The Effect of Environmental Performance on Financial Debt. European Evidence

Journal of Cleaner Production, 207, 379-390, January 2019

Posted: 8 Nov 2018

See all articles by Carmen Fernández-Cuesta

Carmen Fernández-Cuesta

Independent

Paula Castro

Universidad de León

Maria T. Tascón

Universidad de León

Francisco J. Castaño

Universidad de León; Universidad de León

Date Written: October 2018

Abstract

European firms are under pressure from regulatory authorities and other stakeholders to identify suitable strategic approaches to reducing carbon emissions, as having such strategies has become an increasingly important business issue. In this context, the literature on the link between financial performance and environmental performance has not obtained conclusive results and the role of debt has not been considered yet. This study analyzed the impact of firms’ reductions of carbon emissions on the financial leverage of all listed firms included in the main stock index of 16 European countries by using panel data regression analysis. The carbon risk and tangibility of capital expenditures were found to be the primary drivers of the use of financial debt. The results showed that the general positive impact of carbon emissions on financial debt that was induced by the role of emissions as an indicator of activity was mitigated by firms’ carbon environmental performance. Thus, a better carbon performance allowed industrial firms to obtain more long-term financial debt to finance their relevant environmental investments.

Keywords: Low-Carbon Economy, GHG Emissions, Financial Debt, European Public Firms

JEL Classification: G32, Q51, Q56, O16

Suggested Citation

Fernández-Cuesta, Carmen and Castro, Paula and Tascon, Maria Teresa and Castaño, Francisco Javier and Castaño, Francisco Javier, The Effect of Environmental Performance on Financial Debt. European Evidence (October 2018). Journal of Cleaner Production, 207, 379-390, January 2019, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3267214

Paula Castro (Contact Author)

Universidad de León ( email )

Leon, 24071
Spain

Maria Teresa Tascon

Universidad de León ( email )

Leon, 24071
Spain

Francisco Javier Castaño

Universidad de León ( email )

Av. Facultad 25
Campus de Vegazana
León, 24071
Spain

Universidad de León ( email )

Av. Facultad 25
Campus de Vegazana
León, 24071
Spain

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
306
PlumX Metrics