Environmental Certification Programs Research Articles

Green Packaging and Environmental Safety in Ghana’s Hospitality Industry: A Systematic Review

This study seeks to review on green packaging practices on environmental safety in Ghana’s hospitality industry. The reviewed studies adopted a cross-sectional study design. A systematic review was carried out with the aid of online research journal websites as well as other in-context articles. While conducting this study, the key words in the search query were directed towards the impact of green practices on environmental safety in Ghana. Areas noted in relation to this study was use of green practices in hotels. Therefore, there was linkage of papers pointing out the impact of green practices on environmental safety. The results revealed that, hotels fared well in environmental health but badly in eco-labeling and certification. At 34%, hotels supported sustainability. Results affect MDGs, volunteering, and environment. Hierarchical multiple regression demonstrated that hotel size, class, national hotel trade association engagement, and manager remuneration increased environmental performance. No performance improvement from global chain link. Many Ghanaian hotels provide green enhancements. Most municipal hotels affect the environment. Sustainability demands hotel personnel green management training. Based on observations and interviews, they promote resilience in solid and liquid waste management, renewable energy development, green designs, energy efficiency, water conservation, and green environmental regulatory compliance. Conclusion: The research shows that hotels are important to their communities' economies, but if we neglect their environmental impact, they may damage the ecosystem. There is a need for hotels that invest money into environmental audits or certification programs like eco-labels to get monetary recompense for their environmental efforts.

Challenges in conserving forest ecosystems through coffee certification: a case study from southwestern Ethiopia

Certification schemes, aimed at simultaneously promoting ecologically sustainable agriculture and improving livelihood, are being utilized at a global scale. Among such certification schemes, the Rainforest Alliance is known as one of the most widely used environmental certification programs throughout the world. Previous studies have compared the ecological impacts of certified and non-certified farmlands, or evaluated the economic outcomes of certification. However, few studies have assessed the long-term impacts of the certification scheme. This paper attempts to analyze the long-term outcomes of the Rainforest Alliance certification program through a case study of coffee farming practices in southwestern Ethiopia. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with key informants who were deeply involved in the certification program, together with field observations and secondary data collection. The results of the assessment indicated that some areas of the certified coffee forests have been deforested or ecologically degraded and that the Rainforest Alliance program requirements were not uniformly applied. The possible causes include rapid population increase, government policies promoting intensive coffee production, presence of members who did not participate in the certification program, a lack of conservation incentives, and loopholes in the auditing process. To determine the overall success of the Rainforest Alliance certification program would require: monitoring of population growth rates and providing alternative livelihood opportunities, promoting collaboration between environmental and agricultural government authorities, conducting a more stringent on-site inspection, and to provide direct incentives for environmental conservation to all farmers living in or near the certified areas.

Green, resilient, agile, and sustainable fresh food supply chain enablers: evidence from India.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10479-023-05176-x.

Environmental Certification Schemes Based on Political Ecology: Case Study on Urban Agricultural Farmers in Bandung Metropolitan Area, Indonesia

Urban farmers who want to produce food for export must adhere to an environmental certification program due to the scarcity of resources in cities and the unpredictability of the international food trade. This paper employs a descriptive narrative technique along with a qualitative methodology. The relevant data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation, and analyzed by condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions or verification. Our results suggested that certification was not yet a useful tool for persuading farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices. The majority of the agricultural business techniques used by export-scale urban farmers are not organic. There was a tendency for farmers to complete certification if it was required for export. In the meantime, social certification, food safety, and content quality were just recommendations made by international organizations rather than being strictly enforced, particularly in Indonesia.

