Abstract
Environmental governance in Indonesia’s high-impact industries combines internal management standards with external reputational regulation. This study examines how an ISO 14001-based environmental management systems (EMS) relates to environmental indicators and PROPER ratings in a longitudinal single-company case in coal mining. We use mixed evidence: sustainability-report indicators and reported PROPER outcomes for 2022-2024; documentary traces of EMS integrity (certification continuity, audit cycles, and non-conformity records [NCRs]); and semi-structured interviews with nine internal actors (managers, practitioners, and field workers). PROPER is stable across 2022-2024 and shifts to a higher category, while absolute operational indicators (emissions, energy, and water use) fluctuate. Audits recur and NCRs remain controlled, and interviews describe routinized EMS practices across organizational levels. Framed as information-based regulation, PROPER is treated as a disclosure-driven reputational signal rather than a monotonic performance proxy. The evidence rejects a purely symbolic certification interpretation, without supporting causal claims of impact reduction in this context.
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Article Type: Research Article
EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, 2026, Article No: em0404
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/18525
Publication date: 01 Jul 2026
Online publication date: 05 May 2026
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