Public Disclosure and Environmental Performancein Laguna de Bay Region, Philippines

Abstract

The growing interest in information disclosure as a means of curbing industrial pollution merits closer study especially for the case of developing nations who are characterized by weak monitoring and enforcement capacities. Disclosures are claimed to go beyond traditional regulation and market based instruments by activating public pressure for businesses to behave more sustainably. An analysis of the environmental performance rating and disclosure program in the Laguna de Bay region was undertaken to determine effectiveness of this strategy and how it worked. While findings indicated some trends towards improvement rather than decline or maintenance of ratings, the theory-based evaluation revealed a number of implementation inadequacies that hampered the program's potential to be effective. There was limited evidence of public pressure due to weak information flows and insufficient dissemination platforms. Furthermore, public pressure, other mechanisms such as enhanced regulatory threats on top of disclosure may be more effective to get businesses to behave more sustainably.