intensity in a sample of firms from 84 countries over the period 2002–2020. We find that M&As only impact the firm-level carbon footprint in the short-term, where the impact is to raise it, but that there is no impact on the carbon footprint over the medium term. As such, the supposedly greater efficiency of acquirer firms does not appear to translate into innovations that reduce carbon intensity in either the acquirer or target firm. This result is robust to several tests, including controlling for the type of M&A (vertical or horizontal), the relative strengths of environmental regulation (as measured by environmental taxes) in acquirer and target firm country, and to alternative measures of firms' carbon footprint. The results suggest that M&A activity does little to help achieve countries' climate goals, which would be better achieved if regulators and other firm stakeholders require acquirer firms to make public the likely contribution to those goals of the M&A activity that they are proposing.

Suggested Citation

  • Altunbaş, Yener & Khan, Atiqur & Thornton, John, 2023. "Do M&As impact firm carbon intensity?11The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the institutions with which they are affiliated.," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:128:y:2023:i:c:s0140988323006953
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2023.107197
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323006953
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.107197?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Candau, Fabien & Dienesch, Elisa, 2017. "Pollution Haven and Corruption Paradise," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 171-192.
    2. Nihat Aktas & Bodt Eric De & Jean-Gabriel Cousin, 2011. "Do financial markets care about SRI? Evidence from mergers and acquisitions," Post-Print hal-02312637, HAL.
    3. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "The Modern Industrial Revolution, Exit, and the Failure of Internal Control Systems," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 43-58, January.
    4. Monastyrenko, Evgenii, 2017. "Eco-efficiency outcomes of mergers and acquisitions in the European electricity industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 258-277.
    5. Bruce A. Blonigen & Justin R. Pierce, 2016. "Evidence for the Effects of Mergers on Market Power and Efficiency," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2016-082, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Mathieu Gomes & Sylvain Marsat, 2018. "Does CSR impact premiums in M&A transactions?," Post-Print hal-01671217, HAL.
    7. J. Peter Neary, 2007. "Cross-Border Mergers as Instruments of Comparative Advantage," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 74(4), pages 1229-1257.
    8. Boone, Audra & Uysal, Vahap B., 2020. "Reputational concerns in the market for corporate control," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    9. Altunbas, Yener & Gambacorta, Leonardo & Reghezza, Alessio & Velliscig, Giulio, 2022. "Does gender diversity in the workplace mitigate climate change?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    10. repec:clg:wpaper:2008-02 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Eng Li Li & Fikru Mahelet G., 2020. "Environmental Performance of Food and Beverage Firms in Merger and Acquisition Deals," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 18(2), pages 1-19, November.
    12. Benedikt Downar & Jürgen Ernstberger & Stefan Reichelstein & Sebastian Schwenen & Aleksandar Zaklan, 2021. "The impact of carbon disclosure mandates on emissions and financial operating performance," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1137-1175, September.
    13. Andrew King & Michael Lenox, 2002. "Exploring the Locus of Profitable Pollution Reduction," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 289-299, February.
    14. Javorcik Beata Smarzynska & Wei Shang-Jin, 2003. "Pollution Havens and Foreign Direct Investment: Dirty Secret or Popular Myth?," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 1-34, December.
    15. Luca Berchicci & Glen Dowell & Andrew A. King, 2012. "Environmental capabilities and corporate strategy: exploring acquisitions among US manufacturing firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(9), pages 1053-1071, September.
    16. Al-Tuwaijri, Sulaiman A. & Christensen, Theodore E. & Hughes, K. II, 2004. "The relations among environmental disclosure, environmental performance, and economic performance: a simultaneous equations approach," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(5-6), pages 447-471.
    17. Reghezza, Alessio & Altunbas, Yener & Marques-Ibanez, David & Rodriguez d’Acri, Costanza & Spaggiari, Martina, 2022. "Do banks fuel climate change?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    18. Eunice S. Khoo & Youngdeok Lim & Louise Y. Lu & Gary S. Monroe, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility performance and the reputational incentives of independent directors," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 841-881, May.
    19. Arik Levinson & M. Scott Taylor, 2008. "Unmasking The Pollution Haven Effect," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 49(1), pages 223-254, February.
    20. Kathleen Herbohn & Ru Gao & Peter Clarkson, 2019. "Evidence on Whether Banks Consider Carbon Risk in Their Lending Decisions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 155-175, August.
    21. Steven Brakman & Harry Garretsen & Charles van Marrewijk & Charles van Marrewijk, 2005. "Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: On Revealed Comparative Advantage and Merger Waves," CESifo Working Paper Series 1602, CESifo.
    22. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    23. Bose, Sudipta & Minnick, Kristina & Shams, Syed, 2021. "Does carbon risk matter for corporate acquisition decisions?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    24. Sirini Jeudy-Hugo & Luca Lo Re & Chiara Falduto, 2021. "Understanding countries’ net-zero emissions targets," OECD/IEA Climate Change Expert Group Papers 2021/03, OECD Publishing.
    25. Haque, Faizul, 2017. "The effects of board characteristics and sustainable compensation policy on carbon performance of UK firms," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 347-364.
