Protection Industry Research Articles

Mapping Global Research on Green Finance from 1989 to 2020: A Bibliometric Study

Green finance is considered to be the financial support for green growth. It acts on the environmental protection industry through financial activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is a new financial model that combines financial and environmental protection activities. In order to explore the origin and development of this new financial model, namely, green finance, this study adopts the method of bibliometrics. Based on the database based on the Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index databases, the historical evolution of green finance and the classification of research hotspots are explored. The results show that green finance research has gone through three stages: the budding stage, the stable development stage, and the booming development stage. The research topics have also changed from the establishment of the green financial system to the difficulties faced by the green financial systems of various countries to the empirical evidence of the vigorous development of green finance. In addition, we have also established a three-dimensional framework (i.e., purpose, process, and participants, or 3P) of research hotspots in green finance to show a road map for future research directions.

Impact OF Covid-19 on Several Industries in Context with the Dialysis Industry

Coronavirus (COVID-19) was recognized in late December in Hubei province of Wuhan city in China. This highly contagious disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is transmitted from humans to humans. After the first case in Wuhan, the disease rapidly spread to other parts of the globe. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) made an assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Thus, social-distancing became an important measure to stop the spread of this disease. Various countries across the world adopted nationwide lockdowns. This led to a completely new scenario for the world, where every business in each industry faced new challenges and witnessed new opportunities. Similarly, the medical personal protective industry, a vital part of the healthcare sector, also witnessed new growth opportunities.

The impact of green credit policy on energy efficient utilization in China.

Green credit policy is an innovative measure in the financial industry and can help enterprises reduce energy consumption, reverse the situation of environmental pollution and resource waste, and promote sustainable development of the economy and society based on guiding fund flows into the green environmental protection industry. This research thus uses panel data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2017 to examine the impact of a green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization. We establish the EBM (epsilon-based measure) super-efficiency model to measure the level of energy efficient utilization in China, apply the regression discontinuity design (RDD) model to empirically study the net effect of the green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization, and assess the policy's regional heterogeneity. Finds present that the level of energy efficient utilization in China exhibits a fluctuating upward trend, and there are certain spatial heterogeneities across its regions. The overall level of the eastern region's energy efficient utilization is the best, followed by the central and western regions in that order. The results of RDD based on the national perspective indicate that the green credit policy has a significantly positive effect on the level of energy efficient utilization, while subregional regression results reveal that improvement caused by implementation of the green credit policy varies across regions in China. The performance of improving energy efficiency in the eastern region is excellent, but the improvement effect in the central and western regions is so far not desirable.

The mustard leaf beetle, Phaedon cochleariae, as a screening model for exogenous RNAi-based control of coleopteran pests

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising, selective pest control technology based on the silencing of targeted genes mediated by the degradation of mRNA after the ingestion of double-stranded (ds) RNA. However, the identification of the best target genes remains a challenge, because large scale screening is only feasible in lab model systems and it remains unclear, to what degree such data can be transferred to pest species. Here, we report on our efforts to transfer target genes found in a lab model to the mustard leaf beetle, Phaedon cochleariae. The mustard leaf beetle can be reared easily and resource-efficient in large quantities all year round and is an established chrysomelid pest for higher throughput screening approaches in the crop protection industry. Mustard leaf beetle transcriptome sequencing and assembly revealed genes orthologous to those previously described as highly efficient RNAi targets in the model beetle Tribolium castaneum. First, we observed mortality after injection of dsRNA targeting the respective orthologous genes in 2nd instar mustard beetle larvae. Next, we adopted a robust, automated multi-well plate foliar RNAi screening procedure with 2nd instar larvae of the mustard leaf beetle to assess those genes. Indeed, foliar application and oral uptake of dsRNA targeting the same genes resulted in larval mortality as well. The most effective target genes with a strong (lethal) phenotype - at dsRNA doses as low as 300 ng/leaf disc (equal to 9.6 g/ha) - were srp54k, rop, αSNAP, rpn7 and rpt3. Rather limited effects were observed after application of dsRNA targeting cactus, shibire and PP-α, though they had previously been shown to be highly lethal in red flour beetle. Importantly, our experiments demonstrated that the overall efficacy pattern obtained after oral dsRNA application was well correlated with the results obtained after dsRNA injection. RT-qPCR confirmed significant target gene knock-down after normalization by employing three reference genes shown to be stably expressed across life stages. In summary, several RNAi targeted genes elicited a strong lethal phenotype and significant target gene knock-down after feeding, suggesting P. cochleariae as a potential coleopteran screening model for foliarly applied exogenous RNAi.

