What drives firms’ decisions to spend on environmental protection?

The ESRI have produced a working paper examining factors underlying firms’ capital and current expenditures on environmental protection.

Using micro data from Ireland’s industry sector over the period 2008-2016, they analyse a range of such factors including firm haracteristics, environmental regulations, competition and spillover effects from firms with investment and spending on environmental protection within the same industry or within the same region.

The results indicate that larger firms, importers, and firms which are part of an enterprise group are more likely to invest in equipment for pollution control and in equipment linked to cleaner technologies. Industry competition incentivises firms to invest in equipment for cleaner technologies.

Further, their results indicate that the propensity of firms to invest in equipment for pollution control and to spend on environmental protection are higher for more energy intensive firms.

Finally, their results uncover significant positive spillover effects from firms with capital expenditures as well as from firms with current expenditures on environmental protection in the same industry or the same region on firms’ decisions to invest and spend on environmental protection.

Source –ESRI

Verde Environmental Consultants provide expert advisory, monitoring and assessment services from our offices in Wicklow, Cork, Mayo and Galway in soil, air, water, waste, energy, noise and ecology disciplines

Our multidisciplinary approach and in-house expertise allows us to provide a breadth of relevant environmental consultancy and contracting services to both the private and public sectors. Our focus is on the delivery of relevant and quality advice to our clients that addresses their issues quickly in clear and plain language.

To ensure our results make business sense, our approach is to first understand our clients needs and then to provide practical and innovative advice that ensures environmental quality and makes a valued contribution to their business performance.