Regulatory and self-regulatory measures as routes to promote cleaner production

Regulation, in the form of normative environmental legislation, forms the bedrock of both EU and national environmental policy, whereas self-regulation is a relatively recent addition to the suite of tools used to control industrial environmental impacts. This paper evaluates the extent to which both approaches have sought to promote cleaner production. It draws on the results of an analysis of the Danish regulatory scheme to consider the extent to which this framework has promoted cleaner production ideas. The paper considers the means by which voluntary initiatives such as the EU Eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) and the international standard ISO 14001 also promote the cleaner production principle. The paper concludes that neither approach has successful challenged industry to seek cleaner production options.