The Aldersgate Group's aim is to raise awareness in the UK and Europe of the wide-ranging (economic and social) benefits of high environmental standards.

We also seek to build political support for smarter environmental policymaking and implementation that is based on a thorough assessment of these wider economic benefits.

The Group brings together a broad range of players, who all believe that long term economic success can only be achieved with the sustainable use of natural resources - economic growth and environmental protection must go hand in hand.

Our intention is to prove that environmental standards are a fundamental part of long-term economic competitiveness as well as quality of life.  
 
We believe that:

  1. Our long term economic success depends on a healthy environment and the sustainable use of natural resources
  2. More immediately, at company level, good environmental performance and efficient use of resources make good business sense.
  3. Environmental regulation presents new business and employment opportunities, not just in the high-growth environment sector, but in other sectors too.
  4. Policy appraisals and regulatory impact assessments should be balanced and objective.  They should neither undervalue the benefits nor overplay the costs of regulations.
  5. Better Regulation means having a regulatory environment which is proportional, accountable, consistent, transparent, targeted, efficient and effective.


Our core argument is set out in our launch report that was released in 2006, entitled
‘Green Foundations: better regulation and a healthy environment for growth and jobs’.