Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262

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Journal of Environmental Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman

Research article

Analysis of the Environmental Management System based on ISO

14001 on the American continent

bio de Oliveira Neves*, Eduardo G. Salgado, Luiz A. Beijo
Fa
Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The American continent is in broad economic and industrial development. Consequently, a more detailed
Received 15 July 2016 discussion of the impacts generated by such development is needed. Moreover, there is an increase in the
Received in revised form number of ISO 14001 certificates issued to this continent. Given the above, no studies were found that
12 May 2017
bridge the gap to identify the influence of different factors on ISO 14001 in the Americas. Thus, this
Accepted 15 May 2017
Available online 24 May 2017
article has as its main aim to check which economic, environmental and cultural factors have influence
on ISO 14001 Certification in the American Continent. The data were collected in the ISO Survey, World
Bank, United Nations Development Programme and International Energy Agency. Among the countries of
Keywords:
ISO 14001
that continent, thirteen were analyzed and only two did not show the economic factors as the influence
Multiple regression model factor in the multiple regression models fitted with Brazil and the United State. In these models, all
Economic presented environmental factors as influencing factors. Only in Brazil the index HDI presented as cultural
Environmental and cultural factors factor in multiple regression model fitted. The economic factors: Gross Domestic Product and exports of
Issuance of certificates goods and services and environmental: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and fossil fuel consumption were the most
American continent influential in ISO 14001 certification. Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia and the United States were countries
that had factors dependent on each other, featuring the environmental marketing. Briefly, this study
brings up several implications: to the academy, with the proposal of new concepts and guidance on the
factors that assist in ISO 14001 certification in the American Continent. Additionally, taking into account
the industry, the factors serve as efficiency parameters for the implementation of ISO 14001 standard,
and for the Government to improve through factors that do not fit in multiple regression models.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction conducted in order to understand its contribution to the environ-

A growing number of companies emit pollutants into the
environment and consequently stimulate the degradation process.
These companies, driven by continuous consumption, become
major environmental risks. As a result, they contribute for instance
to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer (Gomez and
Rodriguez, 2011). In this context, various models, methods and
tools are being developed to minimize the emission of different
types of pollutants, one of them is the Environmental Management
System Certification based on ISO 14001. This international stan-
dard is part of a series, a standard designed to meet these needs
through an efficient system of environmental management
(Nishitani, 2009; Gomez and Rodriguez, 2011).
Given the importance of this standard, several studies have been
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: fabiooneves@gmail.com (F.O. Neves).
ment and present the growth in the number of certificates around
the world. Among these studies, it is mentioned: Prakash and
Potoski (2013); Salgado and Neves (2014); Testa et al. (2014);
Zhang et al. (2014) and Nguyen and Hens (2013). These studies
report that ISO 14001 has the ability to manage the reduction of
emissions of various pollutants. For example, Salgado and Neves
(2014) found that ISO 14001 has a positive influence on the
~o Paulo. In addition, Prakash and
reduction of air pollutants in Sa
Potoski (2013) reported that certification reduced the amount of
SO2 in approximately 160 countries. Additionally, Zhang et al.
(2014) have shown that the implementation of certification
significantly decreased the amount of pollutants emitted by coating
industries. Likewise, Testa et al. (2014) found that, in Italy, the
implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS)
based on ISO 14001, has a clear positive impact on CO2 emissions in
the short and long term. In turn, Nguyen and Hens (2013) found a
reduction of environmental impacts, such as reduced SO2 and NO2

