Introduction to special issue: a typology of environmental markets

Abstract

This article introduces this special issue on environmental markets with a typology of environmental markets that can be used by environmental management professionals to help organise and understand some of the issues relevant to working in such markets involved with managing environmental problems. The typology comprises five types of markets: (Type 1) trading systems that allow participants to determine the most cost-effective and efficient manner to achieve a targeted environmental objective; (Type 2) investment schemes that attract, and often manage, investments that have some type of credentials for making positive contributions towards the management of environmental problems; (Type 3) certification schemes that have credentials for making positive contributions towards the management of environmental problems; (Type 4) products that serve as alternatives to products that are environmentally problematic; and (Type 5) products and services that directly work to ameliorate and/or reduce risks associated with environmental problems. This article discusses issues that characterise these different types of environmental markets.