The Economic Value of Corporate Eco-Efficiency

34 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2005

See all articles by Rob Bauer

Rob Bauer

Maastricht University; European Centre for Corporate Engagement (ECCE)

Nadja Guenster

University of Münster - Finance Center Muenster; University of California, Berkeley

Jeroen Derwall

Maastricht University; Maastricht University - Department of Finance; Utrecht University - School of Economics

Kees C. G. Koedijk

Tilburg University - Department of Finance

Date Written: August 2006

Abstract

This study adds new insights to the long-running corporate environmental-financial performance debate by focusing on the concept of eco-efficiency. Using a new database of eco-efficiency ratings, we analyze the relation between eco-efficiency and financial performance from 1997 to 2004. We report that eco-efficiency relates positively to operating performance and market value. Moreover, our results suggest that the market's valuation of environmental performance has been time variant, which may indicate that the market incorporates environmental information with a drift. Although environmental leaders initially did not sell at a premium relative to laggards, the valuation differential increased significantly over time. Our results have implications for company managers, who evidently do not have to overcome a tradeoff between eco-efficiency and financial performance, and for investors, who can exploit environmental information for investment decisions.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Eco-Efficiency, Shareholder value, Firm Value, Firm Operating Performance, Management Policies, Capital Markets

JEL Classification: G12, G14, G23, M14

Suggested Citation

Bauer, Rob and Guenster, Nadja and Derwall, Jeroen and Derwall, Jeroen and Koedijk, Kees G., The Economic Value of Corporate Eco-Efficiency (August 2006). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=675628 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.675628

Rob Bauer

Maastricht University ( email )

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht, 6200 MD
Netherlands
+31 43 3883871 (Phone)

European Centre for Corporate Engagement (ECCE) ( email )

Tongersestraat 53
Maastricht, 6211LM
Netherlands

Nadja Guenster (Contact Author)

University of Münster - Finance Center Muenster ( email )

Universitatsstr. 14-16
Muenster, 48143
Germany

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

310 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Jeroen Derwall

Maastricht University - Department of Finance ( email )

Maastricht, 6200 MD
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/finance/?page=member&id=175

Maastricht University ( email )

FEBA
Tongersestraat 53
Maastricht, Limburg 6200MD
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://www.jeroenderwall.nl

Utrecht University - School of Economics ( email )

Kriekenpitplein 21-22
Adam Smith Building
Utrecht, +31 30 253 7373 3584 EC
Netherlands

Kees G. Koedijk

Tilburg University - Department of Finance ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, 5000 LE
Netherlands
+31 13 4663048 (Phone)
+31 13 4662052 (Fax)

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