This article traces the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the 1960s to the present. The authors show how public and political concerns for the environment raised the profile of CSR but how corporations’ control over their environmental disclosure and the lack of an agreed international reporting system for accounts can lead to what they describe as a “greenwashing” effect.
This paper surveys the evidence that environmental auditing systems (EMSs), and the standard setting bodies represented by ISO 14001 and EMAS, have failed to meet their objectives on two counts. First, the standards will not lead to sustainability and second, they will not be any more economically efficient than the command and control approach. We begin by offering an historical overview of environmental standards and argue that the original intentions to link the environmental management standards with sustainability was abandoned during discussions. The opposing viewpoints about ISO 14001 and EMAS as market driven standards are discussed and then the degree of market penetration of the standards is examined. The costs of implementing an EMS are discussed in the context of the Swiss experience, and the costs to SMEs of EMSs outlined. Practical difficulties associated with the standards are considered, and the question asked, "Do EMSs lead to environmental improvement?"
Economic instruments, informational devices, voluntary agreements and command and control regulation are just some of the techniques modern states use to protect the environment. The last of these -command and control -is sometimes dismissed as an increasingly obsolete strategy. It is often alleged that environmental offences are not 'real' crimes. They are merely 'quasi-criminal' regulatory offences. This article rejects this view. It argues that environmental crime is a serious and growing problem. It examines fly-tipping in the United Kingdom and claims that environmental offenders often have very strong financial incentives to break the law. It claims that fines are currently too low and that serious consideration should be given to the increased use of civil and administrative penalties.
Environmental management and auditing systems are increasingly important. They have significant roles to play in relation to environmental protection, workplace safety and public health. Businesses and non-commercial organisations adopt such systems for a variety of reasons. The extent to which they are used varies very considerably between developed countries. The effectiveness of national regulatory systems seems to be a major factor. In the United Kingdom environmental regulators have traditionally sought the voluntary compliance of businesses. This strategy is closely associated with the near absence of administrative penalties. It seems that a wide range of environmental administrative penalties will be introduced in the near future. This may greatly encourage more firms to introduce environmental management and auditing systems.
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