Green criminology in Malaysia’s palm oil industry: deforestation, ecological footprints, and corporate environmental responsibility

Abstract

This research employs the treadmill of production (ToP) and legitimacy theories to examine the relationship between deforestation, ecological footprints, and corporate environmental responsibility (CER) in the context of green criminology within the Malaysian palm oil industry. The study employs a regression analysis to assess the connection between deforestation (total palm oil–planted hectares) and ecological footprints data spanning 2008 to 2018. Additionally, content analysis investigates the CER practices of 40 palm oil companies listed on Bursa Malaysia between 2016 and 2019. Results indicate that an accelerated treadmill correlates with increased environmental harm, with Malaysian palm oil plantation deforestation contributing to 43.7% of the nation’s ecological footprints. The CER analysis suggests that the industry prioritizes conservation practices, potentially as a strategic response to mitigate environmental legitimacy risks associated with deforestation. This research contributes novel insights into CER behaviour within the framework of green criminology.