ABSTRACT
Voluntary environmental measures for industry have grown in popularity over the past decade. Industry has long been sceptical of command-and-control type environmental regulations, where governments set the rules regarding emissions levels and equipment standards and keep strict watch over firms’ compliance. It has argued that such regulations are inefficient and cumbersome, and that they do not give the right incentives for environmental improvement. Industry has tended to prefer voluntary and market-based initiatives to achieve their environmental goals. Such measures are seen to bring not just environmental benefits, but also economic benefits, though improved efficiency as well as an enhanced public image. 1 Recent years have seen states swing their own views on what works best to clean up industry, away from command-and-control type regulations and towards voluntary initiatives.
