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Green Plans in Action: Netherlands: Measuring Success
After years of building trust among the three pillars or major sectors of industry, government and NGOs, there are measurable gains from the management or incentive strategies developed. Each pillars' strength depends on the others, despite which sector takes the lead. Here are descriptions of some approaches. Click on other links below for more on this integrated process.
Voluntary Agreements
Industrial sectors play an active role in environmental recovery through long-range voluntary agreements, or covenants. There are numerous negotiated agreements between the sectors and government, allowing individual companies to meet goals creatively, such as a 20% reduction of energy consumption over 10 years, in exchange for a level playing field. (More...)
Strengthened Environmental Enforcement
The Netherlands already had the toughest enforcement laws in the EU before voluntary measures by industry were introduced. As a stick behind the open door, tougher legislation works. Companies that follow the rules and their own set goals appreciate the improved government coordination and enforcement, including more prosecutions and licensing of illegal facilities of non-compliant industries.
Decoupling of Economic Growth and Environmental Pressure
By the third NEPP report, in 1999, there was relatively good news to report on the slowing of ecosystem degradation during an increase in economic growth over the same years. The goal is absolute decoupling, when environmental pressures drop in absolute terms and not merely in relation to economic growth. (More...)
Closing the Waste Disposal Loophole
At the top of the managing waste ladder is prevention and then recycling, supported by a "producer responsibility" incentive to redesign products for beneficial use or product and material recycling. Landfill is the bottom of the ladder, and prohibited when incineration is more feasible. The principle in this hierarchy is to minimize landfill due to space, aftercare in perpetuity, loss of material resources, and landfill emissions. Finally, the Dutch have closed the waste disposal loop by not allowing any export of waste for landfills out of the country. (More...)
Electronic Waste
Since 2005, manufacturers or importers have a duty to take back their products under the Waste of the Electric and Electronic Equipment Decree. The greatest environmental benefit is countering the dispersion of CFCs, the dispersion and squandering of bromide, arsenic, copper, chromium, mercury, and lead from large "brown and white goods", the dispersion of nickel and cadmium from batteries, PCBs from condensers, and asbestos from heat-resistant equipment and appliances. (More...)
Ecosystem-Based Comprehensive Planning
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Vibrant Environmental NGO Sector
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Science-Based, Right-to-Know Report Card
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Effective Waste Management
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