Environmental Management Performance Research Articles

Integrating corporate sustainability reporting and environmental management systems into environmental performance management: an audit perspective

ABSTRACT Environmental performance management is critical worldwide because it helps mitigate climate change, conserve ecosystems, and preserve the earth for future generations by emphasizing sustainability and accountability. The study aims to investigate the influence of corporate sustainability reporting practices and environmental management systems on environmental performance management concerning the compliance of the organization’s audit. We used the 10-year data of the 400 listed firms from 2014 to 2023. The data for the variables is extracted from the DataStream database. The regression analysis technique is used as the method of estimation with the use ofgeneralized method of movement (GMM) as robustness method. Our findings show that corporate sustainability reporting practices have a significant positive relationship with the environment performance Management (EPM). Moreover, from the audit of the selected firms, it is shown that the selected organization has strong corporate sustainability reporting practices that improve EPM and auditor judge easily by the law compliances by transparent reporting promotes accountability, stimulates sustainable practices, and drives improvements in environmental management inside businesses. Moreover, our findings show that the environmental management system has a significant positive relationship with the environment performance by estabilishing structure that enable effcetive monitoring, mitigations, and improvemnet of consequences. Our study advocated significant implications forpolicymakers, government, and investors.

Learning or Leaking? Enforcement Spillover Effects Within and Beyond the Firm

We posit and find evidence consistent with a new mechanism of intra-firm enforcement spillovers: the leakage of scarce compliance resources across facilities within a firm. Using a facility-level panel data set of Clean Air Act (CAA) enforcement actions from 2005 to 2017, we find a facility is more likely to violate the CAA following penalties on its same-industry-same-state siblings. In contrast, there is no significant spillover across firms. We show that the intra-firm spillover is not due to changes in regulatory attention or production shifting. Instead, our results suggest it may result from the redeployment of scarce compliance resources across siblings. Consistent with this mechanism, we find compliance leakage only occurs at privately held firms and facilities that lack the resources to invest in pollution prevention. The findings contribute to understanding the efficacy of environmental enforcement and have important implications for intra-firm management of environmental performance and regulatory enforcement approaches.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and abnormal positive tone

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and tone management in the annual report. This is based on the notion that managers, driven by personal interests, may use their ESG accomplishments by using an abnormal positive tone to enhance their reputation or career prospects. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data from Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2022, this study first investigates the relationship between ESG performance and abnormal tone management. The study then uncovers this relationship is mediated through the mechanisms of equity-based incentive and analyst coverage. The conclusions of this paper hold even after a series of robustness tests, such as propensity score matching, Heckman two-stage method and two-stage least squares with instrumental variables. Findings This study finds a positive correlation between ESG performance and the presence of abnormal positive tone in annual reports. Furthermore, the mechanistic analysis reveals that managers in companies with strong ESG performance are motivated to use an overly positive tone, largely due to their vested interests in equity-based compensation. Moreover, in an effort to alleviate the pressure stemming from heightened financial analyst coverage and enhance the impression conveyed through analysts' reports, managers with superior ESG performance also tend to inflate the tone within their annual reports. Practical implications This study provides significant insights into the ongoing dialogue surrounding ESG-related equity incentives, which incentivize managerial manipulation of stock prices through the use of abnormal positive tone. The findings call upon investors to exercise greater vigilance in examining narrative information in annual reports, as abnormally positive tones may not always faithfully represent performance but rather reflect managerial self-interest. Social implications There is an emphasis on the importance of robust oversight mechanisms within corporate governance bodies to curb the manipulation of tone for managers’ personal gain. Originality/value This study enhances the theoretical foundation of ESG studies, offering a holistic perspective on the intricate interplay among ESG performance, managerial behavior and financial markets, with potential implications for researchers, investors and regulators.

