ABSTRACT
What green business practices are undertaken by firms, and what factors encourage or discourage them from seizing new entrepreneurial opportunities by improving their environmental performance? his chapter looks at these questions using evidence from a recent large-scale survey of 21,000 firms conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Only a minority of all firms reported undertaking any environmental management activities, although there were pronounced differences based on a firm’s size. About 37% of small businesses undertook such work, compared to almost 80% of large corporations.
Those engaged in green-friendly business practices did so for a variety of reasons. Ethical considerations were the single largest motivator for firms all sizes, followed by 4 “c’s”: compliance with regulatory requirements; cost considerations; customers and reputational issues; and cautionary risk management.
The principal impediments to undertaking environmental improvements were cost considerations, insufficient time or staff resources, a lack of internal expertise, and regulatory barriers.
