March 2005
Environmental Compliance - Why Bother?
A recent report by the Environmental Audit Committee has called into question the level of support given to the enforcers of our environmental legislation.
"Environmental compliance barely registers with far too many businesses, and why should it when they know their illegal actions are likely to remain undetected and largely unpunished?" Peter Ainsworth MP, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, said at the launch of its second report on corporate environmental crime.
"We have heard examples of just about every possible corporate environmental crime and heard almost every explanation and excuse as to why the crime was committed," he continued "The truth is that crimes against the environment are perceived - wrongly - as victimless and therefore a low priority.
"Unless, and until, the Government sends out a clear signal to business that failure to act on statutory environmental obligations will result in detection, and punishment, then there is little hope of any progress. Fundamental to this is the commitment of sufficient resources to the Environment Agency (EA) in particular, to enable them to adequately police all businesses with environmental obligations."
Although the majority of the larger organisations within the UK are coming round to the need for effective environmental management and corporate social reporting, the vast majority of those businesses committing environmental crimes are SMEs and there are too many of them for the EA to manage effectively. SMEs are believed to be responsible for up to 80% of all pollution incidents and more than 60% of the commercial and industrial waste produced in England and Wales; yet research has shown that "between 70% and 75% of SMEs are unaware of their environmental obligations."
Environmental compliance should not be optional, but if organisations do not understand their obligations they will never be able to meet them. Many organisations do not have access to the expert support they need to manage their environmental obligations and do not know where to access it. More government support is needed both in the policing of the legislation and in raising the awareness of small businesses of their obligations.
For more information on environmental compliance auditing or to arrange a site review, contact Aneeta Patel on 024 7632 3260.
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