Orman sertifikasyonunun odun hammaddesi üretim faaliyetlerine etkilerinin incelenmesi (Bolu Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü örneği)

Bu çalışmanın amacı, orman yönetim sertifikasının (OYS) odun hammaddesi üretimine etkilerini teknik ve çevresel açılardan araştırmak, sertifikasyon öncesi ve sonrası üretim işlerinin durumunu incelemektir. Çalışma alanı, 2013 yılında OYS alınmasına yönelik çalışmaların başlanarak 2014 yılı ortalarında tamamlandığı Bolu Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü (OİM)’dür. Çalışmada teknik elemanlar (29 kişi) ve orman üretim işçileri (21 kişi) ile gönüllülük esasına göre yüz yüze görüşme yöntemi ve anket tekniği kullanılarak veriler elde edilmiştir. Anket formları 5’li Likert ölçeğinde olup, katılımcıların temel bilgilerini ve OYS kapsamında teknik personelin ve orman işçilerinin OYS hakkındaki genel ve odun üretimi ile ilgili görüşlerini ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Anket sonuçlarına göre; OYS kapsamında üretim işçilerine verilen ilkyardım, temel iş sağlığı ve güvenliği eğitimlerinin sonuçlarının işçiler tarafından olumlu algılandığı ve konunun önemsendiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Üretim işçilerine sağlanan kişisel koruyucu donanımların orman alanlarında kesim ve diğer üretim faaliyetleri esnasında yaşanan iş kazalarında yaralanma şiddetlerini azalttığı belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca eğitimlerin sadece doğanın korunması için değil, üretimde çalışanların da bilgilendirilmesi için yapıldığı belirlenmiştir.

Bunching with the Stars: How Firms Respond to Environmental Certification

Voluntary environmental certification programs have been a popular tool used by governments, industry groups, and nonprofit organizations alike. A central question in the design of such programs is who should pay for them. In a context where firms respond strategically to a certification, the answer to this question is a priori ambiguous and, ultimately, empirical. This paper provides important insights on this question using ENERGY STAR, a voluntary certification program for energy-efficient products, as a case study. I show that firms are highly strategic with respect to this certification and extract consumer surplus associated with certified products via three mechanisms. They offer products that bunch at the certification requirement, differentiate certified products in the energy and nonenergy dimensions, and charge a price premium on certified products. I use these findings to motivate a structural econometric model with firms’ strategic behaviors with respect to product line and pricing decisions and to investigate the incidence of a certification licensing fee to fund the certification program. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.

ЕКОЛОГІЧНЕ ПОПЕРЕДЖЕННЯ У ТРЕВЕЛ-ШОУ «ОРЕЛ І РЕШКА. ЧУДО СВІТУ» ПЕРШОГО ПІВРІЧЧЯ 2021 РОКУ

The warnings of TV presenters about environmental problems and phenomena from the scene of events about environmental problems in their foreign travels, shown in the travel show “Eagle and Reshka. Wonder of the World ”of the first half of 2021 had been described and analyzed. The ecological problems were analyzed and differentiated. This analysis made it possible to identify the levels of their distribution in foreign countries, to summarize the collected data for the first half of 2021, and to reflect them in the table by countries, types of environmental problems and levels of their distribution. Environmental problems of foreign countries, shown in the travel show “Heads and Tails. Wonder of the World "on global, interstate and intrastate levels, had been differentiated. The number of issues in which specific environmental problems of foreign countries are disclosed has been determined, attention is paid to the environmental risks of foreign travel and the need for environmental certification of travel objects. It had been proposed to be shown on TV programs “Heads and Tails. Wonder of the World ”the implementation of environmental certification systems and programs in the field of tourism activities abroad, to study how they positively / negatively affect the formation of the image of tourist regions, increase their popularity.

Influence of sustainable construction aspects and quality of public space on the price of houses in the Czech Republic

