良好的环境规制对于竞争力的贡献【外文翻译】.doc

1、 外文翻译 原文 The Contribution of Good Environmental Regulation to Competitiveness Material Source: The Journal of European Environmental（ November 2005） Author: the Network of Heads of European Environment Protection Agencies “Good environmental regulation in Europe can support a clean, competitive econ

2、omy and a healthy environment in which to work and live.” The Contribution of Good Environmental Regulation to Competitiveness one Summary. In the context of the current EU focus on growth and jobs ,this paper reviews the evidence on the links between environmental regulation and competitiveness. It

3、 finds that a modern approach to regulation can: reduce costs for industry and business create markets for environmental goods and services drive innovation reduce business risk and increase the confidence of the investment markets and insurers assist competitive advantage and create competitive mar

4、ketscreate and sustain jobs improve the health of the workforce and the wider public protect the natural resources on which business and we all depend We conclude that there is now significant evidence from international research that good environmental management and regulation does not impede over

5、all competitiveness and economic development. On the contrary, It can be beneficial by creating pressure that drives innovation and alerts business about resource in efficiencies and new opportunities. The Network of Heads of European Environmental Protection Agencies submits this paper as its contr

6、ibution to the current debate. Introduction Effective environmental regulation is integral to successful markets, an essential ingredient of a vibrant, modern economy. Unregulated markets would be chaotic, unfair and unlikely to deliver what people want safe, reliable products and a clean environmen

7、t in which to live and work. The opposite is sometimes assumed-that environmental regulation represents sand in the cogs of the economy, resulting only in burdens on business, inefficiency and lower competitiveness. Businesses often focus on the time spent and cost of dealing with regulators and ten

8、d to underestimate the benefits of regulation to business and wider society. Oppressive environmental regulation can be damaging, but a modern approach can help to deliver the environmental improvements people want in a way that fits with a competitive economy. Good, modern regulation is likely to i

9、ncorporate a mix of policy tools, including market-based measures such as emissions trading, a risk-based approach, and effective engagement and dialogue with business and other stakeholders. Some countries, including Germany, Italy and Sweden, point to the advantages of having a coherent environmen

10、tal code bringing together, summarising and harmonising all relevant environmental legislation, including on nature conservation. Such a code can enhance the clarity of law for the public and for businesses and simplify enforcement by the competent authorities. Society benefits from less pollution a

11、nd waste and improved quality of life. Businesses can also be better off with clear standards that are enforced effectively, rather than uncertainty and unfair competition from those who ignore the rules. Good environmental regulation helps reduce costs for industry and business. Business can benefi

12、t directly because regulation in areas such as energy efficiency and waste reduction can deliver cost savings and help companies develop more attractive products. These reduced costs add up to substantial benefits across the whole economy. Research in the UK suggests that: waste minimisation could y

13、ield almost 4.4 bn euros saving in manufacturers annual operating costs, equal to 7% of profits in 2000. -60% of the savings come from the costs of materials that do not end up in the final product, industry could save 2.7 bn euros through energy efficiency, typical payback periods for waste investm

14、ents are no more than 12 months. the agriculture sector could save some 1.3 bn euros through improved environmental management practices. Individual companies also show that such gains need not be short-lived. The health care company Baxter International reckons it is saving more than 50m euros a ye

15、ar from measures such as packaging and waste reduction which have been introduced since 1996. The technology company 3M began its pollution prevention programme in 1975 and is still profiting from it, having saved over 740m euros since then. The Italian National Consortium for the Recovery and Recyc

16、ling of Cellulose Based Packaging (Comieco) recently published the results of the activities of differentiated paper and carton collection carried out by the member industries over the last six years. The cost/benefit analysis shows a positive balance of 610m euros, the equivalent of the entire year

17、ly production of the Italian paper industry and the equivalent of 3.5 years of paper consumption of the newspaper industry. Smart regulation can help companies understand how to capture such gains, providing benefits to them and their shareholders, as well as delivering environmental improvements al

18、ong side regulatory compliance. Voluntary agreements between governments and industry can prove to be useful policy tools to promote innovative environmental practices, particularly those based on a core regulatory framework accompanied by a series of specific voluntary measures and activities of co

19、mmon interest set up with a wide range of stakeholders. An example is the Voluntary Agreement for the Petrochemical area of Porto Margherain the Venice Lagoon(Italy). It has produced a series of qualitative advantages and environmental cost savings in terms of cleaning up and remediation of the cont

20、aminated site, also preventing or reducing the cost of ongoing or potential legal actions. It also includes a monitoring and verification component and the full involvement of public, private and social stakeholders over time. Higher environmental standards and regulation help create markets for env

21、ironmental goods and services. The world market for environmental goods and services is estimated to be worth 425 bn euros and is likely to grow to 565 bn euros by 2010 4. This figure is comparable with those for the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries. In the UK, the environmental goods and ser

