Australian Industry Environmental Standards Trail Many Developed
Nations, Report Says
8/31/99
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Australian Industry Environmental Standards Trail Many
Developed Nations, Report Says
Source: The Age
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 31, 1999
Byline: Claire Miller
Australian industries could face increasing barriers overseas unless
they embraced international standards for environment-friendly goods
and services, a report released yesterday says.
The report warns that Australia lags behind other developed nations
in responding to community calls for improved environmental standards
in industry.
It says Australia must embrace global standards aimed at proving the
green credentials of its exports. Eco-labelling and accreditation
schemes are already altering the buying patterns of consumers and
governments in northern Europe and north America, it says.
The report was released by the Cooperative Research Centre for Waste
Management and Pollution Control and funded by the federal Department
for Industry, Science and Tourism.
One Australian company, Bunnings, is already on notice that, from the
end of 2000, the British company Railtrack will buy only those
sleepers that are accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council as
coming from sustainably managed forests.
The CSIRO warned recently that markets may be lost due to the
environmental costs of agricultural production through land
degradation, loss of native biodiversity in plants and animals, and
salinity.
Yesterday's report says the industry and governments in many
countries are using the international environmental standard ISO
14000 to address community environmental concerns and increase their
competitive edge.
Mainly, less developed countries still regard the standards as a
costly imposition that disadvantaged their goods and services, it
says.
Small and medium Australian companies stand to lose the most with
multinationals improving their environmental performance, including
researching alternatives for dangerous goods, increasing recycling,
imposing stricter pollution controls and creating education programs,
for consumers and industr,y on sustainable development programs.
While companies faced initial implementation costs, and it could take
up to five years to develop appropriate accounting methods, the
report warns that Australia will pay a much higher price in the long
term if it responds too late to changing international trade
expectations.
The report, A National Materials Accounting Strategy: A path to
Competitive Advantage for Australian Industry, cites case studies in
which companies have rapidly paid for their investment in best
environmental practice through savings in wastage, disposal and
energy use.