The impact of the stringency of environmental policy on a firm's financial performance: an empirical study of European automobile manufacturers

Purpose The authors investigate the impact of the stringency of environmental policy on the financial performance of European automobile manufacturers. This paper contributes to the debate about the impact of environmental policy on a firm's competitive performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors use cross-country sector-level panel data for 71 firms from 18 European countries from 2010 to 2019. The authors apply a fixed-effect model and then, to address the endogeneity issues, the authors use the generalized method of moments (GMM) model. To further examine the validity of the results, the authors use a data-mining modeling approach as a robustness test. Findings By considering the dynamic impact of environmental policy and overcoming the endogeneity issues, the results show that the impact of the stringency of environmental policy on a firm's financial performance depends on the time horizon: the stringency of environmental policy has a short-term negative impact but a long-term positive impact on a firm's financial performance. Research limitations/implications The authors limited the study to the auto industry in Europe. In addition, future research could consider the impact of environmental policy on other financial performance indicators such as Return on Sales or Return on Equity. Also, it would be interesting to conduct a similar study in the United States or China using a firm-level data set to examine the robustness of the results. Practical implications Stringency of environmental policy improves a firm's financial performance in the long term. It is essential for firms and managers to consider the dynamic impacts of environmental policy on their financial performance and adopt a long-term perspective when evaluating the costs and benefits of complying with environmental regulations. The findings help management develop a long-term vision for investment and budget allocation. The results support management's view for strategic decision-making against the common budget argument and challenges for stockholders when it comes to adopting new technologies and planning long-term investment. Social implications It is crucial for firms to recognize the broader societal benefits that come with environmental policy. Firms must not only focus on their financial performance but also on their social responsibility to protect the environment and contribute to the greater good. Therefore, firms must take a long-term perspective and recognize the broader societal benefits of environmental policy in order to make informed decisions that support both their financial success and their social responsibility. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by helping to explain the inconsistent results of studies about the impact of environmental policy on a firm's competitiveness. Using a firm's financial performance as one of the main metrics for competitiveness, this study takes into account both endogeneity and contemporaneity in evaluating the impact of the stringency of environmental policy on a firm's financial performance.