1980年代、米国環境保護局（EPA）は企業が使用する化学物質を、直ちに減らさなければならないと気づきました。しかし規制する法律をつくろうにも、議会での審議や公布、施行されるまでには時間がかかりすぎてしまいます。
そこでEPAは罰則ではなく、各企業が使用している化学物質の量を情報公開することで、自発的な化学物質削減を促すことにしました。世間の評判を懸念した企業が削減を進めた結果、化学物質の使用量を４割も減らすことに成功。中にはワースト企業のリストから外れたいとの一心で、使用量を９割削減した企業もありました。
In the 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) realized that the chemicals used by companies had to be reduced immediately. However, it would take too long for Congress to debate, promulgate, and enact laws to regulate them.
Therefore, instead of penalties, the EPA decided to encourage voluntary chemical reduction by having each company disclose information on the amount of chemicals they were using. Companies concerned about their public reputation proceeded to reduce their use of chemicals, and as a result, they succeeded in reducing their chemical use by 40%. Some companies reduced their use by as much as 90% in a single-minded effort to get off the list of worst companies.