Droit de l’environnement vs droit des sociétés: une prise en compte à sens unique

Aurélie Tomadini

Revue internationale de droit économique, 2021, vol. t. XXXV, issue 2, 219-233

Abstract: The relationship between environmental law and company law is ambiguous. There seems to be a sort of permanent opposition between them, justified by the issues they defend. This approach is partly erroneous. Environmental law is particularly attentive to the economic world, sometimes sacrificing environmental considerations to avoid generating excessive constraints on companies. The construction of this law and the various specific policies that implement it underline this. The search for balance is constant and the notion of compromise is apparent, sometimes to excess. In return, companies and business law in general are expected to voluntarily take on environmental issues by integrating them fully into their management methods. However, despite the risks involved, whether regulatory or legal, it is still not sufficiently the case today. This is mainly due to the prevalence of financial short-termism in corporate governance. The sustainability of companies is still viewed through the prism of profit maximization. Yet companies have a real role to play in environmental matters. While it is certain that they are, to a large extent, responsible for its deterioration, in that the production of goods and services inevitably leads to the use of natural resources and entails emissions of all kinds, it is equally certain that they hold some of the keys to meeting the environmental challenges of the twenty-first century. As generators of innovation and influencers of consumption patterns, they must be full players in the environmental protection policy by actively participating in its implementation. The time for virtuous speeches is over and must be translated into concrete measures. Soft law must act as a genuine complement to legislative and regulatory provisions. Companies cannot continue to consider voluntary commitments as ?mere? marketing tools that often lead to greenwashing. The concept of corporate social responsibility should enable them to do so. The stakes are high, because beyond the preservation of the environment, which is undoubtedly in the general interest, the sustainability and viability of companies are also at stake. The environmental impact of their activities is becoming an essential marker for stakeholders. Therefore, to distinguish themselves from their competitors, companies must act quickly to change their governance as well as the way they deal with their negative externalities. In other words, the greening of reputations must not be neglected: visibility through environmental performance must therefore be sought and seen as a real opportunity. Otherwise, integration will be achieved through constraint, as shown by recent legislative developments, and will no doubt be more difficult to assimilate.

Keywords: environmental law; compromise; integration; risk; differentiation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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