Putting environmental technologies into the mainstream: Adoption of environmental technologies by medium-sized manufacturing firms in Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze how critical success factors (CSFs) can influence the adoption of environmental technologies by Brazilian manufacturing companies. In terms of conceptual background, this research fits within the context of environmental management in corporate organizations, focusing on the adoption of environmental technologies in the manufacturing context and their critical success factors. In terms of methodology, this research is based on a case study conducted on two medium-sized industrial companies located in Brazil (company "Alfa" and company "Beta"). The results show the emergence of a new CSF called employee empowerment, which derives from learning and benchmarking initiatives. Two CSFs can be highlighted as the most relevant and unanimously present in both company "Alpha" and company "Beta": support from senior management and employee empowerment through learning and benchmarking. In addition, communication and cultural organizational changes were relevant CSFs, especially for Beta. Furthermore, there is a potential synergistic relationship between CSFs and the maturity level of environmental management. For example, Beta was positioned on a more advanced environmental level as well as had greater intensity in terms of CSFs than Alpha. This work can be considered one of the first researches relating CSFs and the adoption of environmental technologies in medium-sized firms in Brazil.

Beyond Gathering the ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ of Green Technology for Improved Environmental Performance: an Empirical Examination of the Moderating Effects of Proactive Environmental Management and Business Strategies

“…Previous studies (e.g., [9,41,53]) suggest that proactive environmental management-through the adoption of EMAS or ISO 14001 regulations, for instance-helps the firm to identify and acquire specific green technologies, and shortens the time required to introduce them [33]. Proactive environmental management becomes a clear function in a firm's hierarchy, which generates positive impacts on other organisational areas and fosters the leadership and motivation needed to encourage the adoption of these technologies by the organisation's employees [78].…”

“…Considering the substantial demands of capital, time and expertise required to implement green technologies, top managers' environmental attitudes and strategic perspectives on the perceived benefits of these technologies would seem to be crucial [9,22,78]. In addition, Vickers [86] points out that green technology adoption should be receptive to a broader-than-usual set of knowledge from diverse sources.…”

Innovation ecosystems and measures aimed at environmental sustainability: Cidade Pedra Branca case study

“…The companies interviewed make extensive use of technology and each has taken notable measures, for example, the use of photovoltaic panels, obtaining the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate, making use of rainwater harvesting and others. Diana et al (2017), in a study conducted with Brazilian companies, demonstrated that critical success factors may influence the adoption of environmental technologies, and that there is a synergetic relation between critical success factors and the maturity of environmental management. Studies like this highlight how important it is for companies to adopt clean technologies in their processes and product innovations, which may result in numerous advantages, such as a reduction of resource consumption through the adoption of rainwater harvesting and recycling measures, LED lighting and the reuse of residues, among others.…”

Sustainable Supply Chain and Innovation: A Review of the Recent Literature

“…[134,160] BSC-Balanced Scorecard BSC is a strategy performance management tool-A semi-standard structured report, that can be used by managers to keep track of the execution of activities by the staff within their control and to monitor the consequences arising from these actions. [154,160] Benchmarking Benchmarking is comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and the best practices from other companies [15,132] Business Ethics Business ethics (or corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. [33] Competitive Theory Competitive theory suggests that states and businesses should pursue policies that create high-quality goods to sell at high prices in the market.…”