o the forefront of company policies over recent years. Accidents at a chemical plant in the North Sea can permanently tarnish an organisations image. At the same time organisations have become increasingly aware of the adverse effects of their products can have on the health and safety of consumers. Ethical an environmental perspectives need to be built into corporate strategy. The new tools of environmental management will include:Environmental impact assessment (EIA) - Carrying out an assessment of the likely impact of major capital projects.Environmental audits (or eco-audits) - Carrying out an audit of current activities to create a snapshot of the environmental impact of these activities.Product life-cycle analysis - Looking at the environmental impact of a product throughout its life-cycle. Such an analysis would examine what happens to a product from the sourcing of raw materials to the ultimate disposal of waste.Environmental accounting - Accurately recording the value of environmental assests and their deprecations, as well as the true size of environmental liabilities and pollution costs. An Environmental Management Programme needs to be developed which will translate the policy into clearly understood responsibilities, requirements and procedures.A key factor attracting German chemical companies to the UK seems to be the more flexible and less prescriptive approach to environmental control. David Culpin of the UK Chemical industries Association comments:"Were no less rigorous than the Germans, but where legislation lays down maximum quantities of an effluent that may be emitted, the British approach is more qualitative and goal-orientated".He believes that this leaves companies with more scope for innovation and that the Germans find this a more sensible regime to work in. Recent surveys reveal that more consumers are demanding information on the composition and manufacture of products - to help them make sui...
