Finding the perfect fit. A study on the effectiveness of voluntary environmental programs with a case study on the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile

Abstract

This study aimed to understand how Voluntary Environmental Programs (VEPs) can be enhanced in their level of effectiveness to create an impact on the ground. VEPs are used to foster environmental action within the field of (trans)national environmental governance. Nevertheless, scholars are uncertain which design type of VEP can effectively change firms’ behavior towards the aimed direction. One challenge is to attract participants to the agreement, called uptake, (and have them commit to and comply with the rules), another is to set the strict commitments, called stringency, to a level that would guarantee the VEPs effectiveness. Previous studies have indicated an inherent tension between stringency and the uptake of a program leading to an ineffective voluntary program. Therefore, it is essential to analyze how this trade-off, with suitable strategies, can be resolved to create a voluntary program as effective as aimed to be. The study’s scope was on assessing the first two levels of effectiveness: output and outcome.

This study's methodological approach was a case study on a VEP: the Dutch Agreement of Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT). This case study was chosen due to the existing trade-off between stringency and uptake. This study had the aim to develop recommendations on how the AGT can be improved in its effectiveness from 2021 onwards. A theoretical framework was developed with indicators that influence the level of effectiveness. Desk research and nineteen interviews were conducted with participants in-and outside the scope of the AGT. The interviews were coded in line with the Grounded Theory Approach (GTA). The results have shown that the level of stringency was scaled as lenient – neutral, and the uptake of the program was scaled as very inclusive, which showed a conflicting result with the actual uptake. Strategies to implement a tier-system of sustainability, intensifying the AGT program, and creating an additional governance structure with the Dutch Government as an orchestrator, were considered the most effective solutions to solve the trade-off between stringency and uptake. Future research is required to expand the theoretical framework to deepen the second level outcome (especially the effect per participant) and examine the third level impact. When the theoretical framework is expanded, it will increase the full understanding of which variables are influencing the level of effectiveness of voluntary programs.