Clean production and Employment Outcomes: An Eco-efficiency Firm Level Analysis in Kenya

Abstract

This study explores the correlation between environmental performance and employment outcomes in the manufacturing industry in Kenya. Specifically, the study seeks to achieve three primary goals: first, to examine the impact of eco-efficiency on various types of employment outcomes; second, to examine the effect of adopting an Environmental Management System (EMS) on employment outcomes; and lastly, to compare the impact of using either a commitment-based approach (proactive firms) or a compliance-based approach (reactive firms) on different types of employment outcomes. The study uses a 2-year panel data of Kenya's manufacturing firms from the Regional Programme Enterprise Development (RPED). Analysis is done using a pooled panel regression model that utilizes eco-efficiency scores as explanatory variables and employment outcomes as the dependent variable. The study findings indicate that by improving eco-efficiency in resource allocation, there is a potential gain in employment outcomes – though this gain varies depending on the type of employment outcome being considered. Moreover, proactive firms were found to perform better than reactive firms in employment outcomes, implying that adopting a commitment-based approach towards environmental management is more beneficial for manufacturing firms in terms of bolstering their employment outcomes.