This article reports results of a research, based on empirical and positivist premisses, that studied the environmental discourses and practices of transnational firms (TnFs) in Brazil. When the research was concluded, it became evident that the use of critical theory would have permitted a greater understanding of these TnFs' environmental practices. In this regard it is demonstrated that , based on data obtained in field research carried out in Brazil, critical realism is a more useful approach for explaining the environmental practices of TnFs in developing countries. Finally, it suggests that analyses based on realist approaches are necessary, since TnFs are the firms that are primarily responsible for generating and disseminating managerial and technological knowledge related to environmental issues in numerous sectors of industry.
transnational firms; environmental issues; theories of international relations; critical realism