Corporate environmentalism: an empirical study in Brazil

Abstract

Many organisations have reached the conclusion that environmental sustainability can be a strategic part of company development and are implementing integrated business models, incorporating environmental issues and embracing the competitive advantages. This study presents construction of a time line for corporate environmentalism and analyses the current status of corporate environmentalism, from the perspective of environmental sustainability development in organisational management practices, at 364 metal-mechanic companies in Brazil. The basic methodology employs a quantitative and descriptive survey. The results indicate that 54.7% of the companies surveyed seek to comply with environmental legislation and that environmental sustainability is not yet perceived as a strategic development area for most companies in southern Brazil. A small percentage of companies were identified as being concerned with environmental issues and viewed the overlap and integration of economic development, social responsibility and environmental management as drivers of sustainable development.