Building Integrity, Protecting The Environment: The Influence Of Anti Corruption Commitment On Corporate Environmental Management Performance In Southeast Asia

Building Integrity, Protecting The Environment: The Influence Of Anti Corruption Commitment On Corporate Environmental Management Performance In Southeast Asia

Research on the Impact of Environmental Information Disclosure on Financial Performance

In the current global context of escalating environmental concerns, it has become increasingly crucial for enterprises to disclose environmental information in order to effectively communicate their environmental performance and risk management with external stakeholders. This is particularly pertinent for publicly traded companies in heavily polluting industries, as the disclosure of environmental information not only impacts corporate reputation and image, but also directly affects their financial sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of environmental information disclosure on the financial performance of publicly traded companies in heavily polluting industries, while also examining how property rights moderate this relationship. Drawing from previous research, this paper presents corresponding research hypotheses and constructs a comprehensive research model. The empirical analysis serves as the primary research method, allowing for an in-depth exploration of sample data to uncover the intricate connection between environmental information disclosure and financial performance within heavily polluting industries, as well as how property rights factor into this dynamic. Ultimately, this study contributes to enhancing our theoretical understanding of the link between environmental information disclosure and corporate financial performance, providing a scientific basis for government policy formulation and offering practical guidance for listed companies in heavily polluting industries seeking to improve both their financial sustainability and environmental performance.

Environmental sustainability balanced scorecard: a strategic map for joint action by municipalities

Purpose This study seeks to develop an Environmental Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (ESBSC) articulated through a strategic map for collaborative implementation by municipalities by municipalities. In addition, it aims to elucidate the architecture of this tool. Design/methodology/approach The research uses qualitative methodology, initiating with document analysis, followed by municipal-level surveys and an interview with the Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N). Findings The study constructs an ESBSC that adopts an integrative approach to sustainability, focusing on municipal joint action. The tool fosters synergies and enhances cooperation. By incorporating a strategic mix, the tool contributes to improving the environmental management performance of the participating municipalities. Practical implications This study introduces a tool designed for municipalities that aspire to incorporate environmental sustainability into their strategies. This tool facilitates the implementation and management of a long-term environmental strategy, with potential implications for organization and its culture. In addition, it highlights critical environmental factors that should serve as a starting point in future studies or applications of this tool. Social implications Involving both an academic institution and multiple municipalities, this research identifies critical environmental factors that enhance environmental awareness within municipalities and designs a tool that, when consciously adopted, can influence the culture dynamics of the population involved. Furthermore, it proposes a structured and systematic research method for creating an ESBSC for joint municipal action. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this research constitutes the first exploratory attempt to devise an environmental strategy for joint municipal action. Although the tool emphasizes the environmental component, it promotes an integrated vision of sustainability. Despite the extensive application of balanced scorecards in various organizational contexts, their utilization in fostering environmental sustainability at a municipal level remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by developing a tailored strategic tool that operationalizes environmental priorities within municipal governance frameworks.

Refining Environmental Sustainability Governance Reports through Fuzzy Systems Evaluation and Scoring

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reports have become essential tools for enterprises to showcase their commitment to sustainable development and social responsibility. However, discrepancies persist regarding the criteria, assessments, and ratings disclosed in these reports. Moreover, there is a need for more objective methods to determine the weight distribution of indicator items. This study introduces a novel approach utilizing semantic variables in fuzzy theory and a multiple logic fuzzy inference system to develop an ESG environmental management performance assessment model. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a novel approach utilizing semantic variables and a multiple logic fuzzy inference system to quantitatively evaluate the sustainable performance of an environmental management plan. This research also aims to ensure fair and objective assessment outcomes, providing valuable guidance for enterprises in implementing performance management strategies. Key aspects investigated include the impact of membership functions, the extended utilization of semantic variables and logical rules, a comparative analysis of traditional weight assessments, and the limitations of applying fuzzy theory. Through comprehensive discussions and calculations, it is evident that fuzzy theory offers considerable flexibility in application. By tailoring fuzzy rules and selecting appropriate membership functions, diverse application scenarios can be accommodated. The Fuzzy systems evaluation and scoring EMP model generates EMP evaluation scores ranging from 1.76 to 8.29 for Gaussian membership, 1.80 to 8.19 for Triangular membership-A, 1.92 to 8.00 for Triangular membership-B, and 1.81 to 8.19 for Quadrilateral trapezoidal membership, based on simulated rating scenarios using the semantic variables of completeness and feasibility. This approach successfully incorporates distribution logic from subjective membership degrees to evaluate EMP scores. The findings demonstrate that fuzzy theory enables the consideration of multiple factors and facilitates the provision of objective-level membership, underscoring its potential in addressing complex evaluation challenges. This study illuminates the versatility of the fuzzy system theory, with its applications poised to extend across various domains.

