Management practices for environmental innovation and performance

This paper explores whether there are discernible differences in the enviro nmental innovation and performance of US chemical firms that can be explain ed by differences in the management practices and characteristics of the fi rms Using data from a national survey, firm visits, and phone interviews, t his research assesses the pervasiveness of the adoption of environmental ma nagement practices. It also assesses whether the adoption of these practice s is related to leadership in environmental innovation and performance. Thi s paper shows high levels of adoption of several practices for improving en vironmental innovation and performance. Firms are using practices such as t otal quality management, certification of suppliers, R&D, and the involveme nt of employees in innovation and training to integrate environmental manag ement with their production systems. In addition, firms with the highest ad option levels of environmental practices have substituted cleaner materials and changed their production processes for cleaner production, and they ar e leaders in reducing their generation of chemical waste.