Brown Planthopper Sensor Network Optimization Based on Climate and Geographical Factors using Cellular Automata Technique

Brown Planthopper (BPH) is one of the most dangerous insects that cause damage to rice. Aphids infected rice fields with low productivity can be lost even. Dealing with this situation, the Plant Protection industry has invented the light trap - a device based on the specific activity of insects phototaxis. These measures are considered effective and less costly today. However, the current light traps are usually installed next to the home of the staff assigned to manage light traps for easy tracking without attention to the impact of environmental factors around. Currently, the plant protection industry wants more scientific basis in light traps arranged so they want to review and make the factors of climate and geography in the light traps installed but not yet performed. In this paper, we propose an approach to find appropriate positions to replace light traps based on a combination between weather factors and geographical factors with data on infected areas by BPH with various infection levels exhibited on the maps based on Cellular Automata method. We present the simulation results with 8 considered cases to determine positions for light traps in an area of more than 1400 square kilometres including 84 communes in Can Tho city, one of the largest rice granaries in Vietnam.

Pine wood modification via an antifungal oil – Heat treatment and its effect on annual wood rings

Thyme oil, which is an anti-fungicide, was used to increase the physical and mechanical properties of wood as well as improve its strength, especially in outdoor conditions. For this purpose, Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) wood samples classified according to the annual number of rings were exposed to either the impregnation process or the combined process, which was comprised of impregnation followed by heat treatment. As a result of the study, it was determined that the wood had different physical and mechanical properties based upon the number of annual rings. In addition, it was specified that the thyme oil used in the impregnation process improved the physical properties of the wood and also reduced the water absorption during the combined process. As a general conclusion, the impregnation process and the combined process increased the mechanical properties of the wood in parallel with an increase in the number of annual rings. The process of impregnation of wood materials with thyme oil is promising due to its anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, its ability to be used in small amounts in on-site impregnation, and it being an environmentally friendly product for the wood protection industry.

Zombie capitalism and coronavirus time

ABSTRACT At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, essays and memes likened its social and temporal conditions to the zombie apocalypse visualized in popular media. Circulating through Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, dystopian photos and videos of abandoned streets, plazas, and malls resonated with harrowing scenes of attacking hordes of zombies in the Netflix series Kingdeom (2019-2020), whose second season premiered when most Southeast Asian cities experienced lockdowns. Global news agencies reported on the unsettling anxiety about contagion from foreign migrants and tourists, from which, despite intensifying social tensions, many ‘developing’ or ‘emerging’ economies in Southeast Asia derive their vitality. If the scholarship about zombie narratives tends to focus on the docile, subjugated bodies of mass labour, critiques of neoliberal capitalism highlight their insatiable, irrational consumerism. In contrast, this article explores how the steep downturns from travel restrictions and citywide lockdowns to fight the outbreak have exposed the dependency of developmental state capitalism for its rapid pace of material growth not only on the flexibility of migrant labour but also on the contingency of speculative investment from overseas. Whereas state capitalism is typically understood to deploy its resources in protected industries and state-owned enterprises to consolidate its political rule, its use of authority now appears to centre on reducing market risk. The resilient temporality of the novel coronavirus has led to a new cyclical capitalist normalcy of surging, declining, and resurging infections, which governments have struggled to manage through varied forms of lockdown and quarantine such as Circuit Breakers (CB) in Singapore, Movement Control Orders (MCO) in Kuala Lumpur, and Enhanced Community Quarantines (ECQ) in Manila, with the failed aspiration of economic stability.