Environmental assessment of hospital waste management practices: A study of hospitals in Kermanshah, Iran

This research aims to identify current procedures of hospital waste management in educational hospitals, in western Iran. This study examined upon to be current procedures of medical waste management focusing on the management of hazardous medical waste, under a circular economy. Three criteria environmental situation, environmental management, and environmental performance. The environmental assessment was done by pair matrixes between criteria and sub-criteria, and between scale levels of the indicators were done. The questionnaire structure adopted in the Romero and Carnero study. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method indicates that aspect of the hazardous waste improvement program is essential. The results demonstrated that 56 % of the total environmental criteria score was VERY DEFICIENT in the scale factors classification. The lowest values indicated in the environmental management aspect and 63 % of the total score was VERY DEFICIENT. The results indicated a deficient value in environmental criteria based on the values received for the commitment to environmental policy standards and waste management procedures. The results of environmental performance criteria have shown; that no data was on atmospheric emission. The lack of rules in green purchasing and renewable energy was indicated. In waste management criteria, the total value was reasonable, but there weren't comprehensive rules for redefining waste types and staff training obligations. However, the redefinition of rules, public and staff training, using new technologies, and determination of specific budgets and green teams by proper supervising cycle can be essential to improve hazardous waste management.

Assessment of Environmental Management Performance in Wineries: A Survey-Based Analysis to Create Key Performance Indicators

This study assesses the adoption and operational effectiveness of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) in Italian wineries, focusing on ISO 14001:2015. It evaluates commitment, planning, communication strategies, emergency preparedness, and employee training practices. Using a comprehensive survey-based methodology, the research elucidates the dynamics of EMS implementation across various scales of winery operations. The research reveals a strong commitment among wineries to environmental objectives such as waste reduction and efficient electricity and water use. However, significant deficiencies were identified in EMS policy implementation, emergency preparedness, and the uptake of ISO 14001:2015 certification, with larger wineries showing more robust engagement in environmental training than smaller ones. The study incorporates five key performance indicators (KPIs) and a predictive model using logistic regression and Random Forest to analyze the likelihood of ISO 14001 certification based on the analyzed variables. The model highlights established processes, environmental policies, and frequent reviews as significant predictors of certification. These findings contribute original value by identifying critical leverage points and barriers affecting EMS effectiveness within the wine sector. The research uncovers nuanced interactions between the scale of operations and management engagement influencing EMSs’ success. It proposes novel, survey-based KPIs essential for assessing EMS performance in wineries, demonstrating their practical utility in pinpointing areas for improvement. The research limitations include potential biases from varying participation rates among surveyed wineries, affecting extrapolation to the broader Italian wine industry. Despite these limitations, the study provides substantive practical implications, suggesting that wineries can enhance both environmental sustainability and a competitive edge by addressing gaps in EMS implementation.

The Role of Certain Knowledge Management Processes in Improving Environmental Sustainability: An Exploratory Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Employees in the Iron and Steel Company in Mosul

The research aims to determine the relationship between some knowledge management processes, how to apply and invest them properly, and what is their active role in improving environmental sustainability. The needs of the individual and society The goal of sustainable development is to develop business by meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations, as the world faces the danger of environmental degradation, so development needs must not be abandoned and operations aimed at achieving sustainability must be conducted Environmental in business and its development, for example, how to recycle and others while preserving the environment because it is part of a multidimensional perspective related to economic, cultural and health aspects. This type of sustainability creates a safe and beautiful environment that seeks to reduce environmental impacts that have a role in the movement towards sustainable development by finding solutions to environmental problems. Organizations should consider a set of procedures and policies related to regular management and continuous improvement of environmental performance, and the analytical descriptive approach was relied upon In the completion of the research, a questionnaire was designed on a sample of (60) individuals working in the iron and steel company, and the data was analyzed through statistical programs using the program (spss) and access to the results. In light of it, the research presented a set of proposals for the field under study.

Analysis of Green Hospital Implementation in the Integrated Emergency Room Building Construction Project of RSUD K.R.M.T Wongsonegoro Semarang Based on Green Construction Site Index

Construction activities have positive and negative impacts, one of the negative impacts is the generation of construction waste. As construction projects develop, waste generation also increases. As an effort to realize the concept of sustainable development in the health sector, the Directorate General of Health Services issued Guidelines for Environmentally Friendly Hospital (Green Hospital) in 2018. However, these guidelines do not contain guidelines for the implementation aspects of building construction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the factors, criteria, and indicators in the preparation of instruments for assessing aspects of the implementation of Green Hospital construction, and to analyze the results of the assessment. This research is qualitative using descriptive analysis method. The research results obtained 50 factors, 10 criteria and 3 indicators arranged in an assessment instrument called "The Construction Implementation on Eco Green Hospital Development". Analysis of the assessment results on the Phase I Integrated Emergency Room Building Construction Project of the K.R.M.T Wongsonegoro Semarang Hospital shows that the Green Construction Project Policy indicator with 4 factors out of 15 factors has been met, the Environmental Performance Management indicator with 4 factors meets out of 15 factors, and the Construction Waste Management indicator with 9 factors out of 20 factors has been met.

