While many different types of organizations in the United States (U.S.) are better managing their environmental activities, a relatively small proportion of them are also choosing to participate in voluntary environmental initiatives. This study addresses why organizations participate in these...

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) promise to provide firms and facilities additional flexibility in managing their environmental affairs while increasing internal efficiencies and improving their public image. Although stakeholder input is thought to improve program development, little is...

Scholars and practitioners alike advocate involving stakeholders in environmental decision-making, although there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of public involvement tools and the degree of public involvement in the decision-making process. Some researchers have gone a step further...

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) have become a popular alternative to traditional regulation. However, little is known about whether these programs are sending accurate signals about the environmental practices of their participants. As a means for understanding signaling accuracy, this...

Some researchers question the legitimacy of EMSs since organizations can claim to have one when in fact they make no attempt to reduce their environmental harms. In instances where EMSs enhance an organization's environmental performance, critics argue that improvements are likely to incur...

This research explores why some facilities accrue greater costs when adopting an environmental management system (EMS) and why costs vary among three different ownership structures. Using survey data of organizations that documented their EMS adoption costs over a three-year period, the results...

This research examines the question of how an environmentally pro-active hotel can gain competitive distinction by way of 'green' branding. It demonstrates that not all green branding options are created equal. The two most widely recognized options, unilateral commitments and participation in...

Using Japanese facility-level data, we estimate the effects of ISO 14001 certification on the promotion of more advanced practices, namely green supply chain management (GSCM). Our results show that ISO 14001 promotes GSCM practices, in that facilities with environmental management systems (EMS)...

While prior ecolabel research suggests that consumers’ trust of ecolabel sponsors is associated with their purchase of ecolabeled products, we know little about how third-party certification might relate to consumer purchases when trust varies. Drawing on cognitive theory and a stratified...

Local governments nationwide have been adopting a variety of sustainability practices in the absence of strong federal guidance. The collection of these practices, which differ in design, forms the local government’s sustainability strategy. Some local governments may develop a more focused...