PEFC is the world's largest forest certification system, with more than 295 million hectares of certified forests and over 28,000 companies currently involved in the Chain of Custody (CoC). In this context, this research investigated the governance mechanisms influencing the decisions of Italian forest-based industry operators to adopt such certification and the results of its adoption. A questionnaire was administered to 1326 PEFC-certified Italian companies of forest-based sector between November 2022 and March 2023, and 236 valid responses were collected. The main findings highlighted that internal values and beliefs within the company primarily influence the decision to adopt the scheme through the ‘Moral’ mechanism. Key motivational levers included the environmental awareness of employees, the improvement of environmental quality, and the way the company communicates its brand and products on the market. There was also good alignment between pre-adoption expectations and outcomes achieved after CoC certification, demonstrating the effectiveness of PEFC's role as a ‘Signalling’ and ‘Moral’ mechanism. The adoption of the CoC certification scheme significantly enhanced corporate image and highlighted the need to train employees in the management of Environmental Management Systems. The study makes a significant contribution from a theoretical point of view, enriching the literature in this line of research, but also from a practical point of view by providing useful information for practitioners wishing to strengthen their certification system or for companies wishing to adopt a more sustainable approach to their business through the adoption of certification schemes.

中文翻译：

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检查 PEFC 产销监管链认证在意大利林业中的采用情况：关于动机和影响的实证研究


PEFC 是世界上最大的森林认证系统，拥有超过 2.95 亿公顷的认证森林，目前有超过 28,000 家公司参与产销监管链 （CoC）。在此背景下，本研究调查了影响意大利林业经营者采用此类认证的决策及其采用结果的治理机制。在 2022 年 11 月至 2023 年 3 月期间，对 1326 家获得 PEFC 认证的意大利森林部门公司进行了问卷调查，收集了 236 份有效回复。主要发现强调，公司内部的价值观和信仰主要通过“道德”机制影响采用该计划的决定。关键的激励手段包括员工的环保意识、环境质量的改善以及公司在市场上传达其品牌和产品的方式。采用前的期望与 CoC 认证后取得的结果之间也具有良好的一致性，证明了 PEFC 作为“信号”和“道德”机制的作用的有效性。CoC 认证计划的采用大大提升了企业形象，并突出了对员工进行环境管理体系管理培训的必要性。该研究从理论角度做出了重大贡献，丰富了该研究领域的文献，但也从实践角度为希望加强其认证系统的从业者或希望通过采用认证计划对其业务采用更可持续方法的公司提供了有用的信息。