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There is increasing evidence that "going green" is good for enterprises. Many companies in OECD countries are prospering by improving their environmental performance. Business efforts to reduce ecological impacts can translate into bottom-line cost savings through improving resource efficiency. Environmental stewardship has led many firms to branch out into new businesses producing environmental products, processes and services. And a greener corporate image can appeal to a wider customer base. Yet the majority of enterprises still see environmental regulations and initiatives as a burden rather than an opportunity. Overall, this is leading to insufficient efforts to improve environmental performance.
In order to improve our understanding of why enterprises incorporate environmental objectives into their management strategies or why they do not, the OECD's Industry Committee organised a Business and Industry Policy Forum on "Environmental Management: Challenges for Industry" in Paris on 27 September 2000. This Forum explored the different drivers that are steering enterprises towards environmental management strategies, drawing on firm-level experiences. Specific attention was paid to the growing role that the investment community could play in promoting sound practices. Discussions also addressed what governments could do to sustain and broaden environmental sensitivity in industry, by, for example, developing incentives and removing counterproductive barriers.
The Forum was organised in co-operation with the OECD Environment Directorate and will make a contribution to the OECD horizontal programme on sustainable development. In addition to senior environmental managers from business and industry, Forum participants included representatives of the OECD Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC), the OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC), environmental experts and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Click here for a copy of the final report.
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