Carboxymethylpachymaran/alginate gel entrapping of natural pollen capsules for the encapsulation, protection and delivery of probiotics with enhanced viability

There are multiple obstacles for the storage and digestion of probiotic products because of their poor viability. This study developed a new core-shell structure (sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) as the core and Ca-alginate (Alg)/carboxymethylpachymaran (CMP) gel as the shell) for the protection of probiotics, which could not only enhance the storage and lyophilization stability of probiotics, but also achieve sustained release in the gastrointestinal tract. By using (L. plantarum) as the model probiotic, the loading process (SECs-encapsulated L. plantarum, SL) was optimized with the maximum probiotic loading capacity reaching 1.17 × 1010 CFU/g. In the Ca-Alg/CMP shell, the introduction of CMP could improve the thermal stability of the shell. Also, the CMP content could affect the swelling behavior and microstructure of the shell by influencing the hydrogen bonds between CMP and Alg, and thus could regulate the release behavior of probiotics. Compared with Ca-Alg coated SL gel (ASG), the Ca-Alg/CMP coated SL gel (ACSG) showed superior properties in terms of sustainable release and lyophilization stability: the number of viable cells exceeded 107 CFU/mL and was about 1.68 × 107 CFU/mL and 1.44 × 107 CFU/mL before and after lyophilization, respectively. Besides, ACSG (1.44 × 107 CFU/mL for day 0 and 2.09 × 106 CFU/mL for day 90 at 4 °C) showed an obvious advantage over ASG (2.01 × 105 CFU/mL for day 0 and 5.66 × 102 CFU/mL for day 90 at 4 °C) in achieving high storage stability. Overall, this core-shell structure may be utilized in the food industry for better protection and delivery of probiotics.

Synthetic approaches to the 2015–2018 new agrochemicals

In this review, the synthesis of 33 agrochemicals that received an international standardization organization (ISO) name between January 2015 and December 2018 is described. The aim is to showcase the broad range and scope of reactions, reagents and intermediates used to discover and produce the latest active ingredients addressing the crop protection industry’s needs.

Spatial characteristic of environmental protection businesses: a study of A-Share Listed Environmental Companies in China

China’s cross-border pollution problem has attracted a growing level of attention from the domestic and international community. The elimination of environmental pollution greatly depends on professional environmental protection companies. China’s environmental protection industry has sustained a rapid growth with 26.9% annual growing rate of output value since 2011. To effectively discover the potential investment fields and regions, this study examines the spatial distribution of 53 A-Share Listed Environmental Companies (ASLEC) in China and their 927 subsidiaries. Methods of hot spot analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis and coarsened exact matching were employed in our paper to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of environmental protection industry and their main influencing indicators. Results show that ASLEC invested over US$ 13 billion distributed in 210 cities in China in 2017. Treatment of wastewater and municipal solid waste related to traditional water supply, drainage and sanitation are the main businesses of the environmental protection industry in China. This is because these businesses belong to conventional urban municipal works with low technological requirement and high economic return. Therefore, the government should support those environmental protection businesses with fine technology, such as air pollution prevention and industrial waste control. Our study also reveals that there is a strong and positive correlation between municipal indicators and environmental protection investment. This indicates that the municipal works attract much more investment of environmental protection companies than heavy industries. The eastern region of China remains a hot spot for investment whereas the investment in the western region increased significantly in 2017. The potential of future development will be located in the central and western regions. For serious air pollution and large-scale industrial transfer from eastern regions to the central and western regions in China, there is lack of industrialization environmental protection capacity to fulfill the ambitious national pollution reduction target. This opportunity implies to attract more investments from international environmental protection companies.

