Voluntary Environmental Programmes for organisational learning: A Colombian experience

This article discusses voluntary environmental programmes (VEPs) as mechanisms that encourage better social and environmental performance in companies. The research aims to study why firms, in an emerging market context, join... [ view full abstract ]

This article discusses voluntary environmental programmes (VEPs) as mechanisms that encourage better social and environmental performance in companies. The research aims to study why firms, in an emerging market context, join VEPs and what they learn from their participation. The conceptual framework combines literature on organisational learning and voluntary programmes. The research method is quantitative, using empirical longitudinal data from 54 facilities that participated in the first 2 editions of an environmental disclosure programme in Colombia (RACES – Reconocimiento Ambiental CAR a Empresas Sostenibles). The main findings evidence a mismatch between firms’ ex ante motivations to join RACES and their ex post assessment of the benefits obtained from participating. Firms manifest their main driver to join RACES is reputational, however the most valued benefit from participating is capacity-building. In fact, facilities participating in RACES achieve diverse levels of organisational learning regardless of their economic sector. Larger firms tend to achieve higher levels of organisational learning than micro and small companies. The significant organisational learning achieved by RACES firms can also be influenced by the programme’s design features and by the fact that the facilities are early entrants in the first two editions of the programme. Academic contributions are made by integrating two bodies of literature to understand the organisational dynamics of companies participating in voluntary disclosure programmes. Recommendations to practitioners involve how to participate in VEPs and the recognition of VEPs as tools for capacity-building in environmental management. Possible implications offered for the design of public policy and voluntary mechanisms that complement command and control and generate organisational learning.