Environmental Certification Research Articles

Effects of green certification and labelling on the Spanish fisheries industry

Fisheries and aquaculture are incorporating environmental management system (EMS) tools and certified sustainable products as part of their strategic priorities. Firms have different ways to certify their environmental actions: the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 and the blue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). ISO 14001 certifies the adoption of EMSs; and the MSC label guarantees the use of seafood that can be traced back to a sustainable resource. The economic impact and the differences between eco-labeling certifications are topics of great interest for environmental management. This paper analyzes and compares the effect of ISO14001 and the MSC on the results of the Spanish fishing auxiliary industry. We analyzed data from 561 Spanish firms and deployed a multivariate quantitative analysis with data retrieved from the financial accounts of Spanish fish processing and preserving firms, in different economic and financial ratios. Results show that certified firms get better economic ratios, although these benefits are not due to an operational efficiency improvement. Firm size is found to have a moderating effect on the relation between certification and economic performance. Environmental certification on firms’ performance provides key information for environmental management-related decision making.

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.

The Reality of Using Ecolabelling as a Tool for Green Marketing in Tourism Companies

Ecolabelling plays a direct role in raising awareness towards the importance of protecting the environment among both the locals and the tourists by linking economic and social issues to the environment. It has also become a modern tool that contributes to the marketing of tourism services as an application of the principles of green tourism marketing and as a modern mechanism to communicate with tourists. The main objective of the research is to determine the extent of using ecolabelling as a modern marketing tool by evaluating the viewpoints of managers at tourism companies (category A) to determine the extent of their effectiveness and competitiveness in marketing. The research also aims to inform, educate and support professionals and those in charge of tourism management systems towards the necessity of getting environmental certificates and applying the procedures, in addition to considering ecolabels as an essential element in customer choices when making purchasing decisions. In order to achieve the main objectives of the research, the questionnaire was designed and used to explore the opinions of a simple random sample of general managers and marketing managers at tourism companies (category A) in Alexandria regarding the use of the ecolabelling as a marketing tool, through interviews. The study concluded that it's important to apply green marketing programs in tourism companies, in addition to identifying and analyzing the obstacles that hinder their use, as it has become clear that there are deficiencies in the process of applying and activating them, as well as the importance of including a green marketing culture at the professional level to be able to apply environmental sustainability standards and create a competitive advantage for the tools of tourism marketing used in the tourism companies sector. The study ended with a set of recommendations and suggestions directed to all concerned parties to activate the mechanisms of green marketing. The study has also provided a practical model accompanied by a guide to support applying green marketing tools in Egyptian tourism companies.

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.

Sistema de gestão ambiental de acordo com NBR ISO 14001 em uma empresa de celulose e papel

Ampliação de mercado, melhoria da qualidade do produto, maior produção, desenvolvimento sustentável, dentre outras figuram como sendo algumas das possibilidades que uma empresa adquiri quando inicia um sistema de gestão ambiental. Muito mais do que cuidar do meio ambiente, por meio da implantação de uma nova gestão, a empresa se torna mais competitiva e seu produto mais visível no mercado. Qualidades são embutidas ao produto oferecido. Produzir utilizando padrões de qualidade como o ISO 14.001 tem sido de grande importância e um diferenciador entre as empresas globais. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo mostrar as vantagens que uma empresa possui quando desenvolve um sistema de gestão ambiental, as novas possibilidades que a empresa possui após receber certificação da gestão implantada e por fim esse sistema é exemplificado com uma empresa de celulose e papel que possui um sistema de gestão ambiental em operação. A metodologia adotada foi de revisão bibliográfica. Essa modalidade é caracterizada pela busca de estudos e pesquisas mais recentes possíveis em artigos científicos, revistas, livros, dentre outros como forma de defender ou refutar uma ideia. Foi percebido que as empresas que já optaram por aderir a algum movimento em prol do meio ambiente tiveram sua visibilidade no mercado aumentada e consequente aumento em suas vendas e crescimento. Por fim, ficou evidenciado que independente do segmento que uma empresa se enquadra, quando essa busca a certificação ambiental por meio do ISO 14.001 seu produto ganha valor agregado, pois essa prática expõe o cuidado e preocupação a empresa tem com o meio ambiente.

