Businesses support rapid implementation of environmental principles

Reacting to the publication of the Draft Policy Statement on Environmental Principles, Nick Molho, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, said: “We welcome the publication of the Draft Policy Statement on Environmental Principles, which provides greater clarity on the application of environmental principles by Ministers. Businesses would like to see a rapid and full implementation of these principles across all Government departments, with environmental principles being considered at a very early stage in the policy development process. From a business perspective, this will help ensure that all Government policies are supportive of positive environmental outcomes, and are coherent and cost-effective. At a time where the focus is on restoring nature – not just preventing further environmental damage –, the consistent implementation of environmental principles across Whitehall should go hand in hand with cross-government efforts to meet the nature restoration targets currently being developed under the Environment Act.”

Nick Molho concluded: “The Environmental Principles Policy Statement provides some welcome clarity on how the five environmental principles should be applied in practice. However, the guidance provided on the application of some principles, such as the precautionary principle, would benefit from further clarification through the development of specific case studies. We would encourage the Government to work closely with stakeholders on developing these in the months ahead.”