Innovation Report Proposal 5.37
We will start by examining how environmental regulations can be designed and implemented to secure the desired environmental outcomes in a way that does more to promote innovation and business opportunities. A project team, led by DTI in partnership with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Cabinet Office, Department for Transport (DfT) and the Environment Agency (EA), working in consultation with business and other stakeholders, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), will start by looking at three areas: implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive; eco-design of products; and vehicle emission regulations.
Context
The Innovation Report said that we should examine how environmental regulations can be designed and implemented to secure the desired environmental outcomes in a way that does more to promote innovation and business opportunities.
The three projects chosen were devised and carried out with three objectives in mind:
- To study existing regulations affecting the industries concerned;
- To ascertain what aspects of these regulations encourage innovation and what factors tend to act as barriers to innovation; and
- The key aim of environmental regulation is to improve the environment.
Progress to Date
In order to ascertain the impact of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive on industry innovation, the project team conducted several site visits in England and Wales. As well as on-site inspection of facilities, the team held interviews with senior management to canvass opinion and compare experiences of, and attitudes to, the Directive and its application.
A key feature of the IPPC Directive is that industrial installations require a permit to operate. Permits must contain Emission Limit Values (ELVs) for any pollutant likely to be emitted in significant quantities. Thus, IPPC, in common with other modern regulations, is risk-based, focusing on those pollutants likely to be emitted from a given installation.
ELVs and technical measures set in each installation's permit are based on the use of Best Available Techniques (BATs), which, for a particular industry sector, are established in a reference document (BREF). This has a clear role in driving industry to maintain a consistently high level of technology. Regulators can compare innovatory approaches to the BREF to ensure that this level of environmental protection is met or exceeded.
Because it allows for individual processes, IPPC need not represent a barrier to innovation in either industrial pollution control or in industry more generally.
Case Studies: Knauf Insulation & Anglesey Aluminium Metal Ltd
Next Steps
With the three pilot projects now completed, the common strands of each set of findings will be drawn together to form a set of clear recommendations. The results will form the central theme for wide-ranging consultation with industry stakeholders.
A workshop discussion was held in early April 2005 with key industry representatives and Government departments. The outcome from this event can be read here.
Further publicity events will follow on from this consultation.
The results of the three studies will feed into a new project to embed 'innovation-friendly' policy-making across government.
Further Information
Environment Agency - IPPC
Dr John Cockaday
Department of Trade and Industry
151 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9SS
Telephone: 020 7215 1012
E-Mail: john.cockaday@dti.gsi.gov.uk |