| A voluntary
initiative (VI) is any action taken by a company, industry, government
or third party that goes beyond existing environmental laws and
regulations. "Voluntary initiatives" is a generic term
for voluntary agreements, voluntary programmes, voluntary standards
and voluntary codes of conduct, guidelines, principles, etc., adopted
by a company, industry, government or third party.
The scope of such initiatives is wide and can
range from non-binding programmes to negotiated, legally binding
covenants. Examples include:
- A commitment by an individual company to
achieve environmental targets beyond those set by regulations
- Codes of conduct adopted unilaterally at
the national or international level by industry associations
- Agreements on environmental performance
targets between government and a company, group of companies
or industry sector.
Voluntary initiatives complement but do not
replace legislation, regulations, economic measures, information,
and other policy tools.
Key Elements of Voluntary Initiatives
- Commitment
the political will to achieve effective implementation is required
- Content
the goal or target must be meaningful
- Cooperation
full involvement of stakeholders in preparation of the initiative
is needed
- Checking
monitoring of implementation and of results is essential
- Communication
reporting to the public on results, as well as listening to
feedback, is necessary
Benefits of Voluntary Initiatives
- More flexible than regulations and may be
better suited to rapidly changing or complex situations
- Improve dialogue and trust between business,
government and public
- Provide opportunities for innovation and
flexibility in meeting environmental goals.
Learn more about voluntary initiatives with
UNEP DTIE's Industry Outreach
activities.
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