Do Environmental Certifications Buy Global Market Access?‎Certification Signaling, Buyer Dependence, and ExportPerformance of Bangladeshi Suppliers

  • Authors

    • Tamanna Farah University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
    https://doi.org/10.14419/jfqkeg06

    Received date: October 30, 2025

    Accepted date: January 23, 2026

    Published date: February 8, 2026

  • Environmental Certification; Export Performance; Buyer Trust; Switching Costs; Audit Burden; EU Market Exposure; Buyer Concentration; ‎PLS-SEM; Global Value Chains

  • Abstract

    Purpose: This study investigates whether environmental certifications “buy” global market access and identifies the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which certifications affect export performance.‎

    Design/methodology/approach: Using firm-level data from export-oriented suppliers and partial least squares structural equation modeling ‎‎(PLS-SEM) with bootstrapped inferences, we estimate direct, mediated, and moderated effects of certification portfolios on three outcomes: ‎new buyer acquisition, order continuity, and price premium.‎

    Findings: Certifications have strong direct effects on all three outcomes. Indirect effects operate primarily through buyer trust and relational ‎switching costs—mechanisms that convert certification signals into stable orders and defensible margins. Audit burden does not consistently mediate performance, suggesting that certifications create value by reshaping relational conditions rather than reliably lowering procedural ‎frictions. Two contingencies are salient: a higher EU export share amplifies certification returns across outcomes, while buyer concentration ‎improves continuity but compresses price premium, revealing a trade-off between stability and rent appropriation.‎

    Practical implications: Managers should align certification portfolios with the credential demands of target markets (notably the EU), embed ‎certification signals into screening and tender processes, and deepen onboarding routines to raise switching costs. Audit operations require ‎dedicated excellence rather than reliance on certification spillovers. Diversified buyer portfolios help preserve pricing power.‎

    Originality/value: The study quantifies multi-channel value creation from certifications, distinguishes relational from procedural mechanisms, and identifies market contingencies that explain heterogeneous returns.

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  • How to Cite

    Farah, T. (2026). Do Environmental Certifications Buy Global Market Access?‎Certification Signaling, Buyer Dependence, and ExportPerformance of Bangladeshi Suppliers. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 13(2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.14419/jfqkeg06