Investigating the Relationship between Company Competitiveness and Environmental Regulation in European Food Processing: Results of a Matched Firm Comparison

Abstract

The authors use a method of matched-plant comparisons between food processing firms in Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland to investigate the relationship between environmental regulation and company competitiveness across the European Union. Comparative competitiveness was indicated by measures of value-added per employee, physical productivity, export share, and employment growth. The cost of water supply (public or well), effluent treatment (in-plant treatment and/or sewerage system), and disposal of sludge and packaging were also compared. Total environmental costs in Germany, Italy, and Ireland were small: usually less than 1% of turnover. Compared with the Irish firms, German companies had relatively high environmental costs as well as productivity levels. There was, however, a lack of a clear relationship between company competitiveness and the size of regulation costs: in Ireland and Italy environmental costs were similar but German firms had much higher productivity; compared with German counterparts, Italian firms had lower environmental costs but higher productivity.

Enhancing our understanding of the role of environmental policy in environmental innovation: adoption explained by the accumulation of policy instruments and agent-based factors

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The competitiveness situation of the EU meat processing and beverage manufacturing sectors

“…Hoste & Backus, 2003;Hitchens, Birnie & McGowan, 1998;Kennedy, Harrison & Piedra, 1998). More generally, the domestic resource cost approach for assessing sector competitiveness may also fall into this category.…”

Green Branding and Eco-innovations for Evolving a Sustainable Green Marketing Strategy

“…The last 10 to 15 years have seen a marked shift from a pure regulatory approach towards the slow rise of greening as a corporate issue. The greening of markets is now becoming apparent, particularly within the last couple of years, as a consequence of the topical climate debate (Andersen, 2004;Ecotec, 2002;European Commission, 2006;Frondel, Horback & Rennings, 2004;Hitchens, Birnie, McGowan, Triebswetter & Cottica, 1998, Hitchens, Trainor, Clausen, Thankappan & De Marchi, 2002Malaman, 1996;Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2008a, 2008bRand Europe, 2000a, 2000b. As the environmental agenda has changed, so has the notion of eco-innovation.…”