Impact of subsidies on innovations of environmental protection and circular economy in China

Technological innovations in China's energy conservation and environmental protection industry (EEPI) are capital-intensive and useful to mitigate environmental externality, thus they need policy support and government subsidies (GSs) at the emerging stage. Nevertheless, research is limited on the influence of GSs onto innovation performance of China's EEPI, with particular to the effect of GSs from enterprise level. This study investigated 62 listed energy conservation and environmental protection enterprises (EEPEs) in China's market in 2013–2018. The innovation performance of these enterprises was quantitatively evaluated, and multivariate regression models were devised to examine GSs and other potential drivers that might influence the innovation. Key findings include (1) EEPEs' investment in R&D and protection of intellectual properties played a positive intermediary and regulatory role between GSs and enterprise innovation performance (correlation at the significance level of 0.05 (p = 0.045; p = 0.036)). (2) There is a significant positive correlation at the significance level of 0.05 (p = 0.011), which indicates that the strongest positive relation between GSs and innovation performance was identified in an environment of low external regulation and high internal regulation, and the effects were more significant for non-state-owned EEPEs(correlation at the significance level of 0.05 (p = 0.018)). (3) The promotion of GSs to innovation was found less effective in the three most developed regions in China, i.e., the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area. Nonetheless it was more effective for enterprise engaged in the circular economy and resource recycling (correlation at a significant level of 0.05 (P = 0.048)). These findings may shed lights on decision making of green technology development for environmental conservation and circular economy.

Effect of Process Parameters on Hand Values of PU Laminated Waterproof Breathable Textile

Polymeric porous membranes are important in the protective textile industry because of their high breathability balanced with water resistivity. Developing the membranes which display balanced and optimized properties has proven to be a great challenge. Final membrane performance is dependent on fundamental parameters including membrane thickness, aging temperature, and adhesive aging temperature and time. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of these parameters on porous membrane morphology and performance. Using a scanning electron microscope, we analyzed membrane thickness impacts on morphology and pore size. We also investigated physical performance such as water pressure, water vapor permeability, and resistance to evaporating heat transfer (RET). We used the Kawabata evaluation system to evaluate the hand values based on quality according to customer choice. However, good mechanical, physical, and aesthetic performance of laminated textile suggest it as a promising substitute for numerous potential applications, especially as outdoor functional protective clothing.

The financing efficiency of listed energy conservation and environmental protection firms: Evidence and implications for green finance in China

With the implementation of a series of policies related to the energy conservation and environmental protection (ECEP) industry, green finance has become a crucial approach to provide credits for the ECEP industry. Using data on Chinese-listed ECEP firms from 2010 to 2019, this work quantitatively identifies the financing efficiency of these firms and its determinants. The main results show that banks are still dominant in the Chinese financial market for providing credits, and firms listed on the second board show higher financing efficiency. The financing efficiency of firms located in the central and western regions improves significantly, especially after 2016, reflecting the interaction effect of green finance policies and economic policies supporting underdeveloped regions. Both country-level factors (e.g., formal institutions and financial supervision) and firm-level factors (e.g., firm size and debt ratio) have an impact on financing efficiency. These findings have important implications for policymakers who are carefully contemplating green finance policies to support ECEP firms through an effective financial market mechanism, which eventually helps to realize the transition of the energy sector.

The effect of online environmental news on green industry stocks: The mediating role of investor sentiment

In the digital era, most investors acquire information and exert their voices on the Internet; however, how environmental news influences the prices of green industry stocks and investor behavior is not clear. This study investigated the relationships among environmental news, investor sentiment, and green industry stock returns in China. Adopting a text analysis technique, we developed an index of media environmental attention with the news data from the CSMAR (China Stock Market & Accounting Research) database. Besides, we obtained online investor sentiment data based on the machine learning method. We also targeted the SSE Environmental Protection Industry Index and analyzed the relationships among media environmental attention, investor sentiment, and stock returns on two levels. The first was on the aggregate-level, using return information from the SSE Environmental Protection Industry Index and VAR model. The second was on the firm-level, by using stock returns from constituents of the SSE Environmental Protection Industry Index and panel data model. Empirical analysis showed that there was a significant negative relationship between media environmental attention and the stock returns of green industry companies. Environmental news had a significant impact on investor sentiment, which in turn played a mediating role in the process of affecting green industry stocks.

Linkage Analysis between Finance and Environmental Protection Sectors in China: An Approach to Evaluating Green Finance.

