table choices between , for example, furniture made of wood from sustainable forest programmes and that which is using up timber without a thought to its replacement. The major groups of environmental laws cover the following areas of operation: Development control. Control of emissions. Disposal of waste. Protection of species, habitats, landscapes and heritage. Impact of the environment on peoples health and safety.Environmental PolicyThe Mission Statement - A commitment to the environment and other corporate responsibility issues implies a fresh look at the mission statement and a re-evaluation of corporate objectives and the needs of the stakeholders. Creating a greener mission and objectives might include sustainable growth, obligations towards staff, and even promoting larger timeframe over which the company plans its activities.(see Appendix C for a sample of companys Environmental Policy)The move towards environmental excellence will require a step-by-step approach, summarised by John Elkington in his book The Green Capitalist as follows: Develop and publish an environmental policy. Prepare an action programme. Arrange the organisation and staffing of the company, including board-level representation. Allocate adequate resources. Invest in environmental science and technology. Educate and train. Monitor, audit and report. Monitor the evaluation of the green agenda. Contribute to environmental programmes. Help to build bridges between the various interested groups.When organisations observe the growing European and UK legislation, the creation of various inspectorates to reinforce compliance, the most active involvement of pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth, and a more litigious approach to penalise companies and organisations who flout the law, they should consider it to be good management practice to start on the adaptive process before they find themselves the subject of a hefty fine and with the expense of rectif...