REVALUATING RURAL HERITAGE AS A SUSTAINABLE AND TOURIST RESOURCE: ARGAN (MOROCCO) AND EL PULQUE (MEXICO)

In this article we analyze the mechanisms used by social entrepreneurship to reposition a rural heritage asset and convert it or not, into a commercial and tourist product for the international market. Social entrepreneurship is an action by individuals or groups that currently can be more effective than the state operation in the recovery of rural products and regions within the Global South. To this end we will analyze the cases of argan production in Morocco, (Africa), and pulque in Mexico, (America). This research seeks to demonstrate the importance of technological innovation, but particularly the construction of narratives, imagery, and environmental certifications to attract international consumers to tourist products and places, as well as to allow an internal and national appreciation of these areas, their inhabitants, and assets.

Does ESG certification add firm value?

This paper examines the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) certification on Malaysian firms. The analysis shows that ESG certification lowers a firm's cost of capital, while Tobin's Q increases significantly. These findings, while consistent with existing studies in developed economies, demonstrate the value enhancement from corporate social responsibility disclosure by firms in emerging and developing nations. Overall, the study confirms the benefits to stakeholders from firms pursuing an ESG agenda.

Environmental control methods under anthropogenic influence of additive production

The use of additive technologies ensures the individualization of products, reduces the consumption of raw materials, improves the economic performance of production, allows the use of new materials and composites, as well as improves the quality of products. However, it is necessary to take into account the factors of the anthropogenic impact of additive production on the environment. In additive manufacturing, various types of polymers are used that undergo certification. The environmental certificate ensures that, under normal operating conditions, the polymer product is safe. However, the greatest impact of additive technologies on the environment occurs in the process of polymer melting. The article proposes a method for assessing the environmental friendliness of additive production by analyzing air samples taken at the time of polymer extrusion. A gas chromatographic analysis of air samples obtained by melting several samples of different polymers used in additive production was carried out.

A study of environmental disclosures practices in Chinese energy industry

In 2016, China increased sustainability practices among companies listed on China’s stock market, making environmental regulations one of their integral policies. This states that highly polluting industries like the energy industry are required to comply with the sustainability requirements set. Concerning this event, research was conducted in 2016 to 2017, on the development of environmental disclosure (ED) practices in China and the impact of different variables on environmental disclosure index (EDI). Focusing on 150 energy companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange, the findings show that if the company had a better ROA, firm size, leverage and environmental accreditation certificate, they would like to publish more relevant environmental information.

Development of a system dynamics computer model to simulate the operational effects of the new environmental technology certification system

Development of a system dynamics computer model to simulate the operational effects of the new environmental technology certification system

O PAPEL DA CERTIFICAÇÃO AMBIENTAL NA CONSECUÇÃO DO DESENVOLVIMENTO E CONSUMO SUSTENTÁVEL

o presente artigo tem como objetivo debater a certificação ambiental. Inicialmente busca-se expor o seu surgimento no plano internacional no campo do Direito Ambiental Internacional enquanto ferramenta de gestão ambiental. Na sequência, explica-se a relevância da certificação ambiental a partir das ferramentas econômicas, especificamente notando-a enquanto uma externalidade positiva a qual deve ser introduzida nos custos de transação, momento em que se passa a agregar valor aos bens de mercado devidamente certificados. Por fim, trabalha-se com os pontos positivos e negativos da adoção dos “selos” ambientais, concluindo-se que, muito embora hajam aspectos negativos, a certificação é uma ferramenta importantíssima para a consecução do desenvolvimento e do consumo sustentável, vez que ela ajuda a imprimir uma nova racionalidade no que tange a utilização dos recursos naturais, típica da contemporaneidade, alertando para a sua esgotabilidade e para a necessidade de se adotarem medidas que combatam esse problema oriundo da modernidade. Assim, sobre o tema realizou-se, a partir do método dedutivo, uma pesquisa descritiva, de natureza aplicada, utilizando-se dos procedimentos bibliográfico e documental, selecionados qualitativamente, em que pese sem o condão de exauri-los

Is Blue Flag certification a means of destination competitiveness? A Canadian context

