ABSTRACT
In academic literature, it is argued that the adoption of ISO 14001 certification is symbolic, aiming to improve an enterprise’s public image, without substantial favourable environmental impacts. However, previous research has neglected possible mediators through which ISO 14001 may have a positive indirect influence on environmental outcomes. Chapter 3 conjectures that ISO 14001 certification stimulates participation in external environmental networks, and that such networks generate favourable effects on the EP of their participants. This mediation channel seems particularly relevant for SMEs. They often lack knowledge of how to handle the increasingly complex issue of EP and can receive guidance about managing these processes from other parties in the network. Test results confirm that participation in networks – through cooperation in the supply chain and partnerships with training institutes or local organizations – mediates the impact of ISO 14001 certification on the environmental outcomes of SMEs. Based on these results, we conclude that promotion of ISO 14001 certification among SMEs is particularly useful if combined with participation in external networks that facilitate its implementation.
