Abstract
There is a long-lasting debate on whether environmental regulation fosters or hinders corporate green innovation. To address this debate, this study differentiates two types of regulations: mandatory environmental regulations (MERs) and voluntary environmental programs (VEPs), and explores whether MERs and VEPs, separately and jointly, affects corporate green innovation. This study also investigates the moderating effect of organizational slack on the focal relationship. With the data of top 100 listed companies in China, the results show that MERs significantly negatively affect green innovation, while VEPs significantly positively influence green innovation, and VEPs mitigate the negative impact of MERs on green innovation. Moreover, organizational slack strengthens the positive relationship between VEPs and green innovation, while no significant moderating effect on the MER–green innovation relationship. These findings provide guidance for corporate green innovation under mandatory regulations and voluntary programs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alwi W, Rafidah S, Klemes J, Jiri V, Sabev P (2016) Cleaner energy planning, management and technologies: perspectives of supply-demand side and end-of-pipe management. J Clean Prod 136:1–13
Ambec S, Barla P (2006) Can environmental regulations be good for business? An assessment of the Porter hypothesis. Energy Stud Rev 14(2):42–62
Aiken DVJC (2004) Adjusting the measurement of US manufacturing productivity for air pollution emissions control. Resour Energy Econ 25(4):329–351
Alberini A, Segerson K (2002) Assessing voluntary programs to improve environmental quality. Environ Resour Econ 22(1–2):157–184
Anton WRQ, Deltas G, Khanna M (2004) Incentives for environmental self-regulation and implications for environmental performance. J Environ Econ Manag 48(1):632–654
Arena C, Michelon G, Trojanowski G (2018) Big egos can be green: a study of CEO Hubris and environmental innovation: CEO Hubris and environmental innovation. Br J Manag 29(2):316–336
Arfi WB, Hikkerova L, Sahut JM (2018) External knowledge sources, green innovation and performance. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 129:210–220
Baek K (2015) The diffusion of voluntary environmental programs: the case of ISO 14001 in Korea, 1996–2011. J Bus Ethics 145(2):325–336
Ball C, Burt G, De Vries F, MacEachern E (2018) How environmental protection agencies can promote eco-innovation: the prospect of voluntary reciprocal legitimacy. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 129:242–253
Bansal P (2005) Evolving sustainably: a longitudinal study of corporate sustainable development. Strateg Manag J 26(3):197–218
Bansal P, Clelland I (2004) Talking trash: legitimacy, impression management, and unsystematic risk in the context of the natural environment. Acad Manag J 47(1):93–103
Balzarova AM, Castka P (2008) Underlying mechanisms in the maintenance of ISO 14001 environmental management system. J Clean Prod 16(18):1949–1957
Bansal P, Hunter T (2003) Strategic explanations for the early adoption of ISO 14001. J Bus Ethics 46(3):289–299
Berrone P, Fosfuri A, Gelabert L, Gomez-Mejia LR (2013) Necessity as the mother of “green” inventions: Institutional pressures and environmental innovations. Strateg Manag J 34(8):891–909
Blackman A, Lahiri B, Pizer W, Planter MR, Piña CM (2010) Voluntary environmental regulation in developing countries: Mexico's Clean Industry Program. J Environ Econ Manag 60(3):182–192
Blackman A (2008) Can voluntary environmental regulation work in developing countries? Lessons from case studies. Policy Studies Journal 36(1):119–141
Boiral O, Henri JF (2012) Modelling the impact of ISO 14001 on environmental performance: a comparative approach. J Environ Manage 99:84–97
Bu M, Qiao Z, Liu B (2020) Voluntary environmental regulation and firm innovation in china. Econ Model 89:10–18
Blind K (2012) The influence of regulations on innovation: a quantitative assessment for OECD countries. Res Policy 41(2):391–400
Blind K, Petersen SS, Riillo CAF (2017) The impact of standards and regulation on innovation in uncertain markets. Res Policy 46(1):249–264
Bourgeois LJ (1981) On the measurement of organizational slack. Acad Manag Rev 6(1):29–39
Brunnermeier SB, Cohen MA (2003) Determinants of environmental innovation in US manufacturing industries. J Environ Econ Manag 45(2):278–293
Cainelli G, Mazzanti M (2013) Environmental innovations in services: manufacturing–services integration and policy transmissions. Res Policy 42(9):1595–1604
