Environmental management legislation and competitiveness: case studies from Brazil, Germany, Italy and the UK

Globally, consumption and production levels have risen markedly in recent decades. These rises have led to costs/externalities (e.g., pollution and production of waste). Environmental regulations are employed as a means of controlling and managing these externalities. Using Germany, Italy, Brazil and the UK as case study countries, this study sought to examine the manner in which environmental regulations impacted upon business competitiveness within selected sectors. The results suggest that environmental regulations did impact upon competitiveness (as measured by levels of innovation). However, this influence varied within and between countries, and sectors, with for example, a higher impact in Germany, and within the manufacturing and construction sectors. The key implications for these findings are also discussed.