Does eco‐innovation drive sales and technology investment? Focusing on eco‐label in Korea
研究韩国生态标签政策对企业销售和研发投资的影响，发现认证后两年内销售额提升，但认证后无额外研发投入，对政策制定者和产品策略师有参考价值。
Abstract As environmental problems worsen, eco‐innovation research has received increased attention. Korea is implementing an eco‐label policy to induce eco‐innovation. Eco‐labeling is a type of voluntary eco‐innovation. There are few empirical studies on the economic performance of eco‐labels in Korea and even fewer on the additional investment in the technology used for eco‐labeling. The present study quantitatively measured the effect of eco‐labels on additionally generated sales and research and development (R&D) investment through propensity score matching. The results revealed that eco‐labeling has a positive impact on sales over the following 2 years, which is the expiration date of certification; moreover, investment in R&D typically increased for 3 years before certification. Interestingly, no additional R&D investment was made after certification. This study is mainly a basis for the introduction of environmental certification to government policymakers or product strategists who have yet to implement a certification system.