Adoption of environmental standards in Australia: focus on ISO 14001

This study aimed to explore the adoption of environmental standards in Australia, focusing on ISO 14001. The authors used purposive sampling to select a group of ISO 14001 certified and a group of ISO 14001 non-certified companies. Data were collected through a combination of website searches and content analysis. The study found that, overall, 92.9% of the ISO 14001 certified compared to 78.4% of the ISO 14001 non-certified companies promoted their environmental commitment through various methods. In addition, 33.4% of ISO 14001 non-certified companies (compared to 19.2% of certified companies) used their environmental engagement activities as a marketing tool. Second, 80.9% of ISO 14001 certified companies' and 26.7% of the non-certified companies' reports are easy to find and are clearly stated. The study concludes that Australian companies engage in similar environmental activities irrespective of whether they are ISO 14001 certified or not. Both management and research implications of the study's findings are presented.