Brazilian Firms' Innovative Strategies: Convergence Or Divergence With Environmental Issues?

Based on Pintec 2008 data, the paper analyses the determinants of innovations that have reduced the environmental impact through the study of Brazilian firms' characteristics and innovative strategies. The results show that the introduction of environmental innovations (EI) is related to the firms' size and foreign capital ownership, that is, factors that lead to the importance of international insertion. Regarding the strategies and innovative efforts of firms, the data shows that these activities are focused on the determinants that have little or no relation with EI. On the other hand, factors related to the generation and diffusion of knowledge, learning and strengthening of competences have a significant relation with EI. In this sense, the results show that the firms' strategies do not converge with the need to move towards a development less aggressive to the environment.