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Being one of the primary soft-voluntary environmental policy instruments, ISO 14001 has been studied from a number of diverse perspectives and disciplines. Nevertheless, it is only few assessments that have attempted to shed light on variations in the diffusion ISO 14001 certification among countries in terms of national factors and macroeconomic conditions that may stimulate relevant implementation patterns. We employ a 1999–2017 annual time-series that yields a panel dataset of 33 countries, out of which 27 are OECD countries, complemented by the BRIICS. Applying the appropriate static and dynamic econometric specifications, the EKC hypothesis is not rejected in all the cases in static and dynamic specifications. Our turning points are in all cases within the sample ranging from $20,812 to $52,023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article is part of a wider investigation of private environmental management systems, conducted as part of the doctoral research. The perspective of the private sector managers on the role of the voluntary management systems was left unpublished at the time, and for the purposes of publication of these research conclusions, the interviewed managers were kindly asked to review their initial statements. A few minor completions were made, the major conclusions of the study remained, and were synthesised for the purposes of a short and comprehensive first-hand inverstigation of the role of the voluntary environmental management systems as they are perceived and understood by the managers implementing them. The relevance of such an investigation into the rationales for private environmental policies is very high, given the recent prioritization of green investments from the EU recovery funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of the so-called ‘Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) cluster approach’ when applied to environmental policies, by focusing on the case history of the industrial paper production cluster located in the Province of Lucca (Italy). The Lucca cluster represents approximately 20% of Italian paper production, and Italy is the fourth leading paper producer in Europe. In the last 10 years, environmental policies have been developed under the common ‘umbrella’ of a strong public and private partnership based on stakeholder networking within the application of the EU EMAS Regulation. This article evaluates the outcome of such an approach, by comparing the environmental performance indicators for the Lucca’s paper industry using data collected from more than 40 plants before and after the adoption of this voluntary tool. The results show considerable improvements for many environmental performance indicators, consistently with the implementation of the cluster approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The starting point for this research was the analysis of voluntary approaches and of the context which could facilitate them and increase their potential. However, this does not exclude the fact that these instruments can only function in the context of a coherent environmental policy as a whole, meaning a more heterogeneous mixture of market-based instruments and voluntary tools as well as a major effort on behalf of the state to promote them, to inform and educate the stakeholders, and to provide support mechanisms. Environmental management systems, the instruments and the practices identified at the level of private companies have a significant role in encouraging the ecological performance of the companies; however, the interviews have demonstrated that this type of systems need facilitation performed by the state, that voluntary approaches do not work separately from the rest of the environmental policy, and that incentives are needed in order to co-interest the companies. Facilitation needs to involve public policies, the market, ethic consumption, and a favorable economic context in which consolidated values and behaviors from a social point of view can manifest themselves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we adopt a recent OECD framework and examine the role of external policy tools and internal firm specific factors for stimulating three different types of eco-innovations that range on a spectrum of lower to higher technological and environmental impacts: End-of-Pipeline Pollution Control Technologies, Integrated Cleaner Production Technologies and Environmental R&D. Using a novel firm-level dataset from a DEFRA survey, we estimate a Tobit model, which provides empirical evidence showing that these eco-innovations are motivated by different external policy tools and internal firm specific factors. Our findings indicate that End of Pipeline Technologies and Integrated Cleaner Production Technologies are mainly driven by equipment upgrade motives with a view of improving efficiency while environmental regulations are effective in stimulating the End-of-Pipeline technologies and Environmental R&D. Interestingly, alongside government induced regulations, we find that market factors, mainly motivated by cost savings, are effective in driving Environmental R&D. Finally, ISO14001 certification is effective in strengthening the positive impact of environmental management systems on both End-of-Pipeline technologies and Environmental R&D while CSR policies have no significant impact on motivating any of the eco-innovations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The efficacy of government-supported programs to encourage improved management of land and water systems associated with agricultural land in Australia has been mixed. The broad approach of Australian governments is reviewed briefly. Evidence is presented from case assessments of a program to promote adoption of environmental management systems (EMSs) to improve environmental outcomes from agricultural practices. EMSs are systems implemented to manage the environmental impacts and ameliorate environmental risk associated with business activity. Data are presented on reported EMS activity and experience of four selected groups of farmers in Victoria, south-eastern Australia, representing broad-acre cropping, beef