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.05.049
0301-4797/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
252 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
List of acronyms
AIC Akaike Information Criteria
ANOVA Analysis of variance
BB Biogas and Biofuels
CH4 Methane
CO2 Carbon Dioxide
E Electricity
EE (b) Error Estimation
EGS Export of Goods and Services
EMS Environmental Management System
EP Economic Performance
FFC Fossil Fuel Consumption
FI Foreign Investment
GDPexp Gross Domestic Product per export
GDPG Gross Domestic Product Growth
dust discharged during the manufacturing process and organiza-
tional improvement resulting from the ISO 14001 certification.
Not referring only to environmental issues but also to economic
and market issues, ISO 14001 is also influenced by these factors, as
in the environmental marketing (Nishitani, 2009; Gomez and
Rodriguez, 2011). Thus, it is clear that companies put interna-
tional regulations into practice as a way to succeed in the market
access (Nishitani, 2009). This is proven in the study by Vries et al.
(2012), who found an improvement in the environmental man-
agement and in the financial and market performance of the
companies studied, due to the ISO 14001 certification. Adding to
the factors mentioned before, there is a significant increase in the
diffusion of international management standards in a wide range of
economic activities. Among these international standards, in
particular, it is mentioned the Quality Management System based
on ISO 9001 (ISO, 2015). This is due to structural and cultural issues,
where most companies get certified first with ISO 9001 and then
with ISO 14001 (ISO, 2015).
Thus, it is necessary to verify which environmental, economic
and socio-cultural aspects influence the issuance of certificates,
because according to data from ISO Survey (2015), between 2001
and 2013, the standard increased from 36464 to 301647 in its
totalization. In addition, the continents present the following evo-
lution in the numbers of certificates issued for the same period:
Asian 14637-157761; European 17941-119107; American 3381-
18807; Middle East 194-3434 and African 311-2538. This evolution
is portrayed by the research of To and Lee (2014). In addition, the
same authors identify factors that imply in the issuance in several
world regions. However, no research found coverage of that growth
in the certifications issued in the American continent. One of the
alternatives to analyze certificate issuance and the aspects that
influence its issuance is through the modelling technique. Several
researchers conducted modelling studies for ISO 9001, among
them: Franceschini et al., 2004, 2010; Sampaio et al., 2011a,b; Llach
et al., 2011. It is worth mentioning that Salgado et al. (2015) verified
the influence of economic factors on ISO 9001 with focus on the
American continent. ISO 14001 follows the same implementation
pattern of ISO 9001, however there are no articles in the literature
that verify the influence of factors on the certifications issued of ISO
14001, as the article by Salgado et al. (2015). However, some re-
searches on the American continent are mentioned in the ISO
14001 standard: Oliveira et al. (2010) in a survey in Brazil bring the
main benefits and difficulties of implementing ISO 14001; Barla
(2007) found the influence of ISO 14001 on cellulose companies
GDPind Industrial Gross Domestic Product
GNI Gross National Income
HDI Human Development Index
HFC Hydrofluorocarbons
ICI Industrial Competitiveness Indicator
ISO International Organization for Standardization
IW Industrial Waste
NG Natural Gas
NH3 Ammonia
NO2 Nitrous Oxide
PD Petroleum and Derivatives
PDCA Plan, Do, Check and Act
PFC Perfluorocarbons
QMS Quality Management System
SF6 Hexa Sulfur Fluorocarbons
TR Total Reserves
in Quebec (Canada), resulting in a large reduction in waste arising
from that material; Newbold (2006) shows the environmental
dynamics of the Chilean mining industry and Franchetti (2011)
verifies the effectiveness of ISO 14001 in companies that emit
solid waste in the United States. For the other countries, no re-
searches were found in journals globally.
The diffusion of ISO 14001 in the American countries does not
follow the same dynamics of other places highlighted in other re-
searches (e.g. Boiral and Henri, 2012; Zeng and Eastin, 2012). Boiral
and Henri (2012) developed a mathematical model to demonstrate
the influence of certification on some environmental indicators and
verified that their effect is not significant. In addition to these
studies, Hikichi et al. (2016) verified the evolution of ISO 14001 in
the American continent by focusing on the sectors, and Hikichi et al.
(2017) verified the forecast of this standard in the American
continent in 2016 and 2017 considering time as the only factor.
Given the above, no studies were found that bridge the gap to
identify the influence of different factors on the ISO 14001 for this
continent, such as environmental, economic and socio-cultural
factors.
According to what it was mentioned before, this article proposes
to present through multiple regression models, the environmental,
economic and socio-cultural factors influencing the Environmental
Management System based on ISO 14001. Thus, some gaps related
to the ISO 14001 certification in the Americas must be clarified. The
questions that served as motivation for this study are:
a) What are the features of the evolution of ISO 14001 certifi-
cates issued?
b) Is it possible to identify clusters of countries according to
their ISO 14001 evolution patterns?
c) What economic, environmental and socio-cultural factors
influence the number of certifications issued?
d) What is the best fitted multiple regression models for each
cluster studied? and;
e) What are the effects of environmental, socio-cultural and
economic factors on the ISO 14001 standard?
General purposes: The analysis of the environmental manage-
ment system based on ISO 14001 in the Americas, in addition to the
socio-cultural, environmental and economic factors that influence
the issue of ISO 14001 certificates in this continent. The scope of
this study is quantitative. Through cluster analysis and multiple
regression models, it was possible to meet the overall objective and
 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
the specific objectives of this article.
This article is organized in five (5) sections: introduction, a brief
review of the literature, the research method used, the results and
discussions raised and the conclusions.
2. Literature review
The environmental management proposal of ISO 14001 was
developed by the international community in search of a model
that could be easily adopted by various organizations around the
world and that could be integrated into existing and established
management models (Potoski and Prakash, 2013). The ISO 14000
Series can offer organizations many economic benefits associated
with environmental benefits that are discussed in this study.
Among all the ISO 14000 series, the ISO 14001 is the only one
auditable, granting environmental quality certification to organi-
zations (Disterheft et al., 2012). The revision of the standard, which
started in 2011, was completed in September 2015, and the new
format features a structure that is intended to facilitate reading,
analysis and new interpretation and provide integration with other
management systems (ISO, 2015).
The constituent standards of management systems are orga-
nized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
an international organization based in Geneva. However, ISO 14001
is a single standard, applicable in all countries. It is in accordance
with environmental laws of the country that adopts it, because this
type of Environmental Management System (EMS) was written to
be applicable to all types and sizes of organizations. In addition, the
standard must be adjusted to the different geographical, cultural
and social conditions (Cary and Roberts, 2013).
Its first version was released in 1996, published and based on the
British Standard (BS) 7750. Seeking to improve the standard, up-
dates were made in 2004 and 2015. Also, in the 2015 update, ISO
14001 presents an expansion of policies, practices and organiza-
tional procedures, as well as technical and administrative re-
quirements in the company. Defining the purpose of the
environmental management system such as to provide organiza-
tions with a framework for the protection of the environment and
allow a response to changing environmental conditions in balance
with socio-economic needs. The pattern established by the stan-
dard, therefore, defines the requirements that allow an organiza-
tion to achieve the desired results for its environmental
management system (Pugliesi et al., 2016; ISO, 2015).
The process of successful implementation of the Environmental
Management System (EMS) depends on commitment from all
levels and functions of the organization, especially from senior
management. According to Cary and Roberts (2013), such a system
enables an organization to establish and evaluate the effectiveness
of procedures for establishing an environmental policy, the objec-
tives to be achieved, the compliance between them and to
demonstrate this compliance to others. However, the criticism
related to ISO 14001 refers mainly to the costs of its implementa-
tion, still, even if the company is not certified to ISO 9001 it will
have an organizational cultural change of their staff, making it
harder for the implementation of ISO 14001 (Cary and Roberts,
2013).
Psomas et al. (2011) state that with the implementation of ISO
14001 companies undergo mechanisms that allow them to improve
their environmental and business performance. In addition, they
assist in environmental performance, cost reduction, improvement
of public image, prevention and reduction of pollution and
expansion of markets. Besides that, Hwee Nga (2009) states that
ISO 14001 certification leads to increased competitive advantage
and increased financial performance in addition to improved
reputation and reduced business cost. In addition, other studies
253
propose an interpersonal, operational, client and financial benefits
relationship, which, in turn, can be divided into internal and
external. According to these studies, internal benefits include im-
provements in internal processes of the companies, which have
positive effects on operational and people issues, such as increased
productivity, improved efficiency and reduced waste and training
costs. External benefits relate to effects on clients and society in
general, e.g. customer satisfaction, better relationships with
stakeholders, improved image (Simon et al., 2012; Tarí et al., 2012;