Given the growing awareness of sustainable development, the environmental protection industry has attracted much attention. Green finance has developed rapidly in policymaking and practices. This study provides a framework for evaluating green finance via linkage analysis based on input–output theory. Measurements on industrial linkages are calculated in China in two provinces from 2002 to 2018, which study the relationship between finance and environmental protection sectors. The results show that the environmental protection sector (EPS) in China has gradually developed from a sector with weak backward and strong forward linkages to a sector with strong backward and weak forward linkages from 2002 to 2015; however, in 2017 and 2018, the EPS returned to a sector with weak backward and strong forward linkages. At the provincial level, the EPS used to be a key sector with strong backward and forward linkages. The connection between the finance sector and the EPS rose first, then declined in the country and the Zhejiang province; Guangdong had a similar evolution in the former period, but it had a rising trend in the latest year. The findings provide insights for further promoting the support from the finance sector to the environmental protection activities.

Safety and risk analysis in digitalized process operations warning of possible deviating conditions in the process environment

The process industry operates in high risks and hazardous environments that impose significant risks on workers' lives, assets-loss, and operational environments. Using the digitalized method for analyzing risk in the process operations to identify and evaluate risk emanated in the working environment is considered as a possible way of providing a warning of deviating conditions in the process environment. From this research, we realized that digitalizing process operations are highly relevant to the process industry, due to challenges such as fire, explosion, and toxic release to the environment. However, the focus on risk analysis using a digitalized method is to support decision-making by assessing and analyzing the risks associated with the operation, designing a technical system, and estimating the industry's accident and possible controlling measures. This research provides a viable solution to the process industry with risk and hazard in their process environment by installing an alarm system on the processing plant, which will give early warning information of unforeseen risk. Some of the benefits of digitalized process operations are the virtually eliminating transcription risk and hazard from the operational environment, the increased copy factor of understanding between process operation and workers, as well as to provide an early warning deviation that will interrupt the operating system. This research's findings have identified a valuable process of the digitizing process industry for useful risk analysis and protection of the operational environment.

CropLife International shares FAO's vision

In their Letter “Stay true to integrated pest management” (8 January 2021, p. [133][1] ), K. Wyckhuys et al. point to the essential role of checks and balances in the context of CropLife International's recently agreed partnership with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). However, we disagree with their assertion that the FAO and CropLife International have contrasting visions of integrated pest management (IPM). CropLife International fully supports the FAO definition of IPM, which is a fundamental element of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management ([ 1 ][2]). The IPM objective is “careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human and animal health and/or the environment.” [([ 1 ][2]), p. 4] Supporting FAO's Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management is a condition of membership for CropLife International, and IPM is a core stewardship activity promoted by CropLife International to farmers globally. FAO has had great success in reducing pesticide use in Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam, as cited by Wyckhuys et al. ([ 2 ][3]), but these are not the only countries where improvements have been made. A recent study conducted by Phillips McDougal shows that the average application rates per hectare of modern pesticides are down by 95% since 1960, and there has been a substantial reduction in their acute toxicity ([ 3 ][4]). This is in large part due to the industry's development of more effective crop protection products and technologies ([ 4 ][5]) in combination with farmers' efforts to support optimized pesticide use in the framework of IPM. CropLife International also forms long-term partnerships with organizations such as GIZ ([ 5 ][6]), who value our expertise in training farmers on IPM and the responsible use of pesticides. We recognize the challenges that humankind faces in making agriculture more sustainable without compromising yields. Digital and precision farming are already contributing to further optimization, and their deployment will need to be accelerated to achieve the sustainable intensification that we need to avoid further agricultural encroachment of habitats and biodiversity loss ([ 6 ][7]). Innovation, shared knowledge, and partnership will all be invaluable to improving the sustainability of the agri-food system. This is the rationale for our collaboration with FAO and indeed all of our partnerships and alliances. 1. [↵][8]FAO, World Health Organization, The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management (2014); [www.fao.org/3/I3604E/i3604e.pdf][9]. 2. [↵][10]1. H. van den Berg, 2. J. Jiggins , World Dev. 35, 4 (2007). [OpenUrl][11] 3. [↵][12]1. Phillips McDougall , “Evolution of the crop protection industry since 1960” (2019). 4. [↵][13]1. E. Radcliffe, 2. W. Hutchinson, 3. R. Cancelado , Integrated Pest Management: Concepts, Tactics, Strategies and Case Studies (Cambridge University Press, 2009). 5. [↵][14]“Better Rice Initiative Asia—Promotion of Integrated Pest Management in Thailand” (GIZ, 2018). 6. [↵][15]1. M. Bacco, 2. P. Barsocchi, 3. E. Ferro, 4. A. Gotta, 5. R. Massimiliano , Array 3–4, 100009 (2019). [OpenUrl][16] [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/371/6525/133.1 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #ref-4 [6]: #ref-5 [7]: #ref-6 [8]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [9]: http://www.fao.org/3/I3604E/i3604e.pdf [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [11]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DWorld%2BDev.%26rft.volume%253D35%26rft.spage%253D4%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [12]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [13]: #xref-ref-4-1 View reference 4 in text [14]: #xref-ref-5-1 View reference 5 in text [15]: #xref-ref-6-1 View reference 6 in text [16]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DArray%26rft.volume%253D34%26rft.spage%253D100009%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx

