If economy has to rhyme ...

...with ecology

Building sustainable environment protectionthrough a sound

Industrial Emissions Directive

The Industrial Emissions Directive debate

Based on the experience of previous legislation aimed at managing all types of pollution arising from industrial as well as agricultural activities, European Institutions have built the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) to further improve environment protection, in a European-wide framework.

IED will cover very different activities and environments. Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, wishes then to contribute to meeting this higher but sustainable level of environment protection.

People on the ground must play their role, in particular for setting the pace. If implementation is too quick, costly and leadsto marginal environmental benefit, we shall just miss the aim. Manufacturers can easily lose markets to the benefit of others. We cannot neglect the economic factor that is the engine of a better society and of better companies. In addition, a global approach will have a maximum effect if implementation takes into account all particular environments.

Avenue E. van Nieuwenhuyse, 4B-1160 BrusselsTel: + 32 2 676 72 11E-mail: mail@cefic.be

Preserve transparent processes and involve experienced stakeholdersThe “Best Available Techniques”, the most eco-effective techniques to achieve environment protection, are at the heart of the Industrial Emissions Directive. It is important that setting them remains a fair and transparent selection process that benefits from inputs of emissions managing specialists, operators and other stakeholders. The process ofestablishing these standards should also preserve future innovation and future technical developments against changing environmental needs.

Finding uniform protection standards

A standard for all...

...all for a standard.

Only if European frameworks preserve transparent processes and involve stakeholders will sustainable environmental protection really be a success.

Leave space for justified flexibility

Environmental protection is “a complex learning by doing” process and over-simplicitycould be counterproductive. While a European framework proves indispensable,the Industrial Emissions Directive should still allow local authorities justified flexi-bility to find in each particular case the most appropriate balance between all environmental considerations, industrial specificities (variety of processes, plant specificity) and local environment (particular topography, climate).

Only if European frameworks leave space for justified flexibility will sustainable environmental protection really be a success.

A good directive enables you to always go straight…

...in any situation.

We are finally going to water dry lands...

Promote an integrated environment protectionSustainable environment protection can onlybe successful if seen as a whole. Therefore, the Industrial Emissions Directive should allow not only emission reduction to be taken into consideration, but also all its aspects as well as possible side effects. Indeed, it would be useless to decreasesome pollutants if this was to lead to unbalanced production of other emissions in particular associated with increased energy consumption.

...whatever the other impacts

Only if European frameworks promote an integrated environment protection will sustainable environmental protection really be a success.

Ensure optimal societal benefit

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New environment concerns as well as new techniques are emerging and environment protection is a field for sustainable innovations and investments. Setting new standards, the Industrial Emissions Directive should, as did the previous legislation via the concept of the “Best Available Techniques”, promote cost-effectiveness for better economic and overall societal benefits.

Only if European frameworks ensure optimal economical and societal benefit will sustainable environmental protection really be a success.

Are heavy costly standards….

... more efficient?