Gavronski et al., 2008; Stevens et al., 2012). Another point that
should be mentioned is that for Vries et al. (2012) competitiveness
focusing on profit is closely linked to the time that environmental
certification is implemented in the company. This assertion is in
line with the proposal that a company, in the exercise of environ-
mental and social activities, make its products available at a higher
price (Heras-Saizarbitoria et al., 2011). Thus, this relation is
considered consistent so that the most profitable companies have
greater propensity to adopt international standards such as EMS (s)
based on ISO 14001. Moreover, there are other articles that show
the importance of ISO 14001 in relation to different sectors, such as
Chiarini (2013), which verifies that in the process of implementing
the environmental standard the service sector, when compared to
the manufacturing sector, has greater efficiency in the imple-
mentation of the standard throughout the chain development
strategy of ISO 14001. Besides that, Chiarini (2014) that verifies the
implementation of the standard in the process of improving the
production process in the motorcycle industry. In which he con-
cludes that the lean production process (incorporated with ISO
14001) helps mitigate the different stages of environmental
tracking throughout the productive improvement cycle.
Understanding the behavior of ISO 14001 adoptions by com-
panies is essential for all stakeholders in the certification process.
This helps researchers and managers to develop strategies for
adoption, some cases predict future problems and stimulate envi-
ronmental development, both internally and externally (Hikichi
et al., 2017). Besides, this type of knowledge is important for cer-
tification bodies, technical committees, and government accredi-
tation agencies to enable them to improve their market strategies,
as well as guide consultants from organizations interested in
obtaining certification, in addition to those already certified, face
the updating and maintenance of certification (Franceschini et al.,
2010; To and Lee, 2014; Hikichi et al., 2017). Therefore, several ar-
ticles relate certifications in general (e.g. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001)
with different mathematical modelling. Based on that, it is possible
to mention researches such as conducted by Salgado et al. (2015)
that fitted multiple regression models to identify which economic
factors influence the ISO 9001 certificates issued in the American
continent. In addition, Sampaio et al. (2011a,b) performed a mul-
tiple regression models to characterize the evolution of ISO 9001 in
different regions in the world and carried out a forecasting for the
total number in the world. Additionally, due to the similarity be-
tween the studies performed Casadesús et al. (2008) verified,
through logistic regression models, the saturation of the ISO 14001
standard through comparisons of logistic curves of ISO 9001.
Furthermore, Hikichi et al. (2017) forecast the behavior of ISO
14001 certification for the years 2016 and 2017 in the Americas.
Marimon et al. (2011) through a comparative analysis of several
sectors of activity shows a homogeneous growth behavior by the
various sectors. Besides, To and Lee (2014) investigated the diffu-
sion of ISO 14001 through a global overview. Thus, the lack of ev-
idence of researches taking into account which factors influence
the ISO 14001 in the American continent implies that it is necessary
to conduct a study comparing the certifications issued in this
continent and economical, environmental and socio-cultural
factors.
254 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
3. Materials and methods
The research method used in this article is the statistical
modelling that is based on a study of multiple regression models of
the Environmental Management System in the Americas, through
the ISO 14001 certification, that is, a comprehensive analysis of
economic and environmental phenomena in that continent in
relation to the evolution of the number of environmental certifi-
cations is presented.
According to Biembengut (2014), modelling is the process
involved in developing a model of any area of knowledge. It
emerges when there is a genuine doubt and/or circumstance
instigating the search for the best way to reach a solution, find
means to understand, troubleshoot, modify or even create or
improve something. That way, the model is expressed through
drawing or picture, design, layout, graphic, mathematical law, or
other forms (Biembengut, 2014).
3.1. Data collection
The implementation of the research took place in four stages.
In the first stage, the analysis of ISO 14001 was performed using
data from the ISO Survey platform in 2015, on data presented until
2013, in order to understand the evolution in the certificates issued
in the world.
In the second stage, the data collection was carried out in four
data platforms. The ISO Survey (ISO, 2014) was used to survey the
number of ISO 14001 certifications. It considered the number of ISO
14001 certificates for each country that had a number equal or
higher than 50 certifications in 2013, as it was found that below this
value, although there are many countries, certification does not
have a significant expression, which would undermine the statis-
tical analysis made. In addition, data was collected in the following
data platforms: World Bank (2014) - to survey the economic and
environmental variables; International Energy Agency (IEA, 2014) -
data of environmental variables were collected; United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP, 2014) e to survey the Human
Development Index reports (HDI). These factors are found in
Supplement 1.
In the third stage, with the number of ISO 14001 certifications
from 1999 to 2013 raised by country, a cluster analysis was carried
out aiming to identify countries with similar patterns in the evo-
lution of the number of certifications in this period. The American
Continent has many countries with similar economic, cultural and
developmental features. Based on that, groups of countries with
similar profiles (regarding factors related to ISO 14001) can be
formed. Finally, in the fourth stage, the adjustment of the regres-
sion models was made relating the amount of ISO 14001 and the
economic, environmental and socio-cultural factors, for each clus-
ter obtained. After obtaining the results, analyzes were performed
and then the final version was made.
3.2. Modelling
The countries studied were divided into groups, according to
common evolutionary characteristics of ISO 14001, in order to
identify countries that are similar. In order to create homogeneous
groups, cluster analysis was used (Manly, 2008). This analysis
consists in associating observed data through measures of prox-
imity, similarity or correlation. The basic idea is to use the values of
certain variables to schematize and merge the study objects into
groups of similar objects, however cluster with a single object can
occur. Consequently, the influence of economic, environmental and
socio-cultural factors in the number of 14001:2004 certifications
was verified for these clusters. For this purpose, multiple regression
models were then fitted for each cluster.
According to Draper and Smith (1998) a multiple regression
model expresses a linear relationship between a dependent vari-
able (y) and two or more independent variables (x),
Y ¼ bo þ b1 x1 þ b2 x2 þ … þ bm xm þ e; (1)
where, the parameter bo known as the intersection of the plane or
linear coefficient; the parameter bj, with j ¼ 1, 2 …, m, represents
the expected variation in the response Y per unit of unit variation in
xj, when all other independent variables xi (i sj) are held constant;
e is the random error with normal distribution with zero mean and
constant variance.
The estimation of the parameters of the multiple linear
regression models was performed using the least squares method.
To evaluate the significance of the multiple regression models the F
test of ANOVA was used. The value of this statistic results from the
ratio between the explained variance and the variance not
explained by the model (Mann, 2006). In order to test the statistical
significance of the estimated coefficients for each of the parame-
ters, the Student's t-test was used, and the hypothesis that the
estimated coefficient is equal to or different from zero was tested
(Mann, 2006; Hair-Júnior et al., 2010).
In the construction of multiple regression models it is necessary
to select the independent variables that will be part of the model. In
general, the problem is to select correctly a set of independent
variables that includes the variables considered important by the
researcher (Mann, 2006; Hair-Júnior et al., 2010). Additionally, the
factors that had a significant effect at the 10% level of significance
(Draper and Smith, 1998) were selected to compose the final
models.
After obtaining the model that best fits the data, it is necessary
to verify the fulfillment of the assumptions associated with a linear
regression model, in order to consider the valid developed model
(Draper and Smith, 1998).
3.2.1. Multicollinearity and residuals analysis
The Multicollinearity test was performed, through the correla-
tion matrix. Draper and Smith (1998) assert that at least one in-
dependent variable is linearly dependent on (e.g. is a linear
combination of) the other independent variable. In this case, it is
said to exist multicollinearity among the independent variables.
This fact invalidates the parameter estimation (bj). Hence, initially
the test was carried out among the environmental, socio-cultural
and economic factors, by selecting the factors that showed no sig-
nificant linear correlation with each other, with jrj < 0.5. This r
assumes values between 1 and þ1 (1 <r < 1). After fitting these
models, the multicollinearity test was performed once again, this
time with the sum of the environmental, socio-cultural and eco-
nomic factors that entered the previously fitted models, again with
anjrj < 0.5.
The factors: GDPG, IMD, ED, CH4, NO2, HFC, BB and MC (see
Supplement 1) did not enter any model. These covariables, from
this stage on, were not selected by the colinearity test adopted with
a jrj < 0.5.
Three types of residuals analysis were performed in this study:
a) Normality Test e it was verified through the Shapiro-Wilk test if
the residuals had normal distribution;
b) Homocedasticity test - it was verified through the Breusch
Pagan test if the residuals were homocedastic and
c) Dependence Test - through the Durbin Watson test to verify the
independence of the residuals.
Then, the fit of the models was performed. It was used, in
 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262 255

