Drivers of environmental trajectories: a case study of Poitou-Charentes companies

Abstract

Empirical studies face difficulties verifying the Porter and van der Linde (1995) hypothesis about the drivers of environmental innovations (EIs) and, even more so, the drivers in the firms' environmental trajectories. In this context, we propose a dynamic analysis of these drivers. From original data based on interviews about around 400 EIs realised by companies in the Poitou-Charentes region, we first describe the limited role of regulation as a driver of firms' environmental trajectory and reveal the link between the drivers and the precise nature of the EIs. Finally, we shed light on a dominant environmental trajectory for companies that is blocked by cognitive constraints and in which the supply determinants are the main driver along this trajectory.