Insecticide resistance management and industry: the origins and evolution of the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) and the mode of action classification scheme.

Insecticide resistance is a long‐standing problem affecting the efficacy and utility of crop protection compounds. Insecticide resistance also impacts the ability and willingness of companies around the world to invest in new crop protection compounds and traits. The Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) was formed in 1984 to provide a coordinated response by the crop protection industry to the problem of insecticide resistance. Since its inception, participation in IRAC has grown from a few agrochemical companies in Europe and the US to a much larger group of companies with global representation and an active presence (IRAC Country Groups) involving an even wider array of companies in more than 20 countries. The focus of IRAC has also evolved from that of defining and documenting cases of insecticide resistance to a pro‐active role in addressing insecticide resistance management (IRM) providing an array of informational and educational tools (videos, posters, pamphlets) on insect pests, bioassay methods, insecticide mode of action and resistance management, all publicly available through its website (https://irac-online.org/). A key tool developed by IRAC is the Insecticide Mode of Action (MoA) Classification Scheme, which has evolved from a relatively simple acaricide classification started in 1998 to the far broader scheme that now includes biologics as well as insecticides and acaricides. A separate MoA Classification Scheme has also been recently developed for nematicides. The IRAC MoA Classification Scheme coupled with expanding use of MoA labeling on insecticide and acaricide product labels provides a straightforward means to implement IRM. An overview of the history of IRAC along with some of its notable accomplishments and future directions are reviewed. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Credibility of certified environmental management systems: Results from focus group interviews

The implementation and use of environmental management systems (EMSs) depend on the perceived credibility of their certificates. This study aims to identify and describe factors influencing the importance of certification credibility of EMSs. This study discusses the significance of such systems to enterprise credibility by administering and analysing focus group interviews with 20 representatives from the production industry, education sector, certification bodies, and non-profit associations for environmental protection. The paper concludes that credibility of EMSs' certification depends on the certifying companies, and poor-quality audits facilitate the possession of certification as well as the universality of using certified systems. The positive reception of certified EMSs in companies induces the widespread use of certificates, fashion, and credibility, which can be increased by publication of audit reports. These conclusions emphasise the importance of strict auditing and control systems for certifications.

Tackling market distortions to rise productivity: a study using firm-level manufacturing sector data from Morocco

ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of market distortions in the manufacturing sector in Morocco. Recent microdata are used to calculate the extent of resource misallocation associated to these distortions and the potential total factor productivity (TFP) gain resulting from their removal. Market distortions in the manufacturing sector in Morocco are higher compared with developed countries and slightly more important compared with other developing countries, such as China and India. These distortions decreased between 2007 and 2013. Full liberalization would raise TFP by about 84%. If distortions are removed to the level of selected developed countries with better resource allocation, the increase in TFP would be of 56%. The paper also suggests that industries that are more opened to competition such as textiles industries present lower levels of market distortions compared with more protected industries with relatively little competition, such as the food industry. Besides, some evidence is provided showing that smaller firms face more extensive distortions compared to medium and larger firms. The main results of the paper are robust to an alternative estimation that uses a different methodological framework with a less extensive theoretical framework.