    26. Cantwell, John & Janne, Odile, 1999. "Technological globalisation and innovative centres: the role of corporate technological leadership and locational hierarchy1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 119-144, March.
    27. Gomes, Mathieu & Marsat, Sylvain, 2018. "Does CSR impact premiums in M&A transactions?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 71-80.
    28. Barros, Victor & Verga Matos, Pedro & Miranda Sarmento, Joaquim & Rino Vieira, Pedro, 2022. "M&A activity as a driver for better ESG performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    29. Khine Kyaw & Sirimon Treepongkaruna & Pornsit Jiraporn, 2022. "Board gender diversity and environmental emissions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 2871-2881, November.
    30. Chen, Ester & Gavious, Ilanit, 2015. "Does CSR have different value implications for different shareholders?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 14(C), pages 29-35.
    31. Glen Dowell & Stuart Hart & Bernard Yeung, 2000. "Do Corporate Global Environmental Standards Create or Destroy Market Value?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(8), pages 1059-1074, August.
    32. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    33. Michael E. Porter & Claas van der Linde, 1995. "Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 97-118, Fall.
    34. Castrogiovanni, Gary J. & Bruton, Garry D., 2000. "Business Turnaround Processes Following Acquisitions: Reconsidering the Role of Retrenchment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 25-34, April.
    35. Aktas, Nihat & de Bodt, Eric & Cousin, Jean-Gabriel, 2011. "Do financial markets care about SRI? Evidence from mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1753-1761, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Barros, Victor & Verga Matos, Pedro & Miranda Sarmento, Joaquim & Rino Vieira, Pedro, 2022. "M&A activity as a driver for better ESG performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    2. Hussain, Tanveer & Shams, Syed, 2022. "Pre-deal differences in corporate social responsibility and acquisition performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. D'Souza, Reagan & Ho, Choy Yeing (Chloe) & Yang, Joey W., 2024. "The cost of corporate social irresponsibility for acquirers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    4. Mussa Hussaini & Ugo Rigoni & Paolo Perego, 2023. "The strategic choice of payment method in takeovers: The role of environmental, social and governance performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 200-219, January.
    5. Jost, Sébastien & Erben, Saskia & Ottenstein, Philipp & Zülch, Henning, 2022. "Does corporate social responsibility impact mergers & acquisition premia? New international evidence," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    6. Hu, Jun & Fang, Qi & Wu, Huiying, 2023. "Environmental tax and highly polluting firms' green transformation: Evidence from green mergers and acquisitions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PB).
    7. Siddique, Md Abubakar & Akhtaruzzaman, Md & Rashid, Afzalur & Hammami, Helmi, 2021. "Carbon disclosure, carbon performance and financial performance: International evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    8. Altunbas, Yener & Gambacorta, Leonardo & Reghezza, Alessio & Velliscig, Giulio, 2022. "Does gender diversity in the workplace mitigate climate change?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    9. Ozgur Ozdemir & Fatemeh Binesh & Ezgi Erkmen, 2022. "The effect of target’s CSR performance on M&A deal premiums: a case for service firms," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1001-1034, May.
    10. Fatemi, Ali & Glaum, Martin & Kaiser, Stefanie, 2018. "ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 45-64.
    11. Vincenzo Vastola & Angeloantonio Russo, 2021. "Exploring the effects of mergers and acquisitions on acquirers' sustainability orientation: Embedding, adding, or losing sustainability," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1094-1104, February.
    12. Fang Zhang & Minghui Li & Meilan Zhang, 2019. "Chinese Financial Market Investors Attitudes toward Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, May.
    13. Khalil Nimer & Muath Abdelqader & Cemil Kuzey & Ali Uyar, 2024. "Emission targeting and carbon emissions: The moderating effect of female directors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3480-3504, May.
    14. Arouri, Mohamed & Gomes, Mathieu & Pukthuanthong, Kuntara, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and M&A uncertainty," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 176-198.
    15. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    16. Lu Qiao & Jianfeng Wu, 2019. "Pay for Being Responsible: The Effect of Target Firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility on Cross-Border Acquisition Premiums," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-21, March.
    17. Karolis Andriuškevičius & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2022. "Sustainability Framework for Assessment of Mergers and Acquisitions in Energy Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-20, June.
    18. Hussaini, Mussa & Hussain, Nazim & Nguyen, Duc Khuong & Rigoni, Ugo, 2021. "Is corporate social responsibility an agency problem? An empirical note from takeovers," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    19. Vastola, Vincenzo & Russo, Angeloantonio & Vurro, Clodia, 2017. "Dealing with Cultural Differences in Environmental Management: Exploring the CEP-CFP Relationship," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 267-275.
    20. Gomes, Mathieu, 2019. "Does CSR influence M&A target choices?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 153-159.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Carbon emissions; Carbon intensity; Mergers and acquisitions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • P28 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Natural Resources; Environment

    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:eee:eneeco:v:128:y:2023:i:c:s0140988323006953. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    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.