As competition increases, so does the need for a destination to differentiate itself. Blue Flag, a voluntary environmental certification, has been described as an effective marketing tool to communicate nature-based management to consumers. Does certification, however, influence the consumer's choice when choosing a destination? This study examined consumer's satisfaction of beach characteristics and tourist preferences for beach selection through subjective indicators of destination competitiveness. Findings show that knowledge of Blue Flag certification increased the importance that beachgoers placed on selecting future destinations, as well as higher levels of overall satisfaction, satisfaction with water quality, water cleanliness and beach cleanliness. These results suggest that beach certification is a signal of indirect competitiveness. As such, tourism agencies may be able to deploy the results of this research to support their decision to utilize certifications as a means of differentiation, as well as being a strategy through which to educate the beachgoers of their role in protecting and maintaining the beach for current and future generations.

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.

Design of an Aftermarket Hybridization Kit: Reducing Costs and Emissions Considering a Local Driving Cycle

For decades, drivers and fleet managers have been impacted by the instability of fuel prices, the need to save resources and the duty to meet and attain environmental regulations and certifications. Aiming to increase performance and efficiency and reduce emissions and mileage costs, plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been pointed out as a viable option, but there are gaps related to tools that could improve the numerous existing conventional vehicles. This study presents the design of an aftermarket hybridization kit that converts a vehicle originally driven by a combustion engine into a PHEV. To achieve this goal, an optimization was conducted with the objective of decreasing the cost (regarding fuel consumption and battery charging) to perform a local driving cycle, while attenuating the tailpipe emissions and reducing the battery mass. The torque curves of the electric motors, the battery capacity, the parameters for a gear shifting strategy and the parameters for a power split control were the design variables in the optimization process. This study used the Campinas driving cycle, which was experimentally obtained in a real-world driving scenario. The use of a local driving cycle to tune the design variables of an aftermarket optimization kit is important to achieve a customized product according to the selling location. Among the optimum solutions, the best trade-off configuration was able to decrease the mileage cost in 22.55%, and reduce the tailpipe emissions by 28.4% CO, 33.55% NOx and 19.11% HC, with the addition of a 137 kg battery.

Pains and gains of environmental management system certification for the sustainable development of manufacturing companies: Heterogeneous effects of industry peer learning

AbstractEnvironmental sustainability is a growing global concern. Environmental management systems (EMS) could be an effective strategic tool to help firms deal with their sustainable development. However, whether EMS certification pays off financially and how it takes effect can be debated. Thus far, these questions remain largely under‐researched. In particular, the effects of EMS certification on financial performance are inconclusive, and the reasons explaining the effects are underdeveloped. This study aims to enrich the current research by exploring the mediating and moderating roles from the perspective of cost‐efficiency trade‐offs to reveal how EMS certification affects financial performance. Applying a PROCESS procedure analysis and causal mediation analysis to a sample of 1,751 Chinese listed manufacturing firms from 2008 to 2016, this study shows that the effect of EMS certification on firms' financial performance is insignificant because their operating costs burden increases while their marketing efficiency and managerial efficiency improve. For the first time, this study demonstrates the moderating role of industry peer learning, as the mediating effects decrease with the growth of industry peer learning.

The classic aqua regia and EPA 3051A methods can mislead environmental assessments and certifications: Potentially harmful elements resorption in short-range order materials

EPA 3051A and Aqua Regia (AR) are widely adopted by global environmental agencies to assess soil quality in relation to potentially harmful elements (PHE). However, previous study has shown the formation of large amounts of short-range order materials (SRO) in the residues of these extractions. Residues obtained from the 3051A and AR were recovered from filter papers. To characterize the SRO in these residues, sequential extractions were performed with 0.2 mol L−1 ammonium oxalate (AO) and 0.5 mol L−1 NaOH. On average (n = 15), the 3051A and AR residues contained 37% and 60% of SRO, respectively. The largest amounts of SRO formed in the AR residue was in sample 5 (99% of SRO). The main component of the SRO was Al2O3-AO, Fe2O3-AO and SiO2–NaOH. The formation of SRO and PHE resorption levels were random and highly dependent on the mineralogy of the soil clay fraction. Soils rich in smectites, which are more common in temperate regions, formed larger amounts of SRO. The association of Pb with the SRO was more pronounced in the 3051A residue than in the AR residue. If SRO was not extracted after 3051A, in sample 7, for example, 595 mg kg−1 of Pb (10.2%) would have not been accounted. The maximum PHE resorptions in SRO were (%): Pb – 10; Cu – 470; Ba – 280; As – 21. The underestimation of PHE contents due to resorption mechanisms may lead an environmental agency to certify the use of an area contaminated with PHE.