principle, three criteria to validate the models: the ANOVA test - Table 1
being accepted the significant models (p < 0.05), the highest Countries with the highest number of certifications.

adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj) and the lowest value of The 20 countries with the highest number of certificates in 2013
Akaike found in the different models studied (Draper and Smith, 1 China 104735
1998). All the statistical analyses were performed using the 2 Italy 24662
computing environment R, version 3.1.1 (R Core Team, 2014). 3 Japan 23723
4 United Kingdom 16879
5 Spain 16051
4. Results and discussions 6 Romania 8744
7 Germany 7983
The results and discussions of this article will be presented in 8 France 7940
9 United States 6071
this topic. First, the evolution of ISO 14001 certification, in a global
10 India 5872
context, will be checked and then the environmental, economic and 11 Czech republic 4792
social-cultural factors that influence the issue of ISO 14001 in the 12 Republic of Korea 4719
American continent. 13 Brazil 3695
14 Sweden 3690
15 Australia 3339
4.1. The evolution of ISO 14001: 2004 16 Thailand 3150
17 Switzerland 2993
To verify the influence aspects of the factors to be studied, there 18 Colombia 2786
19 Taiwan 2567
is a need to see the evolution of ISO 14001 for possible phenomena
20 Netherlands 2419
that occur in the timeline. As reported by Heras-Saizarbitoria
Source: Adapted from ISO (2015).
(2011), which portrays the environmental management system as
a practical tool for environmental initiatives that can generate
financial benefits for market competition or improvement of or- continents, in the period of 1999e2013. In 1999, the European
ganizations: reduced costs and increased revenue, as presupposed continent is in first place in numbers of certificates issued, followed
by this research. Thus, it is possible to observe in Fig. 1 an upward by Asia, America, Africa and the Middle East respectively. This fact
trend for the number of certifications between 1999 and 2013 (ISO, results from the large number of certificates issued by the following
2015), totalling 271,850 certifications in the period. countries: Sweden (851 certificates), Germany (962 certificates)
The three major contributors to this number of certifications in and the UK (1492 certificates). However, from 2004 to 2005, the
2013 were China with 104735, Italy with 24662 and Japan with year of updating the ISO 14001 certification, Asia has overtaken
23723 certifications. These countries accounted for approximately Europe in real numbers of certificates issued, particularly by the
50.76% of the number of certifications in that year. In addition, large number of certificates in the Republic of Korea (4955), China
Table 1 provides a presentation of the 20 countries that issued the (12683) and Japan (23466).
highest numbers of ISO 14001 certificates in 2013. It is observed Heras-Saizarbitoria (2011) found a trend of developments in the
that, of the 20 countries, only three are from the American conti- main countries that issued the ISO 14001 standard. However, other
nent: The United States placed ninth with 6071 certifications; authors have also found this tendency for the American continent,
Brazil, in thirteenth place with 3695 certificates and Colombia, in as can be seen in Figs. 2e5. For example, Massoud et al. (2010)
the eighteenth position with 2786 certificates issued. presented a tendency to Central America. Additionally Oliveira
Taking into account the evolutionary trend of certified com- and Pinheiro (2010) focused their studies in South America,
panies for the two Asian countries, China and Japan, it can be said mainly in Brazil, and finally Freitas and Lizuka (2012) studied Latin
that the other countries show a great potential for growth for or- America. It is important to note that in the period up to December
ganizations certified to the Environmental Management System. 2013, there were 18807 EMS certifications issued in the Americas
The two Asian countries represent, in 2013, 55.45% of the number of
environmental certifications among the ten countries with the
highest certification numbers. Moreover, this represents 79.69% of
ISO 14001 certificates in Asia.
Supplement 2 shows the distribution of certificates by

Fig. 2. Number of ISO 14001 certificates issued on the American Continent between
Fig. 1. Number of ISO 14001 certificates issued in the world between 1999 and 2013. 1999 and 2013 (ISO, 2015).
256 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
(ISO, 2015), representing approximately 6% of the total global cer-
tifications issued that year. Observing Fig. 2, it is found that, be-
tween 2006 and 2009, there was certain stability in the number of
certifications: 12028, 11527, 11608 and 11604, respectively.
Most of the 13 countries of the American continent studied,
until December 2014, follow the linear trend of the continent, as
can be seen in Figs. 3e5. These figures represent the evolution of
the number of ISO 14001 certificates issued for countries that had
more than 50 certifications on the American continent in 2013. It
can be stated that these countries do not show a pattern of growth
or stability regarding the certificates issued, always switching be-
tween growth and decline. The 13 countries studied were grouped
according to the number of ISO 14001 certificates issued in
Figs. 3e5 for better visualization and data analysis.
A drop in the number of certificates issued is observed in most of
the 13 countries studied (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa
Rica, US, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela), between the years
2006 and 2008. One hypothesis is that in 2004 there was an update
of the standard and these years was the period of adaptation to the
new guidelines. It can be seen in Figs. 3e5 that countries with
higher certification numbers are those that have a strong and stable
economy. This fact is also verified on the ISO 9001 standard for the
continent, where in 2000 a review of the standard was carried out
and in the following years, a decrease in the number of certificates
issued was observed (Salgado et al., 2015).
When verifying the aspects of ISO 14001 development and its
characterization, it is necessary to check the main benefits and
difficulties of its implementation, considering the organizational
and financial aspects and its relation with ISO 9001.
Fig. 3. Number of ISO 14001 certificates issued in Brazil, US, Colombia and Canada, in
the period between 1999 and 2013 (ISO, 2015).
Fig. 4. Number of ISO 14001 certificates issued in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru in
the period between 1999 and 2013 (ISO, 2015).
Fig. 5. Number of ISO 14001 certificates issued in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Uruguay
and Venezuela, in the period between 1999 and 2013 (ISO, 2015).
4.2. Analysis of the fitted multiple regression models
After analysing the evolution in the issue of ISO 14001 certifi-
cates, the cluster analysis was performed, and the most widely used
cluster formation criterion is which tends to minimize the sum of
the squares of the Euclidean distances between the objects and the
centroid of the respective groups, that is, the k-means algorithm.
Using this clustering method, the following clusters were obtained
based on the ISO 14001 values (Fig. 6). A line was drawn at 10%. It
was also taken into account for the cut, the economic situation of
the countries, for example, it would not be possible to model the
evolution of the number of certificates issued in Canada together
with Brazil due to their different economic issues. Therefore, a total
of six clusters were identified.
Later, it was checked which environmental, economic and socio-
cultural factors influence the certificates issued in the American
continent. First the factors were selected and then, the adjustment
of the multiple regression models was possible. The models were
fitted for each cluster shown above. The countries listed in each
cluster are shown in Table 2.
United State, Brazil and Canada are each in a separate cluster, as
they are, economically, the major countries in the Americas. In
addition, US (1st), Brazil (6th) and Canada (11th) are the largest
industrial parks in the continent (World Bank, 2015). Colombia is in
a single cluster due to the incentive policy for the implementation
of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 and additional certifications as of 1998.
This incentive policy that the Colombian government held in
partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank initiated a
certification campaign of these standards (Bejarano, 2002). It is
worth mentioning that the environment ministry's office of this
country was responsible for the verification of ISO 14001 certifi-
cation and the companies that were certified would have a reduced
number of visits from environmental regulatory agencies
(Bejarano, 2002).
Argentina, Chile and Mexico form Cluster 5. These countries
have emerging economies. Chile features a major growth in recent
years moving to the 43rd economic position. Mexico is a US
dependent market especially after the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA); still, Mexico is the 15th world economy.
Argentina, despite the last decade of economic crisis, is still one of
the major economies of the continent being in the 24th position
(World Bank, 2015). Finally, Cluster 6 formed by Ecuador, Costa
Rica, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, which are the countries
with the lowest GDP(s) for this research. Thus, it is clear the clus-
tering of these countries in a single block.
For each of the clusters described before, the multiple regression
models were fitted considering separately each group of economic,
 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262 257

