Integrated pollution prevention and control—the Finnish approach

Abstract

Abstract The Finnish environmental policy concerning industrial activities rests to a large extent on the following three principles, (1) participation of industry and other stakeholders in the preparation of new legislation and in the setting up of environmental targets; (2) strict but practical and cost-effective implementation of regulations, standards and permit provisions, in which operators themselves can choose appropriate technical measures to meet the requirements; (3) transparency and easy access to environmental information. Participation of industry in the preparatory process of regulations and other policy instruments is aimed at increasing the commitment of operators to the decisions made. On the other hand, this has given room for some flexibility, such as self-monitoring of permit conditions, in enforcement. Clearly, the main emphasis is placed on prevention rather than on detailed enforcement programmes. Finland adopted the Directive on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) of the European union (EU) by introducing a new Environmental Protection Act that came into force on 1 March 2000. The Act puts new focus on the principle of best available techniques (BAT), holistic and integrated approach, high level of environmental protection by cost-effective measures, energy efficiency and risk management. Furthermore, an important new feature to be tackled is the supplementing of permitting with voluntary environmental management systems, particularly ISO 14 001 and EMAS, and with energy conservation agreements. Substantial supporting activities have been established in Finland in order to strengthen and enhance the application of BAT and an integrated approach. National Industry Branch Groups (IBGs) have been, and will be set up, for the major BAT reference document (BREF) categories of the EU. The IBGs consist of permitting and enforcement authorities and experts of the industries concerned. Several R&D projects have also been launched in order to provide a good knowledge base and supportive methods for improving integrated pollution prevention. A systems approach to integrated environmental permitting is elaborated and discussed in this article.