The construction industry produces 25 to 30 % of greenhouse gases and consumes 40 % of globally required energy. The construction industry and buildings contribute significantly to the climate change. Also the buildings are the cornerstone to the public space and affect its quality. One of the approaches to reduce greenhouse gas production (especially carbon dioxide) is the construction and operation of buildings according to the principles of sustainability. Houses are mostly not certified (environmental certification programs as LEED or BREEAM) because it is uneconomical to certify. However, the houses can fulfill sustainable construction aspects like using natural or recycled materials, design of energy efficient buildings, using alternative energy sources, connection to public transport, etc. The influence of using basic sustainable principles and quality of public space as an important part of sustainability to a price was tested through a database. The database consists of 98 samples of houses sold over the year 2017 in Brno - venkov district. Significant price settings factors were identified. Due to the number of variables, testing by multivariate regression analysis was performed on submodels, individual variables could be correctly identified. Tested database confirmed basic price setting factors for houses, such as the technical condition of the house, distance from the city of Brno, as well as the useable area of the house and the factor of liquidity. The influence of sustainable principles like using renewable energy, low energy demand, solar panels for hot water or photovoltaic panels was rejected. Some kind of sustainable principle was detected at 10 % of samples. Material base, especially using natural materials like timber, was not found as a price setting factor. One of the submodels was focused on the social part of the sustainability given to the location and public space. The possibility of using public transportation or car park close to the house was not confirmed as price setting factors affecting the price. Also the danger of flooding, index of criminality and noise level were considered and were rejected as price affecting. This paper presents results aimed at exploring the importance of the basic aspects of sustainable construction and quality of public space on the price of houses in the database of 98 houses in Brno - venkov district, Czech Republic.

Environmental certification programs: How does information provision compare with taxation?

AbstractThis paper develops a monopolistic competition framework to assess whether environmental certification programs can serve as effective substitutes for more traditional policy instruments such as environmental taxation or a minimum quality standard (MQS). I show that if firms can organize themselves and choose the certification standard collectively, then there is a beneficial role for a regulator to intervene. Also, the degree of substitution between differentiated goods that impose environmental damage and a “clean” outside good, the degree of competition in the industry and the extent of environmental damage caused by minimal quality goods are important considerations in the choice between a certification program and a tax or a MQS. While the comparison between a certification program and a tax depends on numerous factors, I find unequivocally that certification is a poor substitute for taxation whenever the outside good is a close substitute for differentiated goods, there is a high degree of competition in the industry or if minimal quality goods impose considerable environmental damage.

Best practices for the rational use of water in construction sites in Brazil

AbstractEven though water is a scarce resource, not much thought has been given to its proper use during the execution phase of the building, unless this construction site has already acquired sustainability criteria or certification program. The purpose of this study is to assess the sustainability practice of the rational use of water and its application in the execution phase of construction sites in Brazil. The research proposes a list of items that facilitates the implementation of sustainability in construction sites by creating a checklist of sustainable practices based on environmental certification programs. This article uses the case study by a qualitative method, which can evaluate the major difficulties and the best occurrences of sustainable practices related to water use in construction sites. This work consists of six projects of various typologies and geographical locations in Brazil. The adoption of this list may serve as a tool for the implementation of sustainability in construction sites and as a benchmark among the companies. Finally, best practices for the rational use of water are proposed at the construction sites.

Greening the guest bedroom: Exploring hosts’ perspectives on environmental certification for Airbnb

The rapid rise of home-sharing and peer-to-peer accommodation has exposed new opportunities and issues in the hospitality industry. Given the heightened attention to and awareness of environmental issues in tourism and hospitality, this study explored the likelihood and motivations of Airbnb hosts towards participating in an environmental certification program. Currently, there are no such programs associated with Airbnb or this sector of the sharing economy. As part of this exploratory study, semi-structured interviews with Airbnb hosts in the Greater Toronto Area were conducted to uncover the opinions and motivations of Airbnb hosts towards participating in a potential program, and what program design elements would enhance their likelihood of participation. Results indicated a willingness to participate in an environmental certification program, driven by economic factors and personal values. Host opinions regarding preferred design elements provide insight into factors important to the development and success of such a potential program. Environmental certification is a common tool in tourism to signal environmental commitment by operators, but such a program does not yet exist for home-sharing.

Green certification to achieve sustainable development goals

The present article initiates the idea of certifying sports facilities for compliance with innovations in the field of resource saving. The search for mechanisms to stimulate sports complexes to move to rational models of resource use led to the development of the environmental certification program. Green Ball is a protocol for environmental auditing of sports facilities, summarizing all the current proposals for environmental management; website for online certification and recommendations; model of effective environmental management. If a sports facility meets these criteria, it needs to be awarded the environmental certification mark, which, by analogy with the TRP program, can be Bronze, Silver, and Gold, which is reminiscent of hotel stars and can become a recognizable brand in the sports industry. The advantage of the site is the possibility of self-auditing to obtain recommendations that will help optimize resource use, as well as call the auditor to the object. The developed project is environmentally, economically and socially effective, which contributes to the implementation of the ideas of the concept of sustainable development in the field of sports.

