Abstract Companies belonging to broadly globalized sectors are looking for keys and guidelines that will allow them to stand out from their competitors in order to win the contracts tendered on a global scale. The study conducted in this research has found the importance of following the principles of the standards of Environmental Management (EM; ISO 14001), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR; ISO 26000), Quality Management (QM; ISO 9001), and Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OSHAS 18001) in the shipbuilding industry and its relationship with firms' performance. This research proposes a new measurement index that evaluates the degree of certification of the industry over time regarding EM, CSR, QM, and Occupational Health, demonstrating a link between the evolution of companies' results (in terms of orderbooks, completions, and new orders) and the implantation of official certifications and their maturity (time elapsed since certification).