ABSTRACT
The Cluster Environmental Policy establishes the guiding principles and general priorities for any actions to adopt in the reference territory. The possibility of using environmental management systems (EMSs) and associated certification schemes in territorial policies has attracted the attention of international institutions. The preparatory step for an EMS cluster approach concerns the creation of a Promotion Committee that can animate and coordinate all the activities concerning the management of environmental problems in the area occupied by the cluster, prioritise any interventions or actions required and the relevant implementation methods. The environmental problem has become, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), a key factor affecting their ability to comply with the law and to respond to consumers and customers demand, thus to survive on the market. The Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme (ECAP) by the European Commission reports that SMEs contribute up to 70 percent of the industrial pollution in the European Union (EU).
