The importance of environmental compliance - views in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

What drives companies to comply with environmental regulation, and what makes them go beyond mere compliance? The 'green business' literature has focused on large companies in answering these questions, but are the answers the same for the small and medium-sized companies (SMEs)? This paper discusses the results of a project to understand the responses of both management and non-management in such companies to the environment and environmental compliance. It suggests a more complex picture than is implied by the green literature and identifies some regulatory and information needs if SMEs are to be supported to take action.