Solving the world’s environmental problems could take a significant toll on economic growth if only today’s technologies are available. We know that innovation – the creation and adoption of new cleaner technologies and know-how – provides a means to achieve local and global...

Coming at the end of the first round of Environmental Performance Reviews, this report summarises lessons learned during the round and presents a broad range of related comparative economic and environmental data.

The OECD’s PISA 2006 assessment of the science competencies of 15-year-olds offers the first comprehensive and internationally comparative knowledge base of students’ knowledge about the environment and environment-related issues. Green at Fifteen? presents an analysis of this knowledge...

This report draws on the water management chapters of 42 country reviews carried out to date to identify common achievements and remaining challenges for OECD countries in terms of further reducing the pollution burden and protecting human health and aquatic ecosystems. Conclusions are drawn...

Voluntary initiatives in the area of corporate responsibility have been among the major trends in international business in recent years. Business surveys show that most large OECD-based multinational enterprises have participated in this trend in one way or another. These initiatives involve,...

Government involvement in “voluntary” initiatives for corporate responsibility has been extensive. This chapter reviews four main types of involvement -- legal and regulatory incentives, tax expenditures on the NGO sector, contributions to compliance expertise and moral suasion. The most...

Many companies have implemented programmes that help them to respond to societal concerns about the economic, social and environmental impacts of their activities. These help them to manage their compliance with legal or regulatory requirements and their response to “softer” forms of social...