Minimising Risk, Maximising Benefit - EAUC 10th Annual Conference

1. Minimising Risk, Maximising Benefit - EAUC 10th Annual Conference NetRegs: Environmental Compliance Help for Universities and Colleges Nottingham University Tuesday 11th April 2006 Tim Fanshawe - NetRegs Business Development Manager

2. Overview • Sustainable Development (SD) & Corporate Social • Responsibility (CSR): the Big Picture! • Background to NetRegs concept & current situation • Future possibilities & guidelines for • the Education sector

3. Sustainable Development & Corporate Social Responsibility: the Big Picture • An International Issue • EU Thematic Strategies to Member State Regulations • Insurance Industry pressures - climate change • Supply chain and customer pressures

4. lack of time and resource • fear of legislation and the regulator • lack of consistency of information Small Businesses: pressures & constraints

5. Survey of Business Awareness SME-nvironment 2005 93% - unaware of impact they could have on environment 86% - cannot name any environmental legislation unprompted 75% - do not have an environmental policy 94% - do not have an environmental management system

6. Scottish Executive DTI DEFRA DoE NI NAW FSA Small Business Service / Business Connect Wales Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit RDAs Govt Offices Environment Agency Better Regulation Task Force HSE Scottish Environment Protection Agency Local Authorities and LGA Environment and Heritage Service NI Departmental Regulation Units Trade Associations BSI Business Support Organisations across whole UK Interaction of key public and private sector bodies with SMEs on environmental issues NetRegs: delivering consistent information across the UK for SMEs A lack of joined up thinking increases the administrative burden on small businesses 4.0 million UK businesses (99.2% of which are SMEs)

9. What modern regulation looks like polluters take responsibility risk-based trust-based High risk, more intervention Low risk, less intervention proportionate cost-effective focussed on outcomes

10. The different regulatory approaches Direct regulation Alternative approaches Bespoke permits Environmental taxes clear outcomes Trading schemes Standard permits Education and advice Registrations Directly applying legislation Negotiated or voluntary agreements

11. What modern regulation means An approach that delivers for the environment and for business: • focusing on outcomes • risk-based (targeted protection at lower cost) • changing attitudes - regulatory prescription to corporate responsibility • using alternatives to direct regulation

12. Continuous Business Improvement Process 'the road to compliance and resource efficiency' 85% of 4m businesses are here! The SME Engagement & Retention Process Achieved BS8555, EMAS, ISO14001 Interested but NOT active Want an EMS & Continuous Improvement Want to go beyond compliance Not interested Getting Started

13. What is NetRegs? • A website designed to help small businesses • understand their environmental obligations • A UK wide initiative built in partnership • by the three environmental regulators in the UK • Free, anonymous and available 24 hours a day

14. How can NetRegs help businesses? There are four ways to get information: • General advice on specific issues - Management Guidelines • Detailed advice for business groups - Sector Guidelines • (over 100 are covered) • Links to other information/organisations - More Resources • Links to key future and current legislation - Legislation

16. Website Demonstration

17. guidance for over 100 sectors as well as general • guidelines and information • Survey of Business Awareness • Excellent feedback from businesses, trade • associations and business support organisations • Web site use increasing Achievements so far • Focus Groups

18. Current Activities • Promoting the site • Maintaining & adding content • Improving user-friendliness • Enhancing the service

19. The Future for NetRegs • Hampton Review • Business Development and Revenue Generation • BREW Projects for 2006 • New sector specific guidelines for Education

20. Additional NetRegs Sectors Business Directories for Pollution Abatement Equipment Basic Registration & Manual Updates Illegal Waste Tipping Programme Activities IPP Directive Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign  • More • Resources • e.g. links to • Envirowise Guides to using NetRegs • Illegal Waste • Year 2 work • Incorporating: • SME Strategy • What do I do with • my waste? Tool • (£150k)    NetRegs Compliance Self assessment Tools (£400k) Personalise NetRegs to meet business demand for automatic updates (£1,200k) [regionalisation] Want an EMS & Continuous Improvement Want to go beyond compliance Achieved BS8555, EMAS, ISO14001 Interested but NOT active Not interested Getting Started Continuous Business Improvement Process 85% of 4m businesses are here! The SME Engagement & Retention Process Established BREW work Established Core NetRegs site Incentives Yr 2 BREW fund areas Other NetRegs development areas • NetRegs • Basic • Compliance • Information: • Sector • Guidelines • Management • Guidelines • Future • Legislation Reduced Licence & Permit Charges Reduced Insurance Premiums Sustainable Business Award Schemes

21. Conclusions • Delivering consistency • Helping business deal with environmental risks • Driving sustainability

22. Workshop Questions • Where do you look for information? • (eg internet , trade press, websites etc ?) • How do you search for information? • (eg keywords, topic areas etc ?) • What style of language works best? • (eg e-newsletters, academic docs etc ?)