Carmin JA, Darnall N, Mil-Homens J (2010) Stakeholder involvement in the design of US voluntary environmental programs: does sponsorship matter? Policy Stud J 31(4):527–543
Castillo-Rojas SM, Casadesús MKS, Coromina LHI, Martín I (2012) Is implementing multiple management system standards a hindrance to innovation? Total Qual Manag Bus Excell 23(9):1075–1088
Certo ST, Busenbark JR, Woo H, Semadeni M (2016) Sample selection bias and Heckman models in strategic management research. Strateg Manag J 37(13):2639–2657
Chang CH (2016) The determinants of green product innovation performance. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 23(2):65–76
Chang S, Wu B (2014) Institutional barriers and industry dynamics. Strateg Manag J 35(8):1103–1123
Chang YK, Oh WY, Park JH, Jang MG (2017) Exploring the relationship between board characteristics and CSR: empirical evidence from Korea. J Bus Ethics 140(2):225–242
Chen X, Yi N, Zhang L, Li D (2018) Does institutional pressure foster corporate green innovation? Evidence from China's top 100 companies. J Clean Prod 188:304–311
Chen Y, Han B, Liu W (2016) Green technology innovation and energy intensity in China. Nat Hazards 84(1):317–332
Chintrakarn P (2008) Environmental regulation and US states' technical inefficiency? Econ Lett 100(3):363–365
Cormier D, Magnan M (2015) The economic relevance of environmental disclosure and its impact on corporate legitimacy: an empirical investigation. Bus Strategy Environ 24(6):431–450
Cull R, Xu LC, Yang X, Zhou L, Zhu T (2017) Market facilitation by local government and firm efficiency: evidence from China. J Corp Financ 42:460–480
Daddi T, Todaro NM, Giacomo MRD, Frey M (2018) A systematic review of the use of organization and management theories in climate change studies. Bus Strategy Environ 27(6):456–474
Darnall N, Carmin J (2005) Greener and cleaner? The signaling accuracy of US voluntary environmental programs. Policy Sci 38(2):71–90
Darnall N, Kim Y (2012) Which types of environmental management systems are related to greater environmental improvements? Public Admin Rev 72(3):351–365
Delmas MA (2002) The diffusion of environmental management standards in Europe and in the United States: an institutional perspective. Policy Sci 35(1):91–119
Dong L, Dong H, Fujita T, Geng Y, Fujii M (2015) Cost-effect analysis of China's Sulfur dioxide control strategy at the regional level: regional disparity, inequity and future challenges. J Clean Prod 90:345–359
Elkassar A, Singh SK (2018) Green innovation and organizational performance: the influence of big data and the moderating role of management commitment and HR practices. Technol Forecast Soc Change 144:483–498
Fernando Y, Chiappetta Jabbour CJ, Wah W (2019) Pursuing green growth in technology firms through the connections between environmental innovation and sustainable business performance: does service capability matter? Resour Conserv Recycl 141:8–20
Ferron-Vílchez VF (2016) The dark side of ISO 14001: the symbolic environmental behavior. Eur Res Manag Bus Econ 23(1):33–39
Frondel M, Horbach J, Rennings K (2007) End-of-pipe or cleaner production? An empirical comparison of environmental innovation decisions across OECD countries. Bus Strateg Environ 16(8):571–584
Fujii H, Managi S (2019) Decomposition analysis of sustainable green technology inventions in China. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 139:10–16
Garcés Ayerbe C, Rivera Torres P, Suárez Perales I (2019) Stakeholder engagement mechanisms and their contribution to eco-innovation: differentiated effects of communication and cooperation. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1749
Geng Y, Xinbei W, Qinghua Z, Hengxin Z (2010) Regional initiatives on promoting cleaner production in China: a case of Liaoning. J Clean Prod 18(15):1502–1508
Ghisetti C (2017) Demand-pull and environmental innovations: Estimating the effects of innovative public procurement. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 125:178–187
Gomez-Mejia LR, Cruz C, Berrone P, De Castro J (2011) The bind that ties: socioemotional wealth preservation in family firms. Acad Manag Ann 5(1):653–707
Gray WB (1987) The cost of regulation: OSHA, EPA and the productivity slowdown. Am Econ Rev 77(77):998–1006
Gray WB, Shadbegian RJ (2003) Plant vintage, technology, and environmental regulation. J Environ Econ Manag 3(46):384–402
He F, Miao X, Christina WYW, Lee S (2018) Contemporary corporate eco-innovation research: a systematic review. J Clean Prod 174:502–526
