Voluntary environmental programs : a policy perspective

"Protecting the environment is often not the primary objective of businesses. As the world has become more environmentally aware, the necessity of environmental regulations becomes apparent. Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Policy Perspective examines different approaches to environmental protection in business. Typically, environmental improvements on the part of industry result from government regulations that command certain action from industry and then control how well it performs. An alternative approach is voluntary environmental agreements, where firms voluntarily commit to make certain environmental improvements individually, as part of an industry association, or under the guidance ofa government entity. For example, many new initiatives targeting climate change originate from companies that voluntarily commit to reduce their carbon output or "footprint."" "Voluntary Environmental Programs: A Policy Perspective provides an overview of current research on such programs, also known as VEPs, looking at issues such as what motivates firms to participate, how a VEP structure affects a company's efficiency and credibility with stakeholders, and who monitors the compliance of participants. This current work examines how a firm's environmental performance over time compares with VEP commitments, and also discusses the particular considerations for VEPs in developing countries, where information flows and regulatory oversight capacities differ from those of the United States."--BOOK JACKET