Often, as in the Top Runner Programme, these performance targets are accompanied by a “name-and-shame” mechanism: the names of under-performing companies are disclosed to the public. This mechanism puts the brand image of companies at risk, representing an incentive for eco-innovation in Japan that is probably more effective than the stringency of environmental regulations. According to an OECD survey conducted in 2003, fewer than 5% of facilities in Japan felt that environmental policies were very stringent, and more than 65%t found them to be not particularly stringent (Johnstone et.