Fostering Industry-Initiated Environmental Protection Efforts (1997) / Chapter Skim
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APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B
Pages 41-58
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From page 41... ...
E NVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STANDARDS Environmental management has become increasingly influenced by nonregulatory international standards, and the Europeans have taken an important leadership role in facilitating the process. The United States, with its past reliance on traditional approaches to environmental regulation, only recently began to assume a strong role in international, consensus-based, environmental management standards as mentioned below.
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From page 42... ...
The ISO 14000 standards focus on tools for environmental management and planning, not performance or setting of environmental release levels. They are intended to help companies manage their organizations better within their own limitations, demonstrate their commitment to pollution prevention, and ensure that laws, regulations, and other goals are met.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT CERTIFICATION (LABELLING) Environmental product-certification programs usually are performed by independent organizations and adopted voluntarily by 43
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The U.S. government does not support or endorse any labelling programs by independent organizations, although some foreign countries provide significant support to and endorsement of seal-of-approval type programs.
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From page 45... ...
Barriers to Aclop~cion/Implemen~cation Barriers to the adoption of labelling programs include expense of data development, lack of consensus on validity of the data, and lack of acceptance by small manufacturers. Other barriers that might deter labeling are low consumer understanding of a label's significance and lack of resources to educate consumers, lack of a uniform approach to environmental labelling, reluctance of manufacturers to disclose proprietary information needed for certification, and difficulty in demonstrating economic or environmental benefits.
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They say it is impossible to evaluate effectiveness of these programs in terms of pollution prevention or energy efficiency. However, it is possible to speculate that the programs had an effect of stimulating environmental initiatives through increased member awareness of improved environmental technologies and management strategies.
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They include a partnership between a large corporation and a national environmental organization, a partnership between several automakers and state and federal government agencies, and a series of agreements between facilities and communities. EDF/McDonald's Waste Reduction Task Force In 1991, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
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Automotive Pollution Prevention Project In September 1991, the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) (on behalf of Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation)
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advance pollution prevention within the auto industry and its supplier base; (3) reduce releases of GEPT substances beyond regulatory requirements; and (4)
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Through Good Neighbor agreements, firms have made environmental and health funding commitments, such as increased donations to local causes, paid for community-controlled health clinics in contaminated areas, conducted plant inspections and additional air- and water-pollution monitoring, disclosed company environmental documents in a public file, and conducted job training and recruitment in neighborhoods. An example of a Good Neighbor agreement is provided by actions taken in Faribault, Minnesota.
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From page 51... ...
Part of the mission of the DOE Office of Industrial Technology (OlT) is to increase energy-use efficiency, enhance fuel flexibility, develop alternative energy sources, minimize waste, improve environmental quality, increase productivity, and create jobs.
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NICE3: Joint with EPA to diffuse existing technologies to address pollution prevention and energy efficiency when new equipment is installed.
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Participation in the program did not change a firm's responsibilities for complying with environmental laws. EPA states that it does not give preferential treatment, relaxed regulatory oversight, or relaxed enforcement of EPA regulations to program participants.
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EPA, in turn, offers program participants a portfolio of technical support services to assist them in upgrading their buildings. A computerized decision support system developed by EPA provides Green Lights participants with a rapid way of surveying the lighting systems in their facilities, assessing their retrofit options, and selecting the best energy-efficient lighting upgrades.
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From page 55... ...
Avoiding waste generation reduces the burden on disposal facilities, conserves natural resources, and often reduces pollution. The program seeks to reduce the amount of material disposed in dumpsters; it does not include hazardous waste, industrial solid waste, or materials recycled in manufacturing processes.
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Design for the Environment EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) program is intended to promote pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and resource conservation through partnerships with specific industry sectors and professional and academic groups.
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Common Sense Initiative Begun in 1993, EPA's Common Sense Initiative is intended to be a holistic version of environmental policy as compared with the traditional pollutant-by-pollutant approach for specific environmental media. Approximately 40 projects are under way in six industry sectors: automobile manufacturing, computers and electronics, iron and steel, metal finishing, petroleum refining, and printing.
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From page 58... ...
was begun in 1995 through a presidential initiative to develop innovative strategies intended to achieve more effective and less expensive results than traditional regulatory approaches. EPA is conducting the experimental program to seek projects that result in innovative strategies that can involve processes, technologies, or management practices.
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