Table 4
Fitted multiple regression models.

Clusters Variable b SE (b) p-value

Cluster 1 Interceptor 1,42x10þ04 4,05x10þ03 0,0079

EBS 7,61x10þ02 1,3 0,0004
PIB 119 7,51x1005 <0,0001
CO2 1,95x1003 6,52x1004 0,0175
Cluster 2 Interceptor 3,167x10þ03 937,1 0,0055
EBS 234, 40 65,76 0,0039
PIB 1,52x1003 4,86x1007 <0,0001
Cluster 3 Interceptor 2,90x10þ03 2,17x10þ03 0,2191
CO2 10,48 4,18 0,0364
EBS 41,47 16,71 0,038
Cluster 4 Interceptor 174,9 114,75 0,1534
ISO14001D-1 1,23 0,26 0,0004
ISO9001 0,09 0,09 0,0013
Cluster 5 Interceptor 290,8 108,8 0,0217
PIB 1,85x1003 2,30x1004 <0,0001
ISO14001D-1 0,38 0,09 0,0016
ISO14001D-2 0,23 0,09 0,0316
Cluster 6 Interceptor 4,9 5,15 0,36
PIB 3,83x1004 4,32x1005 <0,0001

Fig. 6. Grouping of countries where the multiple regression models will be fitted.

testing. Note that, the compliance with the assumptions inherent in

Table 2 the multiple regression analysis was confirmed for all fitted
Cluster analysis of the 13 countries where the multiple regression models will be
models: linear relation between the dependent variable and each of
fitted.
the independent variables; constant variance of regression errors;
Clusters Countries independence of the wastes; waste is normally distributed; and
Cluster 1 USA there is no strong multicollinearity among the independent
Cluster 2 Brazil variables.
Cluster 3 Canada
In clusters 1, 2 and 5 the intercepts have fitted to the models,
Cluster 4 Colombia
Cluster 5 Argentina, Chile e Mexico however, their sign was negative. This indicates that when the
Cluster 6 Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Uruguay fitted factors equal zero, there is no certification for these clusters.
In Clusters 3, 4 and 6 the p-value was greater than 0.05, so the
intercepts did not fit in the models.
environmental and socio-cultural factors presented in Supplement The factors that were not selected and fitted in the multiple
1. The factors that showed a significant effect at the 10% significance regression models are shown in Supplement 3. These factors were
level were selected to compose the final models (Draper and Smith, either rejected in the multicollinearity test or not selected in the
1998). The selected factors are presented in Table 3. fitted multiple regression models.

4.3. Discussion of the fitted multiple regression models

4.2.1. Models
After selecting the factors shown in Table 3, the final multiple
regression models were fitted. The sequence to get to the models,
from the selection of variables to their validation, is found in the
topic of section 3. Table 4 is intended to present the fitted multiple
regression models. For the adjustment of the models, the methods
of analysis and validation of models presented in section 3.2 were
followed. Thus, it was possible to identify which variables have
influence relation with the number of ISO 14001 certifications, the
estimated coefficients of the factors and their respective standard
error, SE (b) and the p-value of the t-student statistics.
Table 5 shows the results of the validation tests for the multiple
regression models, from the selection of variables by AIC, R2, R2adj
and the value of ANOVA (p-value) to the validation of the model
through waste, homoscedasticity, normality and dependency
In this section, reserved for discussion, an analysis of the mul-
tiple regression models by clusters is made. Moreover, this division
assists in verifying similarities and differences between regions
with regard to the certification in conjunction with the factors
studied.
4.3.1. Cluster 1
The best fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 1 (US) is:
ISO14001 ¼ 1:42x 10þ04  761:30EGS þ 1:19x 1003 GDP
þ 1:95CO2 (2)
According to the analysis of multiple regression model of Cluster
1, it is observed that it is influenced by three different explanatory

Table 3
Economic, environmental and cultural-social factors selected for the analysis of models.

