The Judgment of Garbage: End-of-Pipe Treatment and Waste Reduction

Abstract

M any scholars have argued that systems for treating waste impede organizations from preventing waste in the first place. They theorize that end-of-pipe (EOP) treatment diminishes the incentive to avoid creating waste in the production process and obscures the information necessary to devise prevention techniques. This prediction has been widely accepted, influencing both policy and practice, despite both a lack of supporting empirical evidence and the existence of a counterprediction. In this paper, we use data describing U.S. manufacturing establishments from 1991 to 2005 to test the connection between EOP treatment and waste reduction. Our findings show that EOP treatment is associated with an initial jump in reported waste, followed by ongoing reduction. We analyze these results by exploring mechanisms that may drive this relationship. For practitioners, our paper provides critical guidance about strategies for reducing waste. For scholars of environmental management, our paper provides new insight on when facilities accomplish "source reduction" of process waste. For broader management theories of operations and organizational design, our analysis provides new insight on boundary conditions for extrapolation from existing theories. Finally, our paper provides new guidance for the formulation of effective regulatory policy.

Offshoring Pollution while Offshoring Production?

“…Our main dependent variable is based on emissions, which roughly equate the amount of pollution produced minus the amount of pollution treated and recycled. Therefore, rather than offshoring, plants can reduce emissions through pollution prevention and/or waste treatment (Dutt & King, ; A. A.…”

Turning green subsidies into sustainability: How green process innovation improves firms' green image

“…Indeed, it is critical to understand how to maximize the advantages of cleaner production technology and end‐of‐pipe technology. The adoption of end‐of‐pipe technology helps managers identify problems by collecting, measuring, and analyzing data about their processes (Dutt & King, ), which can then be improved upon by applying cleaner production innovations. In addition, given that a firm's green process innovation practices can be stimulated by government support (Lin et al, ; Yu et al, ), companies should try to meet their government's policies in order to obtain more external resources and support, for instance, by investigating requirements to obtain green subsidies.…”

“…Given that a firm's green image reflects its environmental commitment to the public (Chen, 2010), firms should strive to improve their green image in order to meet the needs of different stakeholders (Hojnik & Ruzzier, 2016). In this respect, green process innovation plays an important role in having a firm achieve a better green image (Chen, 2008 and analyzing data about their processes (Dutt & King, 2014), which can then be improved upon by applying cleaner production innovations. In addition, given that a firm's green process innovation practices can be stimulated by government support (Lin et al, 2015;Yu et al, 2016), companies should try to meet their government's policies in order to obtain more external resources and support, for instance, by investigating requirements to obtain green subsidies.…”

Offshoring Production While Offshoring Pollution?

“…First, the plants can adopt pollution prevention practices such as operational and procedural as well as material and equipment changes (Harrington, Deltas, & Khanna, 2014). Pollution prevention reduces the total produced waste and lowers pollution levels and treatment costs (Berchicci et al, 2012;Dutt & King, 2014;King & Lenox, 2002). In addition, plants can invest in pollution abatement and treatment (Shadbegian & Becker, 2005).…”