and dairy farming. The pro-environmental behaviours of farmers were mediated through voluntary adoption of government and industry sponsored EMSs, often with financial incentives and other support. Findings from the study were that adoption of EMS practices with sufficient public benefits is unlikely to occur at sufficient scale for significant environmental impact. Farmers more readily adopted practices which were financially beneficial than those which had a positive environmental impact. Although the focus on voluntary market-based instrument (MBI) type programs is popular in western countries, enforcing regulation is an important, but usually politically unpopular, component of land use policy. The comparative advantage of EMSs differed for the industries studied, but overall there were insufficient market drivers for widespread EMS adoption in Australia. Environmental outcomes could be more effectively achieved by directly funding land management practices which have highest public net benefits. Having a clear and unambiguous management objective for a particular land management policy is more likely to achieve outcomes than having multiple objectives as occurs in a number of international programs currently. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

More and more technical universities now advocate integrating sustainability in higher education and including it as a strategic goal for improving education's quality and relevance to society. This study examines 30 fourth-year chemical engineering students, graduates of a university course designed to combine their terminological domain with sustainability-oriented goals, focusing on topics like corporate sustainability, developing environmental policy, introduction to ISO 14001-Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and environmental legislation. The study explores their perception of industrial-environmental issues and asks-How did the study unit influence the students' ability to use their preexisting scientific knowledge, while relating to industrial-environmental issues? Our findings indicate that engineering students can develop industrial-environmental awareness, and make use of interdisciplinary knowledge beyond that strictly related to the realm of engineering. Regarding the research's particular aim-i.e. determining the study unit's influence on students' ability to relate industrial-environmental issues to their own field of engineering-the findings indeed show a change in the students' conceptions of environmental elements related to industry. The course graduates became more attentive to the environmental aspects associated with building and opening a factory, and the concepts they raised in connection with the topic gained in variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is frequently hypothesized that environmental management systems (EMSs) may improve firms'' environmental innovation performance. Whether this hypothesis is true is as critical for environmental policy as questions pertaining to the relevant incentives for (1) a firm''s voluntary adoption of an EMS and (2) its environmental innovation behavior. Based on ample empirical evidence for German manufacturing, this paper addresses the simultaneity of these issues on the basis of a recursive bivariate probit model that explores the hypothesis that a facility''s decision on innovation activities is correlated with the decision on EMS adoption. Our empirical results, indicating that environmental innovation activities are not associated with EMS implementation nor any other single policy instrument, reflect the perceptions of the survey respondents and, hence, should be interpreted as correlations rather than causal relationships. According to these perceptions, innovation behavior seems to be mainly correlated with the stringency of environmental policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using Japanese facility-level data from an OECD survey, we estimate the effects of implementation of ISO14001 and publication of environmental reports on the facilities’ environmental performance. While most previous studies focused on an index of emissions toxicity, this study examines three areas of impacts, none of which have been explored in the literature: natural resource use, solid waste generation, and wastewater effluent. The study is also unique in that the effectiveness of ISO14001 is considered in relation to environmental regulations. Our findings are summarized as follows. First, both ISO14001 and report publication help reduce all three impacts; the former appears more effective in all areas except wastewater. Second, environmental regulations do not weaken the effect of ISO14001. Third, assistance programs offered by local governments—a voluntary approach—promote facilities’ adoption of ISO14001. These findings suggest that governments can use command-and-control and voluntary approaches concurrently. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aviation industry has faced significant economic and environmental challenges over the past 20 years. Increased public concern regarding protection of the environment from the impacts of transportation has prompted governments to seek voluntary and regulatory measures to manage the various modes of transportation. Canada, as a global partner, has responded to the challenges of airport environmental management with a balanced approach between voluntary and regulatory measures. Through the development of environmental management plans and procedures, airports and carriers have been able to reduce negative impacts on air, water and soil and respond to challenges concerning aircraft de-icing fluids, greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other air emissions. This paper provides an overview of environmental issues facing the Canadian Government and aviation industry, management procedures utilised to manage these issues, and environmental management challenges of the future. It will focus on examples of a water quality issue through the management of de-icing fluids. It will also provide an overview of the management of GHGs and air pollutants through a voluntary agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]