Clusters Economics Environmental Social and Cultural

Cluster 1 PIB, EBS CF, CO2 e

Cluster 2 PIB, EBS CO2 ISO9001
Cluster 3 EBS CF, CO2 e
Cluster 4 PIB CO2 ISO9001, ISO14001(D-1), ISO14001(D-2)
Cluster 5 PIB CO2 ISO9001
Cluster 6 PIB, EBS CO2 e
258 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
Table 5
Validation tests of the multiple regression models.
SW (p-value) BP (p-value)
Cluster 1 0,0913 0,164
Cluster 2 0,56 0,812
Cluster 3 0,4845 0,7237
Cluster 4 0,442 0,4634
Cluster 5 0,5111 0,4658
Cluster 6 0,3619 0,534
variables: the export of goods and services (EGS), gross domestic
product (GDP) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Considering GDP and CO2
fixed when increasing the export of goods and services at $1 billion,
the number of ISO14001 certificates issued will decrease by
7.61  10þ 08. Still, considering CO2 and EGS fixed when increasing
the gross domestic product in $ 1 million, the number of certificates
issued will increase by 1.19. Considering the economic variables
EGS and GDP fixed when increasing the carbon dioxide in 1 kg, the
number of ISO 14001 certifications issued will increase by 1.95.
The socio-cultural factors do not affect the issue of ISO 14001
certificates for Cluster 1. According to Oliveira and Serra (2010)
there is a tendency for companies to get certified first with ISO
9001 to then get certified with ISO 14001. Because these are the
same standardization system, these companies acquire an organi-
zational culture for the most required standard in the market (ISO
9001) and, consequently, are more prepared to get the ISO 14001
certification. Yet these authors report that ISO 14001 take effect in
the medium and long term, both temporal factors ISO14001D-1 and
ISO14001D-2 do not affect the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates for
Cluster 1. Thus, this mathematical expression of Cluster 1 refutes, in
part, these authors. Additionally, regarding this kind of factors the
sectors that had more ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, According to ISO
Survey (2015), certifications issued in this country, were, respec-
tively the metal and electronics. In which they do not face the same
sectoral identity.
Analyzing the economic indicators, it is observed a need for ISO
14001 certification by demand of different markets. Several authors
state that environmental marketing (Prakash and Potoski, 2004;
Prakash and Potoski, 2013; Zobel, 2013) is a tool to accelerate the
export of products for markets that require some kind of environ-
mental certification such as ISO 14001. However, as observed in
equation (2), the export of goods and services decreases the num-
ber of ISO 14001 certificates issued, however, the service sector is
still in an embryonic stage when compared to the agricultural and
industrial sectors, thus, although some markets require certifica-
tion, it still cannot influence positively the issuance of ISO 14001 for
that country.
As for the gross domestic product, in which its measure aggre-
gates the services, agricultural and industrial sectors, the influence
occurs positively (ISO, 2015). Showing that, different from the EGS
factor alone, when added to the others, the influence on the norm
by the gross domestic product is given in a positive way, that is,
economic factors increase the issuance of certificates due to
external markets requirements.
These results on the influence of economic factors on the ISO
14001 standard in the American continent occur in a different way
from what was presented by Sampaio et al. (2009). This may have
happened because the authors analyzed another normalized sys-
tem and another continent. These authors portray that ISO 9001
certification may represent a tool for companies from less
competitive countries to achieve competitiveness with companies
located in more developed countries. It is important to stress that
ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 have similar focuses in relation to the
rationalization of the production process and are based on the
PDCA (Plan, Do, Check and Action) cycle (Curkovic and Sroufe, 2011;
DW (p-value) AIC R2 R 2
Adj Anova (P-value)
0,5876 150,808 0,9763 0,9674 <0,0001
0,5257 82,2615 0,8683 0,8464 <0,0001
0,3582 173,829 0,5531 0,4414 0,0399
0,6936 210,56 0,9208 0,9076 <0,0001
0,2091 85,1114 0,9168 0,8941 <0,0001
0,1735 132,413 0,781 0,7627 <0,0001
Grael and Oliveira, 2009). One of the possible relations is that ISO
14001 is newer than ISO 9001. In addition, the process of adhering
to environmental certification is still slower compared to ISO 9001
certification. Furthermore, as highlighted by Oliveira and Serra
(2010), the ISO 14001 standard when compared to the ISO 9001
standard has its effect in the long and medium term.
Still, regarding the carbon dioxide factor, according to data from
the sustainability report of Rio þ20 (2012) the US is the country
that most releases CO2 in the atmosphere. Therefore, as observed,
the increase of this factor increases the number of certifications;
one of the premises that can be accepted is that there is a major
pollutant emission level coming from the US industrial park
influencing companies to get the ISO 14001 certification as a way to
manage this problem.
Thus, the carbon dioxide has a positive influence on the issuance
of ISO 14001 in Cluster 1. The excess of this gas leads, concomi-
tantly, to an excess in the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates.
4.3.2. Cluster 2
The best fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 2 (Brazil)
is:
ISO14001 ¼ 3:167x 10þ03 þ 234:40EGS þ 1:52x 1003 GDP (3)
In the fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 2, it is found
that two economic factors influence the issuance of ISO 14001
certificates. Still, it is noted that the environmental and socio-
cultural factors do not influence the issuance of certificates for
the models. Thus, considering the GDP fixed when increasing the
exports of goods and services by 1 billion dollars, the number of ISO
14001 certificates for Cluster 2 will increase by 234.40. In addition,
considering EGS fixed when increasing the gross domestic product
by 1 million dollars, the number of ISO 14001 certificates in Cluster
2 will increase by 1.52. Hence, as in Cluster 1 the service sector for
Cluster 2 has a large representation. The sector of services related to
export for Cluster 2 always ranged between 9 and 14% of Brazil's
gross domestic product.
Additionally, as also shown in the Equation for Cluster 1 and by
the authors Prakash and Potoski (2013), one of the settings of
export is due to requirement of foreign markets, therefore the
number of certificates will grow simultaneously with the norm. As
observed in Fig. 7, the linear trend for Brazil is similar to the chart
shown above. Furthermore, when compared to the GDP it is also
true that there is a positive influence of this factor on the standard.
As well as the export of goods and services, the gross domestic
product when related to ISO 14001 is influenced by external and
internal markets, through environmental marketing, improving
corporate image, as described by Potoski and Prakash (2004);
Potoski and Prakash (2013) and Zobel (2013). Moreover, according
to ISO (2015) the major sectors that get certified with the standard
are related to the transport services sector and the industrial sector
for metal products.
According to data from the Rio þ20 (2012) report the largest
sector emitting atmospheric pollutants in Brazil is related to the
burning of trees, or the forestry industry. Thus, it is found that the
 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
Fig. 7. Export of good and services to cluster 2.
carbon dioxide factor does not influence the issuance of ISO 14001
certificates, for the emission of this pollutant is illegal according to
the Ministry of the Environment (2015). As a result, there is a dis-
tance between the specific influences of this pollutant with the
emission of carbon dioxide. In addition, ISO 14001 is new when
compared to ISO 9001, hence it has not yet reached the maturity to
be influenced by environmental and socio-cultural factors, refuting
as well as in Cluster 1 the authors Oliveira and Serra (2010). These
results corroborate with those presented by the authors Sampaio
et al. (2009) and Oliveira and Serra (2010) regarding the influence
of economic factors on the issuance of ISO 9001, and consequently,
