Business and the Environment

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Breaking the link between economic growth and environmental damage is the key theme of Changing Patterns: UK Government Framework for Sustainable Consumption and Production. This was launched together with the consultation document Sustainable Consumption and Production Indicators by Defra Minister Lord Whitty and DTI Minister Stephen Timms on 25 September 2003.

Introduction

Businesses have a major role to play in helping protect and enhance the environment, in line with wider goals of sustainable development. In particular, business has a pivotal role in meeting the Johannesburg goals (World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002) - in the setting up and completion of a 10 year programme of sustainable production and consumption. Increasingly, sound environmental management of processes and products is regarded as a core business issue, that can help promote a company's products and services, and improve its corporate standing.

Our work in encouraging more sustainable patterns of production and consumption includes:

• encouraging wider take up of "corporate transparency", including environmental reporting and environmental management systems
• provision of information and advice to business on environmental issues
• wider use of voluntary and negotiated agreements with business including producer responsibility for packaging
• policies for reducing the environmental impacts of consumer goods and services, and for providing information for consumers, such as ecolabels and energy labels
• policy on education for sustainable development, action programmes

Information is available here and on external web sites on the following:

• Sustainable consumption and production
• Envirowise - practical environmental advice for business
• Environmental Reporting
• Resource Productivity: Making More with Less
• Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) (external web site)
• Making a Corporate Commitment (MACC2) (external web site)
• Pioneers Group (DTI web site; sectoral sustainability strategies. Defra is a co-sponsor)

More information

Many other sections of the Defra web site contain information directly relevant to business and the environment. See in particular:

• Business and Climate Change: UK Advisory Office
• Climate Change Agreements
• UK Emissions Trading Scheme
• Pollution Prevention and Control
• Recycling and Waste
• Your Business, Your Rubbish and the Law

More information on how current environmental legislation relates to your business can be accessed at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs

Advisory Committees

Government advisory bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (ACBE) and the Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee (TUSDAC) are examples of how we have successfully worked with business and Trade Unions in actively shaping policy and raising awareness, to benefit both business and the environment. We provide the secretariat for both Committees. See:

• ACBE (Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment) and
• TUSDAC (Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee).

Consumer products

We also work with business on measures to reduce the environmental impacts of consumer products across their lifecycle; this includes sponsorship of the the Market Transformation Programme. More information is available in the Consumer Products pages.

Education for Sustainable Development, action programmes

• Environmental Action Fund
• Sustainable Development Education Panel

Contacting Defra

If you want further information that is not covered by these pages, you can contact us by e-mail: envbusiness@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Defra is not responsible for the contents or reliability of the linked web sites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Listing should not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of the linked pages.