He J (2007) Pollution haven hypothesis and environmental impacts of foreign direct investment: the case of industrial emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in Chinese provinces. Ecol Econ 60(1):228–245
Heckman JJ (1979) Sample selection bias as a specification error. Econometrica 47(1):153–161
Hoang PC, Mcguire W, Prakash A (2018) Reducing toxic chemical pollution in response to multiple information signals: the 33/50 voluntary program and toxicity disclosures. Ecol Econ 146:193–202
Jaffe AB, Palmer K (1997) Environmental regulation and innovation: a panel data study. Rev Econ Stat 79(4):610–619
Jiang Z, Wang Z, Li Z (2018) The effect of mandatory environmental regulation on innovation performance: evidence from China. J Clean Prod 203:482–491
Johnstone L, Hallberg P (2020) ISO 14001 adoption and environmental performance in small to medium sized enterprises. J Environ Manage 266:110592
Katmon N, Farooque OA (2017) Exploring the Impact of Internal Corporate Governance on the Relation Between Disclosure Quality and Earnings Management in the UK Listed Companies. J Bus Ethics 13(1):1–23
Kawai N, Strange R, Zucchella A (2018) Stakeholder pressures, EMS implementation, and green innovation in MNC overseas subsidiaries. Int Bus Rev 27(5):933–946
Khan SJ, Mir AA (2019) Ambidextrous culture, contextual ambidexterity and new product innovations: the role of organizational slack and environmental factors. Bus Strateg Environ. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2287
Khanna M, Damon LA (1999) EPA's voluntary 33/50 program: impact on toxic releases and economic performance of firms. J Environ Econ Manag 37:1–25
King AA, Lenox MJ (2000) Industry self-regulation without sanctions: the chemical industry's responsible care program. Acad Manag J 43(4):698–716
Koehler DA (2010) The effectiveness of voluntary environmental programs—a policy at a crossroads? Policy Stud J 35(4):689–722
Kube R, Graevenitz KV, Löschel A, Massier P (2019) Do voluntary environmental programs reduce emissions? EMAS in the German manufacturing sector. Energy Econ 84:1–9
Kwok TF, Xu Y, Wong PT (2017) Complying with voluntary energy conservation agreements (II): lighting in Hong Kong’s shopping malls. Resour Conserv Recycl 117:225–234
Lawson MB (2001) In praise of slack: time is of the essence. Acad Manag Exec 15(3):125–135
Leal-Rodríguez AL, Ariza-Montes AJ, Morales-Fernández E, Albort-Morant G (2018) Green innovation, indeed a cornerstone in linking market requests and business performance. evidence from the Spanish automotive components industry. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 129:185–193
Lee KH, Min B (2015) Green R&D for eco-innovation and its impact on carbon emissions and firm performance. J Clean Prod 108:534–542
Lee M (2011) Measurement of market power for the environmentally regulated Korean iron and steel manufacturing industry. Resour Policy 36:249–254
Lee CJ (2008) Pollute first, control later No more: combating environmental degradation in China through an approach based in public interest litigation and public participation. Pacific Rim Law Policy J 17:795
Leonidou CN, Katsikeas CS, Morgan NA (2013) "Greening" the marketing mix: do firms do it and does it pay off? J Acad Mark Sci 41(2):151–170
Li D, Huang M, Ren S, Chen X, Ning L (2016) Environmental legitimacy, green innovation, and corporate carbon disclosure: evidence from CDP China 100. J Bus Ethics 1:1–16
Li D, Zhao Y, Zhang L, Chen X, Cao C (2018) Impact of quality management on green innovation. J Clean Prod 170:462–470
Li D, Zheng M, Cao C, Chen X, Ren S, Huang M (2017) The impact of legitimacy pressure and corporate profitability on green innovation: evidence from China top 100. J Clean Prod 141:41–49
Li J, Tang Y (2010) CEO hubris and firm risk taking in china: the moderating role of managerial discretion. Acad Manag J 53(1):45–68
Li X, Yang X, Wei Q, Zhang B (2019) Authoritarian environmentalism and environmental policy implementation in China. Resour Conserv Recycl 145:86–93
Lian T, Ma T, Cao J, Wu Y (2016) The effects of environmental regulation on the industrial location of China’s manufacturing. Nat Hazards 80(2):1381–1403
Liang J, Langbein L (2015) Performance management, high-powered incentives, and environmental policies in China. Int Public Manag J 18(3):346–385
Lin H, Zeng S, Ma H, Chen H (2015) Does commitment to environmental self-regulation matter? An empirical examination from China. Manag Decis 53(5):932–956
Liao Z, Long S (2018) CEOs' regulatory focus, slack resources and firms' environmental innovation. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 25(5):981–990