ANALYSIS OF BRAZILIAN LEGISLATION BASED ON WATER EFFICIENCY CRITERIA OF LEED AND AQUA-HQE CERTIFICATIONS

As the global population grows, so grows the water demand, since it is essential for human existence. That is why the main environmental certifications in civil construction comprise a category exclusively for preservation and conservation of water. Even though certifications are becoming well-known, it is the law that determines how cities develop. This article investigates the link between the laws of the capital cities in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil and the water criteria in LEED and AQUA-HQE certifications. It was shown that the certifications are much more strict, quantitative and encompassing than the laws. The reduction in water consumption appeared to be the main concern both in the law and in the certifications.

The product‐market performance benefits of environmental policy: Why customer awareness and firm innovativeness matter

AbstractResearchers have widely studied the nexus between corporate environmental (“green”) policy and its green performance and firm financial performance, but with mixed findings. A potential explanation for these mixed findings is the focus of extant studies on the direct and immediate impact of environmental performance on financial performance to the exclusion of firm‐specific boundary conditions. Furthermore, all prior research study the effect of environmental performance on either stock market‐based performance measures (i.e., stock return) or accounting‐based performance measures (i.e., return on assets). A missing third dimension of firm performance, product–market‐based performance (i.e., market share), has so far remained unexplored despite representing a crucial objective when innovating. Using Newsweek's annual green ranking as a novel measure of environmental performance for a panel of U.S. firms from 2010 to 2015, this paper attempts to fill these voids in the literature. The results show a positive relationship between firms' environmental performance and market share as a measure of product–market‐based performance. The findings further demonstrate that this relationship is positively moderated by the level of customer awareness and innovativeness of the firm: The higher the level of awareness of a firm's environmental credentials and innovativeness, the stronger the effects of environmental performance on market share. Our results are robust against endogeneity concerns and alternative measures of firm financial and environmental performance.

Impact of environmental labeling certification on firm performance: Empirical evidence from China

Environmental labels are designed to signal environmental and health information on products throughout their life cycle to consumers and other stakeholders. Investigating A-share listed manufacturing firms in China for the 2004–2018 period, this paper sheds new light on the nexus of environmental labeling certifications and firm performance. We find that there is a grouping difference in firm performance between treatment firms and comparison firms, no matter whether measured by ROA, Tobin’s Q, or TFP. Based on the difference-in-difference (DID) regression, we show that manufacturing firms significantly increase their financial performance and productivity after obtaining environmental labeling certifications. Our research also reveals that the effects of environmental labels on firm performance stem from both the labeling effect and technical factor. The results are robust when we use the micro-level DID model. Further examination shows that the intervention effect is mainly driven by the mechanism of price markup rather than by market share.

Becoming Carbon Neutral in Costa Rica to Be More Sustainable: An AHP Approach

We propose addressing an organization’s adoption of an environmental certification as a multicriteria problem considering environmental sustainability as well as economic and strategic aspects. Our methodological approach uses the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which we use in an empirical application to analyze the adoption decision of several Costa Rican firms and institutions. Firstly, we select a set of economic, strategic, and environmental criteria that seem relevant for the organization’s direction. We select these criteria according to our literature review and a series of face-to-face interviews with scholars and companies’ managers. As an environmental certification, we focus on Carbon Neutral (CN), which is a domestic certification aimed at reducing or offsetting carbon emissions. For the sake of comparison, we also consider ISO 14001, which is a well-known international standard aimed at compliance with environmental norms. We conduct the AHP analysis using the answers given by 24 companies and institutions, which in aggregate terms, give CN a higher score than ISO 14001. This result is mainly due to the fact that CN ranks above ISO 14001 when attending to environmental sustainability, although ISO 14001 tends to be preferred in economic and strategic terms.