Environmental management certification and environmental performance: Greening or greenwashing?

Abstract

This article analyzes the contribution of certifiable environmental management standards—such as ISO 14001 and the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)—to corporate environmental performance. Based on a content analysis of 414 third-party-verified environmental statements from EMAS-registered Spanish organizations, which included information for around 6,700 detailed indicators, a weak improvement in environmental performance was found. Less than half of the analyzed indicators—namely, 48.27%—revealed a net improvement. Similarly, analysis of the justifications of the registered companies for the lack of improvement points to a rather symbolical adoption of the certification, intended to do only the bare minimum. These findings call into question the prevailing opinion about the positive impact of voluntary certifiable environmental management standards on environmental greening. Implications for managers and public policy makers, as well as for other stakeholders, are discussed.