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Pro-environmental behavior prescribed by top companies of the world

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Abstract

Pro-environmental behavior allows top companies of the world to improve their environmental responsibility, to minimize their impact on nature and to guide smaller businesses. The content of 82 codes of conduct of the 100 largest companies from the Forbes GLOBAL 2000 ranking is analyzed. Prescriptions for pro-environmental behavior are found in 78% of the codes. These prescriptions are extensive in the only 14 codes. The analyzed codes deal in average with four pro-environmental behavior types. The most common are the prescriptions of environmental responsibility and general nature respect. Some companies state climate-friendly behavior. It is established that company location is somewhat important determinant of the prescribed pro-environmental behavior: The West European companies prescribe pro-environmental behavior better than those East Asian. The findings of the present study indicate on a promising state of the eco-ethics stated by the top companies, although they also indicate on the urgency of certain amendments of the codes of conduct.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank the journal editor and the reviewers for their thorough consideration of this paper and helpful recommendations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (the First Cossack University), Zemlyanoy Val Street 73, Moscow, Russia, 109004

    Dmitry A. Ruban

  2. Higher School of Business, Southern Federal University, 23-ja Linija Street 43, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, 344019

    Dmitry A. Ruban

  3. Department of Economics and Management, Business School, Cherepovets State University, Sovetskiy Avenue 10, Cherepovets, Vologda Region, Russia, 162600

    Natalia N. Yashalova

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Ruban, D.A., Yashalova, N.N. Pro-environmental behavior prescribed by top companies of the world. Environ Dev Sustain 24, 7918–7935 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01766-6

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