ISO 14001.
4.3.3. Cluster 3
The multiple regression model fitted for Cluster 3 (Canada) is:
ISO14001 ¼ 414 þ 10:48CO2  41:47EGS
The multiple regression model fitted for Canada is influenced by
the CO2 and EGS factors. Thus, considering the EGS fixed when
increasing the carbon dioxide in kg, the number of ISO 14001 cer-
tificates issued will decrease by 10.48. And increasing the export of
goods and services of cluster 3 by 1 billion dollars, the number of
ISO 14001 certificates issued will decrease by 41.47 considering CO2
fixed.
Canada, according to the RIO þ20 (2012) report, is the eighth
country in carbon dioxide emissions. However, there is a major
initiative of the Canadian government to curb the emission of this
gas through sustainable alternatives, such as the construction of a
CO2 capture plant. Thus, one of the premises for this factor to in-
fluence the issuance of certificates, negatively, is the fact that it is a
country demanding environmental pollutants containment mea-
sures. Therefore, this specific factor ends up having a negative in-
fluence on the standard for not being a market requirement, but a
requirement of environmental culture that this country has on this
subject. Also, as the carbon dioxide factor, the export of goods and
services negatively influences the number of certificates issued.
This ratio, as mentioned before, is related to the environmental
culture of this country, where the certificates issued may be related
to the requirement of an external market for the sale of certain
products (Prakash and Potoski, 2013), however, with respect to
domestic markets the influence is not positive.
For the socio-cultural factors, as mentioned before for the US
and Brazil, and reported in this sub-topic for an environmental
culture. The issue of ISO 14001 certificates is still embryonic when
compared to ISO 9001. Thus, neither the time factor nor the quality
management system has influence on this model or on the previ-
ously reported models (Sampaio et al., 2009; Grael and Oliveira,
2009; Oliveira and Serra, 2010; Curkovic and Sroufe, 2011).
259
Moreover, it is important to note that the R2adj of the equation was
44.14%, as seen in Table 4, since the growth of ISO 14001 certificates
issued for Canada was virtually continuous, as shown in Fig. 3.
There was an increase of approximately 500 certificates between
the years 2003 and 2013. A rate considered steady for a country of
large territorial dimensions like Canada, and with a developed in-
dustrial park.
4.3.4. Cluster 4
The fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 4 (Colombia) is:
ISO14001 ¼ 0; 09ISO9001 þ 1:23ISO14001D1 (5)
In this equation, only the socio-cultural factors influence the
issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. Thus, considering ISO9001 fixed
when increasing ISO14001D-1 by 1, the number of ISO 14001 cer-
tificates issued will increase by 1.23. And considering the time
factor ISO14001D-1 fixed when increasing ISO9001 by 1 certificate
issued, the number of ISO 14001 certificates will increase by 0.09.
As highlighted by Bejarano (2002) in 1998, there was an effort
by the Colombian government along with the Inter-American
Development Bank to establish a certification policy with the ISO
9000 and 14000 standards. Especially for small and large sized
businesses. And as observed in Fig. 3 from the year 2002, there was
a high steady growth rate for the issuance of ISO 14001 in Colombia.
The influence of these two socio-cultural factors on the issuance
of ISO 14001 in Colombia has two premises. The first is that the
support policy for certificate issuance took effect and became a
cultural apparatus, because a previous year affects the issuance of
ISO 14001 certificates since the ISO14001D-1 factor influences the
issuance of ISO 14001 certificates.
As mentioned by Grael and Oliveira (2009), Oliveira and Serra
(2010), Curkovic and Sroufe (2011), ISO 9001 influences the issu-
(4) ance of ISO 14001 certificates, since both implementation models
are similar, the first choice is to implement ISO 9001 due to mar-
keting requirement and only then implement ISO 14001. A fact that
can also be seen in Fig. 3, which shows that ISO 14001 really began
to grow after 2003 while ISO 9001 began to grow in 1998 (ISO,
2015). With this, ISO 9001 influenced in the past decade and con-
tinues to influence the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates.
4.3.5. Cluster 5
The fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 5 (Argentina,
Chile and Mexico) is:
ISO14001 ¼ 290:80 þ 1:85x 1003 GDP þ 0:38ISO14001D1
þ 0:23ISO14001D2 (6)
The multiple regression model for Cluster 5 is a linear model.
Thus, considering the other factors fixed, by increasing one
ISO14001D-1 certificate the number of ISO 14001 certificates issued
will increase by 0.38, still, having ISO14001D-1 and GDP fixed when
increasing one ISO14001D-2 certificate, the number of certificates
issued will increase by 0.23. In addition, considering ISO14001D-1
and ISO14001D-2 fixed when increasing the gross domestic product
by 1 million dollars, the number of certificates issued for Cluster 5
will increase by 1.85.
It is verified the premise of the authors Sampaio et al. (2009)
and Oliveira and Serra (2010) for the set of 3 countries. Being
that, the first authors portray that less developed countries can use
the ISO 9001 standard as an industrial development tool, and as
highlighted by Grael and Oliveira (2009) and Curkovic and Sroufe
(2011) that portrays that ISO 9001 and 14001 are mirrors with re-
gard to the implementation process. Also, Oliveira and Serra (2010)
that used in their study to verify that temporality has an influence
260 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
on ISO 14001, since both factors that refer to this phenomenon have
been fitted.
Argentina, Chile and Mexico are countries with an intermediate
economy, compared to the first 3 models of the countries discussed
before. Therefore, they need to export to foreign markets. As a
result of this premise, the temporal question exert significant in-
fluence on the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates, for there is a need
as prerequisite for export and then time starts to exert influence to
leverage the sale of products to other countries.
Thus, there is a relation between temporality and the influence
of GDP on ISO 14001. This question is related to environmental
marketing, that is, to increase the export of certified products, as
already highlighted in clusters 1, 2 and 3 by the authors Prakash
and Potoski (2004) and Prakash and Potoski (2013). Thus, there is
a medium and long term tendency of higher consumption of
products certified by ISO 14001, mainly by foreign sales, which in
turn, leverages the GDP in a perceptible period of time as shown in
Cluster 5 equation.
Still, environmental factors do not influence the issuance of
certificates for these three countries. Only in the US and Canada
there is the influence of environmental factors on the issuance of
ISO 14001 certificates.
4.3.6. Cluster 6
The best fitted multiple regression model for Cluster 6 (Bolivia,
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) is:
ISO14001 ¼ 3:83x 1004 GDP
The only factor that fits to model 7 is the gross domestic product.
Thus, by increasing the gross domestic product by 3 million dollars,
the number of certificates issued in Cluster 6 will increase
approximately by one unit. As seen in Figs. 5 and 4 (Peru), it is found
that these countries have a small number of certifications. With the
maximum within the range of 200 certifications issued. Therefore,
certification in these countries is dependent on economic de-
velopments in the country. As highlighted in previous multiple
regression models relating to Clusters 1, 2, and 5, it is inherent to
this same factor to influence the issuance of ISO 14001, given the
fact that these are the weakest economies when compared to the
other countries studied.
Equation (7) represents, as already described in equations
(2)e(4) and (6), portrayed by Sampaio et al. (2009) and Oliveira and
Serra (2010) that countries with little economic infrastructure use
certification for their industrial economic development. Therefore,
the ISO 9001 and 14001 standards can be considered similar for the
implementation process. Thus, as highlighted by Oliveira and Serra
(2010), the ISO 14001 certification process has a medium and long