Price‐premium effects of business and community green certifications: The case of the Costa Rican hotel industry

AbstractThis study examines whether community‐level green certification strengthens or weakens firm‐level environmental certification performance's effect on Costa Rican hotel room prices. Identifying how different types of environmental (green) certifications complement or substitute one another in their influence on economic benefits is essential for understanding how self‐regulations programs can promote win–win green business strategies that contribute to sustainable development. Relying on a propensity score‐matching approach, we analyze participation in two voluntary environmental certification programs for the entire population of Costa Rican hotels and beach communities between 2001 and 2008. Our findings suggest that for hotels with low to medium environmental certification performance, community‐level green certification acts as a substitute weakening the positive effect of hotel environmental certification performance on price premiums. Alternatively, for hotels with superior environmental certification performance, green community certification acts as a complement strengthening the positive effect of hotel environmental certification performance on price premiums.

Why Should We Protect the Interests of “Green Food” Certified Product Growers? Evidence from Kiwifruit Production in China

Governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have promoted environmental and social certification programs for growers because the market for green certification is seen as offering higher prices and higher incomes. Previous studies have examined how “green food” certification affects economic and environmental benefits, but none have studied its impact on production behavior. In this study we conducted a household survey of 398 randomly selected growers of traditional and green food certified kiwifruit in Xixia county of Henan province, China. The results show that characteristically, green food certified growers can have a significantly higher total cost as well as employed cost compared to the matched noncertified growers. Based on the results, we conclude the potential advantages of green food certified kiwifruit products and basic conditions for its sustainable development.

A voluntary conservation agreement reduces the risks of lethal collisions between ships and whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Québec, Canada): From co-construction to monitoring compliance and assessing effectiveness.

Lethal collisions with ships are limiting the recovery of several at-risk whale species worldwide. In the St. Lawrence Estuary (Quebec, Canada), the endangered blue whale and of special concern fin whale are among the migratory species subject to collisions with large ships. In 2011, a working group composed of representatives from the maritime industry, the government, non-governmental organizations, and academia was created to explore solutions to mitigate ship-whale collisions in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Adopting an adaptive risk management framework, the working group took advantage of the best available scientific data and tools to co-construct realistic collision mitigation options and evaluate their likely benefits for whale conservation and costs for the industry. In 2013, the working group recommended the implementation of voluntary measures to mitigate collision risks, consisting of a slow-down area, a no-go area, and a caution area; a recommended route was added in 2014. Along with the voluntary framework, the working group agreed to continuously monitor compliance with and assess effectiveness of these mitigation measures. After the fourth year of implementation, voluntary measures showed encouraging results, with a reduction of up to 40% of lethal collision risks with fin whales in the highest density area. This reduction in risk is mainly related to ship speed reduction in the slow-down area from 14.1 ± 2.6 knots in 2012 to 11.3 ± 1.7 knots since 2014. The presence of a mandatory pilotage area overlapping with the slow-down area was instrumental to facilitate communication about the mitigation measures, with the pilotage corporation sitting as a regular member of the working group. This resulted in significantly slower speeds in the slow-down area for ships with a pilot from the pilotage corporation onboard compared to those without (-0.8 knots, p-value < 0.001). It is also likely to explain the weaker compliance of the maritime industry with the no-go area located outside of the mandatory pilotage area. Other factors of success include: the continuous dedication of the government to a voluntary and transparent participatory process; the use of available data, tools and institutions; the presence of an environmental certification program representative in the working group; and the adoption by consensus of an adaptive risk management approach. The traditional regulatory approach to conservation is often blamed for its focus on deterring negative behaviors, doing nothing to encourage and reward positive ones. In agreement with other case studies, the benefits of the voluntary measures implemented in the St. Lawrence Estuary include the pro-active commitment from the industry (which is likely to reduce conflicts with regulators), the greater flexibility and freedom that allowed to come up with cost-effective and tailored-made mitigation measures, and the fast achievement of conservation gains. More importantly perhaps, the human and working capital built throughout the concertation process have the potential to be a fundamental cornerstone in dealing with more complex issues such as the chronically increasing level of underwater noise in whale habitats.

