Course info

EnvStud 784 – Environmental Management Practices in USA

Content:

This course provides practical policy advice concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of alternative environmental policy innovations that encourage greater environmental improvements, and especially those related to EMS adoption.

The purpose of this course is three-fold. First, it offers preliminary advice regarding different U.S. environmental policies and programs that encourage environmental innovation. Second, this is intended to help the U.S. manufacturing facilities that participated in our study to benchmark their environmental management against similar companies. Finally, to contribute to the dialogue about the different types of environmental innovations and how they might vary across OECD countries. The course addresses three broad research questions:

1. Why do facilities introduce environmental management systems and tools?

2. Why do facilities undertake specific types of environmental investments and innovations?

3. What are the links between facilities’ financial performance and their environmental management practices?

Course Lecturer: Gerhard Berchtold, PhD

ECTS credits: 6

Coursebook:

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY TOOLS &

FIRM-LEVEL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE

UNITED STATES

Nicole Darnall, National Project Leader, North CarolinaStateUniversity

Alexei Pavlichev, Research Associate, North CarolinaStateUniversity

in cooperation with

OECD Environment Directorate

This report provides practical policy advice concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of alternative environmental policy innovations that encourage greater environmental improvements, and especially those related to EMS adoption. The study is part of a larger OECD project involving the participation of researchers from seven different OECD countries (Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Norway, and United States—see Annex 1). The goal of the broader research project is to understand how firms’ environmental actions change in different regulatory and social settings. In total, approximately 4,200 facilities with more than 50 employees in all manufacturing sectors participated in the larger study, of which 489 operated in the U.S. (OECD, 2003).

During the first step of the OECD study, research teams from the seven participating countries collaborated to design a uniform survey. Mailed to manufacturing facilities in each country, the survey considered the internal factors, financial incentives, and external pressures that shape organizations’ environmental behavior (see Annex 2). Once the data were collected, the research teams completed a preliminary analysis of their data. For consistency, each country used the same report structure to convey their results. This report summarizes the key findings from the U.S. data.

The purpose of this report is three-fold. First, it offers preliminary advice regarding different U.S. environmental policies and programs that encourage environmental innovation. Second, this report is intended to help the U.S. manufacturing facilities that participated in our study to benchmark their environmental management against similar companies. Finally, the U.S. study was created to contribute to the dialogue about the different types of environmental innovations and how they might vary across OECD countries. To fulfil its purpose, the report addresses three broad research questions:

1. Why do facilities introduce environmental management systems and tools?

2. Why do facilities undertake specific types of environmental investments and innovations?

3. What are the links between facilities’ financial performance and their environmental management practices?