Evaluation of Green Suppliers Based on a Hybrid Weighting Approach and GRA Method

To align with the national dual carbon strategy and facilitate low-carbon production for enterprises, this paper incorporates the concept of green supply chain management and develops a scientifically sound evaluation index system for green suppliers by comprehensively considering five factors: quality, availability, cost, environmental management performance, and technology. The analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method are employed to assign subjective and objective weights to each evaluation index while the grey correlation degree analysis method is utilized to rank and sort suppliers in order to select the optimal green supplier. Finally, an empirical example is presented to verify the reliability of our model.

Are corporate social responsibility and environmental management ‘influencers’ of performance in companies of the energetic sector?

AbstractPrior research has suggested that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may affect Environmental Management (EM). Nevertheless, there has been a lack of empirical studies that have examined these relationships, specially, in companies of the energetic field. This research empirically examines whether there is a positive relationship between the implementation of a CSR culture in a company and the obtaining of better Operational Performance, as well as between CSR and EM processes and also between EM and Operational Performance. The analysis of the results obtained through the Partial Least Squares (PLS) methodology concludes that there is a positive relationship between all of them, including this paper a main contribution to Literature as it is the fact that EM plays a mediator role increasing the CSR impact over Operational Performance. The major implication derived from this study is that investments in CSR and EM practices towards all the company stakeholders should positively affect performance. Therefore, both should be equally as important as other functions of a firm.

Digital transformation by firms and the cleanliness of China's export products

This study breaks the research chain on “firm digital transformation-trade green transformation”, focusing on the effect and mechanism in firms' digital transformation on the “cleanliness” of export products. It offers theoretical and empirical support on how to respond to demand for a green transformation in trade by firms in the context of their digital transformation. First, we reveal the mechanism in the effect of firms' digital transformation on export product cleanliness at the theoretical level by extending the Stackelberg game model and constructing a variable for product cleanliness. Second, we build an index to evaluate firms' digital transformation by matching data on A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2016 with a China Customs firm database and quantitatively analyze it with a machine learning algorithm. Combined with the measured export product cleanliness index, this mechanism is empirically tested with standardized measurement methods. Overall, we find that firms' digital transformation can significantly contribute to improvement in export product cleanliness. This finding remains robust to a series of tests and decomposition of digital transformation into various dimensions. The mechanism test found that the digital transformation of firms mainly promotes the improvement of export product cleanliness through the channels of increasing digital factor inputs, promoting green technology innovation, improving environmental management performance and achieving economies of scale. Heterogeneity analysis shows that digital transformation better facilitates the promotion of cleaner exported products from firms certified with ISO14001, whose primary export destinations are countries outside of the EU, and with high disclosure quality. Furthermore, digital transformation has a structural effect on the improvement of export product cleanliness in the context of urban disclosure of environmental information.

Influence of performance measures and sample characteristics on the relationship between corporate environmental management and firm performance: A meta‐analytic review

AbstractEnvironmental and climate concerns have made corporate environmental management a raging topic for discussion among academicians and industrialists. The current study explores the association between corporate environmental management and firm performance; and examines the influence of different performance measurement methods and sample characteristics on this association. The meta‐analysis, homogeneity test, and publication bias test have been performed on 318 effect sizes from 117 studies. The results indicate a significant positive association between the overall corporate environmental management and firm performance association. The findings suggest a significant influence of the nature of the data, corporate environmental management measures, corporate performance measures, region, economic development, time phase, nature of data, and period of study in the given context. The findings will help managers to better understand and choose the appropriate corporate environmental management measures to attain internal and external efficiencies.

