Voluntary schemes and the need for statutory regulation: the case of integrated pollution control

The growth of environmental management systems (EMSs) in the UK has taken place against a background of new industrial pollution control regulations. The implementation of integrated pollution control (IPC) regulations by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) aims to improve the environmental management and performance of the UK's most polluting and most complex industrial processes. It is suggested that the performance of IPC reflects the current state of EMSs within UK industry. This performance is assessed by a content analysis of the IPC public register. The analysis shows that IPC has not yet achieved its potential and suggests that the state of EMSs within UK industry needs to be improved. Nonetheless, IPC has forced operators to begin to address the management of their environmental performance. If the legitimacy of industrial activity and the credibility of IPC is to be secured, then the pace of improvements must accelerate