JOURNAL ARTICLE

Recycling Standards, Green Inventions, and Spillover: Evidence from California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act (EWRA).

  • Published In: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM) (INFORMS), 2025, v. 27, n. 1. P. 127 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Dhanorkar, Suvrat; Muthulingam, Suresh 3 of 3

Abstract

This article empirically investigates the impact of California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act (EWRA) on the inventive output of firms manufacturing electronic and electrical products. Using a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences methodology on patent data from 1996 to 2012, the study finds that EWRA significantly increased environmentally focused ("green") patents by about 14% for California-based firms and 8% for firms headquartered elsewhere. Additionally, the law generated substantial spillover effects, boosting non-green patenting by approximately 41% in California firms and 24% in firms outside California. These findings suggest that e-waste recycling standards not only promote green innovation but also stimulate broader inventive activity, offering insights relevant to policymakers and managers concerned with environmental regulation and firm innovation.

Additional Information

  • Source:Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM) (INFORMS). 2025/01, Vol. 27, Issue 1, p127
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Environmental Sciences
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1523-4614
  • DOI:10.1287/msom.2023.0444
  • Accession Number:182366838
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM) (INFORMS) is the property of INFORMS: Institute for Operations Research & the Management Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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