실천경영학에서 환경경영 외부적 요인이 환경경영활동 및 경영성과에 미치는 영향

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between environmental management factors and management performance and to verify the mediating effect of environmental management level. Through this, we would like to find ways to improve the environmental management level and the management performance.
 Research design, data, and methodology: A survey was conducted on employees of manufacturing industry located in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. A total of 356 valid questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS programs. The hypothesis on the relationship between environmental management factors, environmental management and management performance was verified.
 Results: As a result of the analysis, it was found that environmental management factors affects environmental management and management performance. Among the environmental management factors, market opportunity, market pressure and government regulation affected environmental management. Environmental management affacts non-financial performance and non-finalcial performance affects financial performance. Therefore, it was found that some of the environmental management factors had a significant effect on management performance by completely mediating environmental management.
 Implications: This study verified the mediating effect of environmental management in the relationship between environmental management factors and management performance, and it was found that effect had a complete mediating effect. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with measures to improve environmental management and management performance.

Impact of green supply chain management on social performance through economic undergraduate’s view

The perspectives of economic students in Can Tho City, Vietnam were investigated in order to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between green supply chain management (GSCM) and social performance. A comprehensive survey was conducted on a sample size of 526 undergraduate students enrolled in business administration and international business courses. This study effort examined the impact of several subcomponents of GSCM on social performance. The inclusion of green production, green distribution, green supply chain management, and environmental education was seen. The coefficients of 0.24 and 0.115 suggest a favorable relationship between green procurement and internal environmental management and social performance. The existing scholarly literature presents several instances in which the implementation of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) has resulted in enhanced societal performance. The objective of this study is to contribute to the existing literature by investigating the many factors that influence the performance of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) in improving financial outcomes. The investigation also encompasses the examination of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) and its influence on societal performance. The authors propose that the extent to which graduates were exposed to GSCM education throughout their college years will have a substantial impact on their contributions to their respective fields and to society as a whole. Individuals who proactively pursue higher education by enrolling in college and focusing their studies on attaining a business degree are more likely to increase their chances of achieving success as entrepreneurs. Hence, these affluent proprietors of companies possess the potential to expand their operations and provide significant economic benefits at a macro level. In order to ensure the enduring viability of businesses, local communities, and the natural environment, educational institutions should provide curricula including corporate social responsibility, volunteerism, and ecologically conscious manufacturing methods. The integration of environmental stewardship with ethical business practices is crucial.

Port Sustainability Index: Methodological Issues

Approaches to find impact of maritime transport on environmental performance of ports or port regions through models with different sets of assumptions suffer from limitations. The paper describes an integrated Port Sustainability Index (PSI) by combining relevant environmental aspects of port processes and operations by transforming each indicator to follow normal distribution and taking PSI as sum of such normally distributed indicator scores, avoiding skew and outliers. Thus, there is no bias for developed or under-developed ports. PSI is simple and satisfies desired properties including assessment of effectiveness of policy measures through responsiveness, statistical tests of equality of mean PSI across ports. Dimensions of PSI can be ranked by respective elasticity. The method also helps to find growth curve of PSI of a port over time. Proposed PSI may help port authorities to evaluate their performance from the sustainability angle along with performances in the relevant dimensions and may serve as a strategic tool for port environmental performance management.

Returns on Solid Waste Management: Evidence from Indian Informal MSMEs

The paper revisits the Porter-Wagner dilemma about the association between environmental management (EM) and firm performance (FP). The context of informal Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) provides an interesting case since they are away from regulatory scrutiny or corporate/social obligations. The study resorts to labor productivity as the measure of FP and EM is represented by the various solid waste management practices (WMPs) adopted by the informal enterprises. Using the latest available cross-sectional data on un-incorporated firms by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) 73rd round 2015-16, we found the positive impact of WMPs was higher in the case of more productive firms in the quantile, indicating the relevance of the Porter-Wagner dilemma. The direction of causality was further validated using the propensity score matching technique by decomposing the average treatment effect.

Green finance and gender equality: Keys to achieving sustainable development

<p>This research investigates the relationship between Green Finance (GF) and Gender Equality (GE) within the context of sustainable development, revealing that existing frameworks lack an integrated approach to incorporating GE into GF. By reviewing 125 relevant articles published from 2004 to 2024, the author also found that women's empowerment significantly promotes GF development, while gender diversity enhances environmental management and corporate performance. Furthermore, the contributions of women in climate adaptation and environmental sustainability should not be overlooked. In conclusion, there is a pressing need to incorporate a gender perspective into GF policies and practices, which calls for further exploration of gender-sensitive financing models and the culture impact on GF and GE, aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more effectively.</p>