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Sustainability at the corporate level is interpreted as the approach capable of creating prosperity over long-term horizons through targeted strategic integration, sustainable business system and societal transitions, beyond economic growth, along with environmental quality and social equity. In this context, this article aims to explore the interplay of the relationship between environmental innovation and corporate sustainability.

A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases for the last six decades to explore the proposed relationship. Data were selected on August 2, 2020, and the analysis period lasted until July 20, 2021. A research protocol consistent with the methodological rigor required in conducting an SLR was prepared for the mapping and analysis of relevant research.

In the last five years, there has been an evolution in research related to green innovation in supply chain management. Based on this evolution, there is a growing concern with the development of sustainable business models, taking into account the motivation to adopt green innovation practices aimed at corporate image. The purpose lies in verifying the organizational capabilities in achieving corporate sustainability practices and economic performance. The results show a greater concentration of studies exploring (1) sustainable business models, (2) the complexity of the sustainability tripod balance, in addition to (3) organizational strategies based on green and competitive practices.

Few works explored the context of small and medium-sized companies, especially those located in emerging and underdeveloped countries. This opens up a promising field of research. The main contributions of this article are related to (1) the presentation of a portfolio of theoretical and methodological approaches on the subject, which allows the exploration of the possibilities of empirical studies; and (2) showing the current status of research on environmental innovation and its impact on corporate sustainability. This article explores the interplay of the relationship between environmental innovation and corporate sustainability and brings state-of-the-art research about the theme.

The purpose of this paper is to verify the relations of the board of directors with the code of business ethics (CBE) of Brazilian publicly traded companies.

As for the methodology, data were collected from companies that traded shares in Brasil, Bolsa e Balcão (B3) through the Comdinheiro database and codes of ethics or business conduct. For this, in relation to the dependent variable, indexes were elaborated to represent the CBE (CBEI). To represent the independent variables of the board of directors, the following variables were selected: size of board, gender of the president, independence, chairman/CEO, age and number of meetings.

With that said, the results show that the size of the board, the independence and the number of meetings explain the informative content of the CBE. Also, the accumulation of positions of president and CEO negatively influences CBEI, so the research suggests that non-accumulation of positions reduces agency conflicts, generating transparency of CBEI, according to Agency Theory.

Considering the analysis of this research, it is important to highlight that the results should not be generalized because of the limitation of the sample period and because it was only for the Brazilian companies. However, they cannot be invalidated, given that, because of the robustness of the econometric models, it was possible to make inferences about the relations of the board of directors and the CBE of companies that trade in Brasil, Bolsa e Balcão (B3).

The relations identified in this study between the board of directors and the CBE imply the involvement of top executives, so that the CBE be closer to the characteristics of the business, while the values must be transmitted with clear language, avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts that may be used by individuals in bad faith, with the purpose of apologizing for illegal acts of company.

The board’s characteristics seek to support corporate responsibilities, fulfilling a diversity of issues in the operational scenario, including influencing the information content of the CBE. Besides being an expression of the organizational culture, because it evidences the rules of behavior and values of the company.

The business ethics, which in this research is represented by the CBE, is a factor in which there is evidence in international studies that there are relations with the board of directors. In this context, the present study seeks to verify the relationship between the board of directors and the CBE of Brazilian publicly traded companies.