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Abstract: To prevent adverse effects from climate change, it is vital to involve the private sector in mitigation efforts. So far, however, research has insufficiently addressed the determinants of corporate action in specific industries. Our paper aims at bridging this gap by empirically analyzing the global automotive industry's response to climate change mitigation issues. We use publicly available information from 105 sector leaders to investigate the role of external institutional pressures and intra‐organizational governance in the extent of corporate action. Based on a multiple regression analysis, we find that organizational involvement and the integration of climate change into risk management exhibit the greatest influence. Moreover, companies with business activities that necessitate interaction with the end consumer tend to be most active. Our analysis furthermore indicates that neither the stringency of a firm's home country's climate policy regime nor the degree of internationalization is associated with a higher implementation level of response strategies. © 2017 The Authors. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Companies are increasingly challenged for action on climate change. Most studies on business responses to climate change focus on cross‐sector comparisons and neglect intra‐sectoral dynamics. This paper investigates the influence of supply chain position and regional affiliation on climate change strategies within a particular industry. We present a generic framework integrating both market and non‐market responses to climate change. We argue that climate change strategies comprise several corporate activities that have different foci of interaction and four main objectives: governance, innovation, compensation and legitimation. Using a global sample of 116 automotive companies, we conduct a cluster analysis and identify four types of strategy. We find that the sophistication of automobile manufacturers' strategies significantly differs from that of suppliers. Regional affiliation and firm size prove to be determinants of the strategy type pursued. We cannot find evidence for a relationship between financial performance and a company's strategic approach to climate change. © 2017 The Authors. Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early phases of product development, it is important to both reduce costs and improve a product's sustainability performance. Insufficient data are available on the costs and sustainability aspects of innovative concepts such as automotive lightweight design, which require the application of new materials and processes. The lack of information and high degree of uncertainty hinder the use of traditional sustainability evaluation tools such as Life Cycle Assessment during these early phases. Tools used in eco-design and sustainable design have disadvantages since they either focus on only one sustainability dimension, require quantitative data about materials and processes, or cannot be applied by designers and engineers. To overcome these disadvantages, a new checklist for Sustainable Product Development (CSPD) was developed in close collaboration with practitioners. The CSPD allows the qualitative assessment of environmental, economic and social aspects during the early phases of product development while considering a full life cycle perspective. It provides the methodological foundation for an iterative process, in which improvement tasks related to sustainability are defined that must be completed by the engineers. The applicability of the CSPD with reference to a wide range of technologies was evaluated and tested in a case study that included nine automotive lightweight technologies. This case study revealed that the developed tool helped designers and engineers assess and improve the sustainability performance of a technology and that it stimulated processes of collaboration and information exchange within and between organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In automotive and electronics supply chains, sustainability assessment is gaining increasing importance. More stringent regulations and growing customer pressure are driving the change towards more environmentally, socially and economically responsible supply chains. Since this implies a rising use of resources for data collection, monitoring, exchange and assessment, the objective of this paper is to facilitate supply chain sustainability assessment. The present paper first provides a tailored set of 69 supply chain sustainability indicators for the European automotive and electronics industries. These were derived on the basis of a systematic literature review, together with 13 semi-structured interviews and five focus group workshops, all of which involved sustainability and industry experts. Second, the paper provides a case example of software-based supply chain sustainability data exchange. The extent to which sustainability information is currently exchanged in the two industries is also analyzed. The set of indicators is scientifically relevant since it considers all three dimensions of sustainability and is intended to allow for supply chain-wide sustainability assessment in two specific industries. It is also of high practical relevance since it was developed with and validated by industry experts, and also since it considers industrial and technical requirements for supply chain sustainability assessment in order to increase the efficiency of the work processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is agreed that corporate sustainability strategy formulation is relevant for companies, to date only little attention has been paid to its actual implementation, i.e. to the concrete steps needed to translate sustainability strategy into practice. The research presented in this article is based on the existing literature in the field and on an in-depth analysis of a case in the automotive industry. The case study entailed