Improving the chemical industry's performance - lessons from the USA and Netherlands

The European Commission is having second thoughts about proposing a mandatory chemical emissions register along the lines of the USA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) - and instead is hoping to negotiate voluntary reporting agreements with several industrial sectors. First in line for such a deal is the chemical industry. But recent experience in the USA and the Netherlands suggests that a blend of statutory and voluntary measures is likely to be more effective in putting the industry on the path of environmental improvement.