Do environmental management systems improve environmental performance? Empirical evidence from Italian companies

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a research carried out on environmental performance in companies with an environmental management system registered under the EMAS regulation. By applying an empirical approach, the article analyses the trend of the environmental performance of a sample of 64 Italian companies pertaining to 6 different industrial sectors, which have achieved EMAS registration for at least three years. The trends of the environmental indicators included in the environmental statements, officially validated by a third party and traceable to a period of time before and after the registration, were collected and evaluated. In particular, the influence of the EMAS registration on the improvement or the worsening of the environmental performance was analyzed and thus the ability of this instrument to pursue continuous improvement, a founding principle of environmental management certification schemes. Data obtained indicate that in some cases, EMAS leads to an actual improvement of environmental performance, even in the short period.

Promoting Sustainability through EMS Application: A Survey Examining the Critical Factors about EMAS Registration in Italian Organizations

“…The first consists in the analysis of Environmental Indicators trend. According to Daddi et al (2011), indicators show a slight positive effect on environmental aspects, especially in reducing waste production and water consumption [66]. Moreover, EMAS seems to be more effective in the medium-long run, because environmental performance is generally linked in a positive way with the age of the system [19,52,66].…”

Implementing sustainability in small and medium-sized construction firms

“…Certification to ISO 14001 (BSI, 2004), for example, has been the subject of numerous studies (e.g. Brammer et al, 2012;Daddi et al, 2011;Hofmann et al, 2012;Uhlaner et al, 2012), and others have linked ISO 14001 (BSI, 2004) with effective SCM (Asif et al 2013;Curkovic and Sroufe, 2011;Darnall et al 2008;Delmas and Montiel, 2009). However, as Schweber (2013) remarks, research tends to focus on the technical features of assessment tools or standards, and hence little attention is devoted to the people or processes responsible for using them; this despite the need for learning and absorption of new knowledge over time (Maon et al, 2009).…”

Regional policies and eco-industrial development: the voluntary environmental certification scheme of the eco-industrial parks in Tuscany (Italy)

“…In addition, very few studies are related to policies that involve issuing voluntary certifications to reward the environmental development of the areas. Despite this, in other fields of the application of Sustainable Consumption and Production policies, these instruments have proved effective in enhancing both environmental and economic performance in industrial companies (Iraldo et al, 2009;Daddi et al, 2011) as well as in the public administration (Daddi et al, 2013). Costa et al (2010) investigate the different waste policy interventions as a leverage to spread IS initiatives in Denmark, the UK, Portugal and Switzerland.…”