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Establishment of a Legal Foundation to Serve as Environmental Communication-type Support for Environmental Management Innovation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

  • Legal Theory & Practice Review
  • Abbr : LTPR
  • 2024, 12(1), pp.53-90
  • Publisher : The Korea Society for Legal Theory and Practice Inc.
  • Research Area : Social Science > Law
  • Received : February 8, 2024
  • Accepted : February 24, 2024
  • Published : February 29, 2024

Yongkeun Choi 1

1(주)블루엘엔씨

Accredited

ABSTRACT

According to the results of previous research, there are very few small and medium-sized enterprises in Korea that are independently working on environmental issues, independent of laws or ordinances. Considering that management resources are lacking compared to large corporations, it is possible to evaluate the efforts that only a very small percentage of small and medium-sized businesses are making. However, there are still many companies that say that there are no laws or regulations to follow and that they are not making any particular efforts. You need to be careful. It is difficult to imagine that environmental regulations will be relaxed in the future, and it is necessary to establish a posture to provide guidance and support to many small and medium-sized businesses so that they can respond. In addition, companies that say they have successfully responded independently remain at a lower level. It is difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to respond to environmental problems, and even once they do, it can be said that it is difficult to continue just because responding to environmental problems is important. Individual small and medium-sized businesses may have a smaller impact on the environment than large corporations. However, this does not mean that we do not have to deal with environmental issues. Although the results of each response may be small, they grow larger when accumulated. As awareness of environmental issues increases, small and medium-sized businesses, which account for 99% of the number of companies, need to take a proactive stance rather than just react to environmental issues. In order to increase the environmental protection atmosphere and the sense of social mission of small and medium-sized enterprises, it is important to raise the awareness of small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve their social mission through environmental improvement activities. New environmental regulations and goal setting that are added every year, and changes in procurement policies of large corporations have a significant impact on small and medium-sized business management. Regarding the heightened awareness of environmental protection, simply understanding it as a factor of management pressure or a heteronomous/receivable task can only clarify one aspect of environmental response in small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, small and medium-sized enterprises should focus on activities that actively improve the environment with a sense of social and regional contribution and responsibility. Only then is there a high possibility that there will be some effect that promotes positive effects on the various benefits that can be gained when engaging in environmental improvement activities with a sense of social and regional contribution or responsibility, or even on the company’s original sales trend. A company’s efforts to contribute to the local community and society through consideration of the environment can receive a positive response from the outside through proactive information dissemination and communication, and this is perceived as a source of pride for the company. In addition, consideration for the environment promotes improvement of the working environment and is likely to lead to improved morale in the workplace. And as the response to environmental issues, which was initially started as a semi-compulsory response, is on track, the corporate organization itself is accelerating and new motivation for expansion and development is increasing. In other words, the construction of a virtuous cycle model, which can also be called a self-proliferating circuit, appears. It is hoped that the research results of this paper will provide a clue to small and medium-sized enterprises' environmental management response.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.