term speed.
Similarly, as identified by equations (2)e(4) and (6) some target
markets of these countries require certification by some kind of
environmental seal, and one of them is ISO 14001. Yet, as described
in the last paragraph of the preceding subsection, only in the US
and Canada environmental factors influence the issuance of ISO
14001 certificates. The United States is the primary emitter of car-
bon dioxide in the world, thus the carbon dioxide excess increases
simultaneously the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. For Canada,
the influence of the factor on the standard originates from a cultural
aspect, which is why the influence is negative on the issuance of ISO
14001 certificates.
5. Final considerations
The results show the characteristics of ISO 14001 certificates
issued, through multiple regression models, in addition to the
influence of environmental, economic and socio-cultural factors in
the issuance of these certificates in the thirteen (13) countries
studied on the American continent.
In the qualitative analysis, China, Italy, Japan, the UK and Spain
are the main countries in numbers of ISO 14001 certificates issued.
China and Japan account for about 50% of ISO 14001 issued in the
world. In addition, only three countries of the American continent
are among the first 20 countries in numbers of certificates issued in
2013, the US (9th), Brazil (13th) and Colombia (18th). Most of the
twenty best-ranked countries follow an increasing trend line.
Moreover, there was a steady growth in the issue of ISO 14001
certificates in the world. However, it is different from the American
continent that in the period of 2006e2009 experienced a decrease
in the certificates issued, caused specifically by Brazil and the
United State.
Reporting the quantitative analysis, the overall objective of this
study was achieved, since six (6) different multiple regression
models were performed using clusters, covering the three different
factors studied. The countries were grouped into six different
clusters specifically by their economic characteristics. Only in
Cluster 4 (Colombia), the implementation of ISO 14001 occurred
specifically due to government incentives. However, only Clusters 5
and 6 had more than one country; Cluster 5 composed by:
Argentina, Chile and Mexico; and Cluster 6: Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. For Clusters 1, 2, 3, the
countries were respectively: The US, Canada and Brazil.
During the test phase of the correlation matrix, some factors
(7) were excluded because they did not relate in any model. Among
these factors are: economic performance, IMD, GDP growth, GDP
per export, industrial GDP, methane, NH3, HFC, Coal and biogas and
bio fuels, oil and oil products, electricity and natural gas and HDI.
The multiple regression models of Clusters 5 and 6 were the only
ones that did not present the intercept. Within the results obtained,
five Clusters had fitted economic factors in their models. This
confirms the evidence of environmental marketing. In contrast,
Cluster 4 showed only socio-cultural factors fitted to their models.
For the US, Cluster 1, the CO2 excess ends up influencing the
issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. However, the variable EGS in-
fluences negatively, because the service sector is still embryonic
when compared to the US gross domestic product, the world's
leading economy. Additionally, for Brazil, Cluster 2, the EGS and
GDP factors influence the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. The
export of goods and services is an average of 11% of the total exports
of Brazil's GDP, yet, the GDP represents the 6th world economy.
Thus, these factors characterize the environmental marketing. The
carbon dioxide did not influence the issuance of ISO 14001 certif-
icates, since the largest sector emitting carbon dioxide in the at-
mosphere is the illegal wood burning, which has no relation to ISO
14001. Taking into account the Canada, Cluster 3, the EGS and CO2
factors influenced the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. The EGS
factor represents approximately 35% of the total gross domestic
product intended for export. Thus, external markets require certi-
fication with an environmental seal. CO2 influences negatively due
to the culture of the country in making an environmental
containment, mainly helped by government agencies. In addition,
for Colombia, Cluster 4, the ISO9001 and ISO14001D-1 factors influ-
ence the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. Colombia is in a single
cluster as well as the US, Canada and Brazil. This is due to a large
investment made by the Inter-American Development Bank in
conjunction with the federal government of that country, so that
small and medium-sized companies could get certified to ISO 9000
and ISO 14000 and their complementary certifications. In addition,
related to socio-cultural factors, the number of certificates issued in
1998 influenced the standard in 2003. This enabled the character-
ization of the influence of ISO 9001 and ISO14001D-1 on the model.
 F.O. Neves et al. / Journal of Environmental Management 199 (2017) 251e262
Moreover, for Cluster 5, represented by Argentina, Chile and
Mexico, they were grouped in the same cluster due to economic
characteristics. The GDP, ISO14001D-1 and ISO14001 D-2 factors
influenced the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. GDP features the
environmental marketing that these countries need by export and
the temporal factors by the medium and long-term that influence
the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates. Finally, for Cluster 6 (Bolivia,
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) in which they
are grouped mainly due to their economic characteristics. GDP was
the only factor to influence the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates.
Because these countries have a still small economy when compared
to the others studied, they need to export some products, and the
export market, often require an environmental seal such as ISO
14001. Thus, GDP influences the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates
for these countries.
As collaboration to the academy, this article brings new concepts
and guidelines on the analysis of the issuance of ISO 14001 certif-
icates in the American continent. For the industrial sector of this
continent, the factors can serve as guidelines on the efficiency or
not of the implementation of ISO 14001. Additionally, for managers
and future environmental managers, this research has relevance as
it determined which factors influence the implementation of ISO
14001 and which do not influence. In addition, this study becomes
relevant for certification bodies, technical committees and gov-
ernment agencies of the countries studied in order to provide in-
formation that will allow them to improve their market strategies.
Furthermore, it may contribute to the guidance of consultants from
accredited organizations and companies already certified in
maintaining and updating the certification. Finally, for the gov-
ernment sector, as an auxiliary parameter for the improvement of
factors that did not influence the issuance of ISO 14001 certificates.
It has been possible to identify gaps in the literature, both from
theoretical and practical perspectives. Based on that suggestions for
future research emerge from this article. Future researches is
necessary to verify through multiple logistic regression models, the
trend presented by the same factors of this study. Also, to seek
greater scope in multiple regression models covering the European,
Asian, African and Oceania continents, verifying which environ-
mental, economic and socio-cultural factors influence the issuance
of certificates by sectors. Furthermore, verify in a future time
whether these factors continue to influence the issue of ISO 14001
certificates, or if other factors have fitted to the multiple regression
models. In addition, analyze the impact of this review on the
models of multiple and logistic regression. As a last suggestion,
check the rebound effect on the standard through economic,
environmental and socio-cultural factors.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data related to this article can be found at http://
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.05.049.
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