You may find the following documents useful:
The EPA is committed to the concept of sustainable development, one pillar of which is Economy. A stable and healthy economy is as important to achieving sustainability as are the environmental and social pillars of the sustainable development paradigm. The founding legislation for the EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992) recognised this when it required that the Agency in carrying out its functions ‘ensures, in so far as is practicable, that a proper balance is achieved between the need to protect the environment (and the cost of such protection) and the need for infrastructural, economic and social progress’ [Section 52(2) of the EPA Act 1992].
All enterprise in Ireland shares the environment with society and with nature; and such enterprise must accordingly have regard to its impact in relation to emissions, land cover and resources use. The EPA interacts with service and industrial enterprises on a number of levels to assist in achieving this ambition. A significant element of this assistance can be classed as collaborative or supporting. A fostering of environmentally sustainable behaviours and practices in themselves have been proven to generate economic capital in terms of investment, ‘green jobs’ and technological innovation.
Key business pressures centre on energy costs, raw material costs & supply, waste management costs and regulatory compliance. A common thread through these concerns would be the management concept of environmental efficiency (eco-efficiency), which is understood as Water Conservation, Waste Prevention, Energy Efficiency, and Clean Technology. There is ample accounting proof that good environmental practices make good business sense: being resource efficient saves money.
The EPA works closely with other state agencies and business representative groupings to promote and support sustainable enterprise attitudes and behaviours within national enterprise – fostering a ‘green’ culture so to speak. The EPA is a key organisation providing technical and financial assistance to service and manufacturing enterprises through a range of programmes.
Within the EPA work programme, Enterprise & Environment related activities fall into a distinct cluster of work areas:
Resource Use
Research & Development
Information Systems
Regulatory
The EPA Resource Use programme offers a wide range of assistance to the manufacturing and service sectors, as well as to public sector activities, in relation to eco-efficiency (energy, and water use, cleaner technology & waste management). Some of the benefits of improving resource efficiency include the following: lower operational overhead costs for Raw Materials, Energy, Water, and Waste Management; competitive & marketing advantages; improved working conditions and reduced liabilities; lower impact on the environment; enhanced corporate & community image; better products; patentable innovation opportunities; and customer loyalty.
The EPA has in collaboration with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA Ireland produced a guide for businesses on where to go for state supports in relation to ‘greening’ enterprises. See the Green Enterprise Guide , and Green Enterprise business support services map.
Further information can be found in the national waste prevention section of our website.
The EPA managed Environmental Research Centre (ERC) was established by the State to allow for a more structured approach to environmental research. Its overall purpose is to help ensure that development is environmentally sustainable. Key currently funded research topic areas for enterprise would include the Environmental Technologies, Socio-Economic, Waste Management and Land Use topic areas.
Further information can be found in the research section of our website.
The Environmental Protection Agency operates a specific ‘clean technology’ research and grant programme - the Cleaner Greener Production Programme (CGPP) - to encourage Irish organisations to implement cleaner greener production practices. The projects challenged organisations to produce goods and services in more environmentally friendly ways, targeting the minimisation of emissions through cleaner production methods. The objective was to achieve a balance between economic activity and protection of the environment.
Further inforamtion can be found on the Cleaner Greener Production Programme website.
The EPA published report 'Innovation for a Green Economy' gives a brief snapshot of the story so far with regard to EPA-funded Environmental Technologies and Cleaner Production research and innovation projects along with details of the next steps in the area. The report highlights the type and variety of the environmental technologies research funded by the EPA, ranging from academic-based (scholarships and multi-institutional collaborative projects) to industrial-based and business-led cleaner production projects.
The EPA hosts a significant amount of environmental quality and performance data that is essential to enterprises in relation to understanding their relationship with the environment, benchmarking with international operations, and also in relation to prompting innovative activities.
Further Information can be found in our Assessment and Monitoring sections of our website.
Also available are emissions data for industrial activities in Ireland.
The EPA through it licensing and enforcement activities seeks to ensure sustainable industrial activities within the state. These activities also assist in promoting a level playing field for regulated enterprises and the elimination of illegal operations that undermine legitimate activities. A single national regulatory authority for environmental aspects of industrial activities is attractive for inward investment, and can contribute to consistency and certainty in decision making processes.
The EPA licensing and enforcement activities produce a significant body of guidance that is intended to assist regulated activities in the operation of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable enterprises. The EPA also works with industrial and NGO partners in Ireland and across the EU in the definition of best technological and operational standards for regulated enterprises.
Further Information can be found in our Licensing, Enforcement and Guidance section of our website.