participant-observation over a period of three months, and is supported by company data, qualitative expert interviews and workshop data. The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors involved in the successful implementation of corporate sustainability strategy. The success factors identified provide new insights concerning how the gap between the formulation and the implementation of corporate sustainability strategy may be bridged. Particular focus is placed on identifying the conditions needed in successful corporate sustainability strategy implementation, i.e. on factors relating to organizational structure, organizational culture, leadership, management control, employee motivation and qualifications, and communication. In addition, the study was also able to identify factors which are largely ignored in the relevant literature, such as employee motivation and communication. Evidence from an in-depth analysis of a single case in the automotive industry provides the basis for the research. It is hoped that the insights gained will be helpful to other companies and scholars engaged in analyzing the crucial transition from strategy formulation to strategy implementation and to all those seeking to cope with the challenges arising in the research field of corporate sustainability strategy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceptance of corporate sustainability implementation and sustainability reporting has continued to grow steadily in recent years. This is particularly true for companies in the automotive industry. Increasing regulatory demands, for example, with respect to CO2 emissions, are one clear reason for this. In this paper the sustainability reports of 14 manufacturers in the European automotive industry are analyzed with respect to issues of corporate sustainability implementation. This entails content analysis of sustainability reports from 2012, and of their earliest available equivalents. The analysis of corporate sustainability implementation in the selected companies is provided with the purpose to help understand how manufacturers in the European automotive industry implement corporate sustainability. Results confirm the importance of specific policy instruments in implementation, such as the use of environmental management systems and standards, and of related changes in organizational structures. The latter include suitable adaptation of corporate strategy, philosophy, objectives, measures, and activities, as well as the need to integrate stakeholders in the adjustment process. The analysis shows that while companies are well-aware of the significance of sustainability for their industry, some tend to be leaders, and others laggards, as far as implementation is concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of growing complexity of supply chains and pressure from multiple stakeholders for more transparency, there is a trend in research and practice towards building methods for supply chain sustainability assessment. This trend represents a core issue in research but rarely takes a multiple stakeholder perspective. Based on a literature review, a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of sustainability reports, a survey, and interviews with various stakeholders, this paper suggests a set of sustainability aspects to exchange data to support the sustainability assessment of supply chains. The focus is set on the inter-related automotive and electronics industries which are representative sectors of this growing need for transparency and assessment and reflect the complexity of the issue. The outcome and main differences between companies and other stakeholders (e.g., Non-Governmental Organisations, researchers) is highlighted as well as the overall result of this work: a suggestion for 36 sustainability aspects to exchange sustainability data along the supply chain. By integrating empirical information, this paper emphasises the need to define precisely which sustainability aspects can be found in the different dimensions of sustainability and shows the importance of the governance dimension in sustainability research. It also aims at encouraging a standardised data exchange by taking into account company demographics and data exchange accessibility to allow comparability between companies and supply chains and support decision-makers. The results are meant for companies to improve and monitor the sustainability performance of their organisation and supply chain, improve communication through corporate sustainability reports, and provide more transparent information to customers and final consumers. The results also aim at supporting researchers in the field in developing indicators for a supply chain-wide sustainability assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a novel perspective on sustainability research by exploring how two pro-environmental characteristics of consumers – respect for nature and environmental self-assets – influence their brand experiences. The study uses survey data collected on a car brand that incorporated eco-friendly advances. The results show that respect for nature has an impact on how respondents experience the eco-friendliness of brands and that eco-friendly brand experiences in turn influence general brand experiences. The findings also suggest that the effects of the two pro-environmental characteristics depend on the education level of the consumer: eco-friendly brand experiences of highly educated consumers are affected by their respect for nature, whereas those of consumers with lower education levels are affected by environmental self-assets. • Eco-friendly brand experiences influence consumers' general brand experiences. • Pro-environmental characteristics of consumers influence their car brand experiences. • Respect for nature impacts how consumers experience the eco-friendliness of brands. • Impact of pro-environmental characteristics differ depending on education level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]