Do you consider your business operation to be a good corporate citizen? How do you ensure that you are complying with the various and stringent environmental standards laid down by regulators? Are you leaving yourself open to issues because of a less-than-proactive approach? What could you be missing out on here?
Why the Pressure Is On
One thing is for certain, environmental laws will continue to change and evolve as everyone gets used to more congestion, higher emissions and public pressure. In years gone by, it used to be sufficient to prove that your business was in compliance with set limits, but now you have to go the extra distance and actually prove that your company is not doing any harm. As a consequence, you will need to keep far more detailed records and may also have to bring in outside consultants who specialise in air quality services to give you additional advice.
What You Need to Do
You may be at risk of polluting the atmosphere due to the type of process involved in your manufacturing operation. Consequently, you will need to be checking the air quality in and around your business on an ongoing basis so that you can detect and subsequently rectify any potential breaches before they cause an issue.
When you do this, you can also uncover some hidden benefits associated with reusing certain elements associated with your emissions. It may be possible for you to capture the heat generated during any emissions and divert this into another process so that the energy is not simply wasted.
Additional Benefits
When you initiate a more stringent compliance process and are open about your plans, you may well develop a better relationship with regulators and an enhanced reputation to boot. It's also likely that regulators will identify any external consultants you bring in and understand how their expertise may be beneficial. You may also be able to avoid those non-compliance notices and the additional work you have to put in in order to deal with them should they arise.
The Takeaway
Remember, it's simply not good enough to plead ignorance when it comes to any breach of regulations, even though such regulations may be changing on a frequent basis. If you don't have a specific environmental officer on your team, you should bring in a consultant who can keep on top of all developments and help you head off any problems before they arise. If at all possible, you want to avoid the appearance of a government regulator on site, as this will invariably lead to additional costs and pull you away from your core work.