Liao Z (2018) Corporate culture, environmental innovation and financial performance. Bus Strateg Environ 27(8):1368–1375
Liao Z, Long S (2019) Can inter firm trust improve firms' cooperation on environmental innovation? The moderating role of environmental hostility. Bus Strateg Environ doi.:10.1002/bse.2249
Lim S, Prakash A (2014) Voluntary regulations and innovation: the case of ISO 14001. Public Admin Rev 74(2):233–244
Liu X, Anbumozhi V (2009) Determinant factors of corporate environmental information disclosure: an empirical study of Chinese listed companies. J Clean Prod 17(6):593–600
Liu Y, Chen YJ, Wang LC (2017) Family business, innovation and organizational slack in Taiwan. Asia Pac J Manag 34(1):193–213
Luo D, Chen KC, Wu L (2017a) Political uncertainty and firm risk in china. Rev Dev Finance 7(2):85–94
López-camere MD, Molina-Azotin LE, Claver-Cortés E (2010) The potential of environmental regulation to change managerial perception, environmental management, competitiveness and financial performance. J Clean Prod 18(10):963–974
Luo XR, Wang D, Zhang J (2017b) Whose call to answer: institutional complexity and firms' CSR reporting. Acad Manag J 60(1):321–344
Ma D, Fei R, Yu Y (2018) How government regulation impacts on energy and CO2 emissions performance in China's mining industry. Resoure Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.11.013
Marquis C, Qian C (2014) Corporate social responsibility reporting in China: symbol or substance? Soc Sci Electron Publ 25(1):127–148
Maskin E, Qian Y, Xu C (2000) Incentives, scale economics, and organization forms. Rev Econ Stud 67:359–378
Nameroff TJ, Garant RJ, Albert MB (2004) Adoption of green chemistry: an analysis based on US patents. Res Policy 33(6):959–974
Nikolaou IE, Evangelinos KI (2010) A SWOT analysis of environmental management practices in greek mining and mineral industry. Resoure Policy 35:226–234
Nysten-Haarala S, Klyuchnikova E, Helenius H (2015) Law and self-regulation–substitutes or complements in gaining social acceptance? Resour Policy 45:52–64
Orecchini F (2000) The ISO 14001 certification of a machine-process. J Clean Prod 8(1):61–68
Pang R, Zheng D, Shi M, Zhang X (2019) Pollute first, control later? Exploring the economic threshold of effective environmental regulation in China's context. J Environ Manage 248:109275
Paulraj A, Jong PD (2011) The effect of ISO 14001 certification announcements on stock performance. Int J Oper Prod Manag 31(7):765–788
Picard D (2015) Making ecotourism sustainable: refocusing on economic viability. Lessons learnt from the "regional strategic action plan for coastal ecotourism development in the south Western Indian Ocean. J Sustainable Tour 23(6):819–837
Popp D, Hafner T, Johnstone N (2011) Environmental policy vs public pressure: innovation and diffusion of alternative bleaching technologies in the pulp industry. Res Policy 40(9):1253–1268
Porter ME, van der Linde C (1995) Toward a new conception of the environment-competitiveness relationship. J Econ Perspect 9(4):97–118
Potoski M, Prakash A (2005) Green clubs and voluntary governance: ISO 14001 and firms' regulatory compliance. Am J Polit Sci 49:235–248
Potoski MPA (2010) Covenants with weak swords: ISO 14001 and facilities' environmental performance. J Policy Anal Manag 4(24):745–769
Prakash A, Potoski M (2011) Voluntary environmental programs: a comparative perspective. J Policy Anal Manag 31(1):123–138
Provasnek AK, Sentic A, Schmid E (2017) Integrating eco-innovations and stakeholder engagement for sustainable development and a social license to operate. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 24(3):173–185
Qi G, Zeng S, Tam C, Yin H, Zou H (2013) Stakeholders' influences on corporate green innovation strategy: a case study of manufacturing firms in China. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 20(1):1–14
Rehfeld KM, Rennings K, Ziegler A (2007) Integrated product policy and environmental product innovations: an empirical analysis. Ecol Econ 61(1):91–100
Ren S, Li X, Yuan B, Li D, Chen X (2018) The effects of three types of environmental regulation on eco-efficiency: a cross-region analysis in China. J Clean Prod 173:245–255
Rennings K, Ziegler A, Ankele K, Hoffmann E (2006) The influence of different characteristics of the EU environmental management and auditing scheme on technical environmental innovations and economic performance. Ecol Econ 57(1):45–59
Sanni M (2018) Drivers of eco-innovation in the manufacturing sector of Nigeria. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 131:303–314