ECODESIGN IN THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR ORGANIZATIONAL INSERTION

Abstract The purpose hereof was to analyze cultural and organizational changes in the furniture industry, beginning with the adherence to an environmental certification program called “Biomóvel.” The study, whose research instrument was a questionnaire answered by industrial managers, was performed in the Alto Vale do Rio Negro Pole (north of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil). A descriptive analysis of data was performed in order to assess the impact and relevance of the action in the organizational environment. The results point to the minimization of the resources used in several planning and production stages, and to the intensification of the selection and use of low environmental impact materials. We noticed that the surveyed companies have taken significant steps to strengthen its ecodesign as a development strategy, but they still do not execute this decision in integration with other stages of processing, trading, and industry progression.

Facility and Community level Environmental Certification: Price Premium Substitutes or Complements

Our research examines how firms’ price premiums are affected by performance in facility and community level environmental certification programs. Relying on a propensity score matching approach aim...

A system‐wide approach to supporting improvements in seafood production practices and outcomes

Environmental certification and consumer awareness programs are designed to create market incentives for implementing fisheries and aquaculture practices that are more sustainable. Typically focused on particular species and activities, such programs have so far triggered few changes to improve seafood sustainability. Here, we present a conceptual, system‐wide fisheries and aquaculture certification program designed to recognize and promote change toward more sustainable and resilient seafood production systems. In contrast to previous efforts, this program concentrates on both ecosystems and various human stakeholders, relies on an adaptive management approach (termed “continual improvement”) to enhance outcomes, and considers socioeconomic factors. The goal of this program is to support the restoration and maintenance of healthy ecosystem states and thriving human communities as well as the improvement of whole social–ecological systems.

Decoupling environmental certification programmes from core operations: firm performance reported by small and medium sized enterprises

Increasingly, firms engage in environmental certification programmes to reconcile external constituents and ensure financial viability. Some firms decouple the formal programme from core operations to obtain the signalling benefits of certification without investing scarce resources and time on costly substantive environmental actions. Despite growing awareness that adoption can lead to a ceremonial or superficial behaviour, the efficaciousness of decoupling for enhancing financial performance has been left largely unexplored. This study advances existing literature by moving beyond the act of certification to focus on practice variations at the firm level. The study joins the literatures on sustainable entrepreneurship, the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and signalling theory to explain how signal fit strengthens the certification resource signal and enables firms with superior performance. Regression analyses confirmed that only those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that reported the compounded signal of high fit reported enhanced financial performance. Implications are discussed.

Globalization’s unexpected impact on soybean production in South America: linkages between preferences for non-genetically modified crops, eco-certifications, and land use

The land use impacts of globalization and of increasing global food and fuel demand depend on the trade relationships that emerge between consuming and producing countries. In the case of soybean production, increasing trade between South American farmers and consumers in Asia and Europe has facilitated soybean expansion in the Amazon, Chaco, and Cerrado biomes. While these telecouplings have been well documented, there is little understanding of how quality preferences influence trade patterns and supply chains, incentivizing or discouraging particular land use practices. In this study we provide empirical evidence that Brazil’s continued production of non-genetically modified (GM) soybeans has increased its competitive advantage in European countries with preferences against GM foods. Brazil’s strong trade relationship with European consumers has facilitated an upgrading of the soybean supply chain. Upgraded soybean supply chains create new conservation opportunities by allowing farmers to differentiate their products based on environmental quality in order to access premiums in niche markets in Europe. These interactions between GM preferences, trade flows, and supply chain structure help to explain why Brazilian soybean farmers have adopted environmental certification programs on a larger scale than Argentinian, Bolivian, Paraguayan, and Uruguayan soybean producers.