The ISO 14000 certification standard is a relatively new development. Based on the highly successful ISO 9000 certification standard in quality, ISO 14000 is oriented towards environmental performance. Its major focus is on the structure, implementation and maintenance of the formal corporate environmental management information system. However, since its release, the ISO 14000 standard has generated a great deal of discussion. Its level and rate of acceptance has not mirrored the rate previously observed for the ISO 9000 standards. In the United States, some firms have announced that they have no interest in being ISO 14000 certified, while others have committed themselves to this standard. To resolve the apparent paradox, this paper attempts to identify the determinants of ISO 14000 adoption, and why those determinants are important. Based on a survey sample consisting of some 1500 respondents, the paper also presents some initial findings.