Sartori AE (2003) An estimator for some binary-outcome selection models without exclusion restrictions. Polit Anal 11(2):111–138
Sharma S (2001) Different strokes: regulatory styles and environmental strategy in the North-American oil and gas industry. Bus Strateg Environ 10:344–364
Swinton JR (1998) At what cost do we reduce pollution? Shadow prices of SO2 emissions. Energy J 19(4):63–83
Tambunlertchai K (2010) Voluntary environmental programs in developing countries: an examination of the ISO 14001 environmental management system in Thailand. Eepsea Res Rep 48(3):628–636
Turk AM (2009) ISO 14000 environmental management system in construction: an examination of its application in Turkey. Total Qual Manag Bus Excell 20(7):713–733
Tyler BB, Caner T (2016) New product introductions below aspirations, slack, and R&D alliances: a behavioral perspective. Strateg Manag J 37(5):896–910
Vera Ferrón Vílchez (2017) The dark side of ISO 14001: the symbolic environmental behavior. Eur Res Manag Bus Econ 23(1):33–39
Walker K (2012) The harm of symbolic actions and green-washing: corporate actions and communications on environmental performance and their financial implications. J Bus Ethics 109(2):227–242
Wan WP, Yiu DW (2009) From crisis to opportunity: environmental jolt, corporate acquisitions, and firm performance. Strateg Manag J 30(7):791–801
Wang H, Wheeler D (2005) Financial incentives and endogenous enforcement in China's pollution levy system. J Environ Econ Manag 49(1):174–196
Wang R, Wijen F, Heugens PPMA (2018) Government's green grip: Multifaceted state influence on corporate environmental actions in China. Strateg Manag J 39(2):403–428
Wang W, Zhang C (2018) Evaluation of relative technological innovation capability: Model and case study for China's coal mine. Resour Policy 58:144–149
Wu G (2017) Effects of socially responsible supplier development and sustainability-oriented innovation on sustainable development: empirical evidence from SMEs. Corp Soc Responsib Environ Manag 24(6):661–675
Wu W, Liu Y, Wu CH, Tsai SB (2020) An empirical study on government direct environmental regulation and heterogeneous innovation investment. J Clean Prod 254:120079
Xu J, Zhou M, Li H (2016) ARDL-based research on the nexus among FDI, environmental regulation, and energy consumption in Shanghai (China). Nat Hazards 84(1):551–564
Yuan B, Xiang Q (2018) Environmental regulation, industrial innovation and green development of Chinese manufacturing: based on an extended CDM model. J Clean Prod 176(3):898–908
Yang X, Weber A (2019) Who can improve the environment—Me or the powerful others? An integrative approach to locus of control and pro-environmental behavior in China. Resour Conserv Recycl 146:55–67
Zhang J, Kang L, Li H, Pablo B-P, Zuo J (2020) The impact of environmental regulations on urban green innovation efficiency: the case of Xi'an. Sustainable Cities and Society, 102123
Zhang D, Rong Z, Ji Q (2019) Green innovation and firm performance: evidence from listed companies in China. Resour Conserv Recycl 144:48–55
Zhang H, Zhu Z, Fan Y (2018) The impact of environmental regulation on the coordinated development of environment and economy in China. Nat Hazards 91(2):473–489
Zhao X, Zhao Y, Zeng S, Zhang S (2015) Corporate behavior and competitiveness: impact of environmental regulation on Chinese firms. J Clean Prod 86:311–322
Zhao X, Sun B (2016) The influence of Chinese environmental regulation on corporation innovation and competitiveness. J Clean Prod 112:1528–1536
Ziegler A, Nogareda JS (2009) Environmental management systems and technological environmental innovations: exploring the causal relationship. Res Policy 38(5):885–893
Zizzo DJ, Fleming P (2011) Can experimental measures of sensitivity to social pressure predict public good contribution? Econ Lett 111(3):239–242
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 71672194), the Major Project for National Natural Science Foundation of China “Theoretical and empirical research on the coordinated development of mineral resources exploitation and ecological environment protection under the new era (No. 71991483)”. The authors thank the Editors and referees for their helpful comments and suggestions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
They authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, D., Tang, F. & Zhang, L. Differential effects of voluntary environmental programs and mandatory regulations on corporate green innovation. Nat Hazards 103, 3437–3456 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04137-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04137-y