ABSTRACT
European environmental policy has traditionally addressed large point sources of pollution, such as production sites and waste treatment installations. In many cases, a regulatory approach was chosen, including specific legislation for particular sites, processes and waste streams. This kind of focused legislation has achieved major environmental improvements or is predicted to do so. An integrated product policy (IPP) at the European level was first discussed between the Commission and stakeholders in 1998. In the following year, the Presidency Conclusions from the Informal Meeting of European Union Environment Ministers welcomed the Commission's intention to prepare a Green Paper on IPP. The IPP approach presented by the Commission takes account of this and is based on five principles: Life-cycle thinking; Working with the market; Stakeholder involvement; Continuous improvement and using the right combination of policy instruments. Life-cycle thinking is also promoted at Community level through the use of environmental management systems and design requirements.