22、vices industry already consists of over 17,000 companies with an estimated annual turnover of 33bn euros. The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics in Lund reported continuous growth in the number of Swedens environment-related jobs. It is forecast that in the years ahead, m

23、ore and more people will devote at least some of their working hours to environment-related tasks. Michael Porter of Harvard University was instrumental in showing that countries with high environmental standards often have market-leading firms and record better economic performance than those with

24、lower standards. This is because high standards can stimulate innovation both in firms selling environmental solutions and in those having to comply. English Nature has provided a useful summary of international research in this area undertaken since Porters initial challenge. Good environmental reg

25、ulation drives innovation. Some industries depend for commercial success on high environmental standards, most obviously those providing clean technology and waste management. Danish leadership in wind turbine technology is an example of a country gaining competitive advantage by pursuing environmen

26、tal leadership and innovation. The way businesses respond to regulation is more important, especially in the environmental context where regulation is often designed specifically to change behaviour. Michael Porter has recognised this dynamism, writing:“ The data clearly show that the costs of addre

27、ssing environmental regulations can be minimised, if not eliminated, through innovation that delivers other benefits.” Some argue that if companies risk profitability by failing to innovate then an unregulated market will pass judgement. However Porter and Van der Linde have argued that this overcom

28、e business inertia, to alert and educate companies about resource efficiencies and the potential for technological improvement and to protect the environment in the interim. It is clear, for example, that companies innovate in response to tighter waste regulation, to change products and processes so

29、 that they generate less waste. They save money and possibly find an opportunity to charge a premium price for an improved product. Similarly, companies have responded to the climate change levy by investing in energy efficiency, again cutting costs. A World Wildlife Fund report on the effect of pro

30、posed EU chemicals regulations on innovation found that the regulations were likely to promote innovation by encouraging the replacement of risky and less sustainable chemicals with safer alternatives. Indeed, this innovation can allow an industry to be more competitive internationally because the r

31、esultant products are in greater demand. Other measures must accompany good regulation in order to convince markets of the merit of environmental technologies. As the European Unions Environmental Technology Action Plan(ETAP)states, actions to increase purchaser confidence are necessary such as impr

32、oving testing, performance verification and standard isation. The removal of environmentally harmful subsidies and targeted economic incentive sare among other important policy tools. Possible roles for government in assisting the development of environmental technologies are identified in a study o

33、f 18 examples of eco-efficient innovations from across the EU carried out for the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment in 2004 11. The opportunities for growth based on the sound management of the environment should also be high on the international agenda. This is recognised

34、by the enlarged G8 through the proposed 3Rs initiative which pursues globally a sound material-cycle approach of reducing, reusing and recycling resources and waste. Good environmental regulation reduces business risk and increases confidence of the investment market and insurers. Financial benefits

35、 can also be seen in the results of companies that manage environmental issues well, and pension funds that invest in them. Recent research found a close link between environmental governanceembracing policies, processes and performanceand financial performance. Such a link was found in 51 of 60 rec

36、ent studies reviewed by researchers, covering performance of individual companies, whole sectors and pension funds. For example, the difference in financial performance between the best and worst environmental performers in the oil and gas sector was nearly 12% over three years. Similarly the UK Fin

37、ancial Times Share Exchange(FTSE) prices of the best electric utilities beat the worst companies by 39% over three years. Another recent study, by the Climate Group, found that 5 international companies(DuPont, Alcan, British Telecom, IBM and Norske Canada) had achieved reductions of over 60% in the

38、ir greenhouse gas emissions since 1990. The resulting savings of over 6bn euros resulted from improved energy efficiency (process, product, buildings), fuel switching and reduced waste. The banking and insurance sectors, which provide strategic business advice and insure all businesses, look more fa

39、vourably on those with a good environmental record and low environmental risks, providing better access to capital and lower insurance premiums than for businesses with a poorer record. A recent Danish study confirmed that financial institutions pay attention to environmental risk management in thei

40、r evaluations of companies. Good environmental regulation can assist competitive advantage and can help create competitive markets. Several economic studies have exposed the myth that regulation leads to competitive disadvantage. On the contrary, good regulation can have a positive impact through st

41、imulating dynamic responses, innovation and better practices. The World Bank has observed that “Contrary to common perceptions, higher environmental standards in industrial countries have not tended to lower their international competitiveness”. The World Resources Institute says “There is no eviden

42、ce that industries affected by regulatory costs do poorly in international markets. 译文 良好 的环境规制对于竞争力的 贡献 资料来源 :欧洲环境 学 报 2005 年 11 月 , 作者： 欧洲环保机构负责人 小 组 “欧洲的良好环境规制可以为我们的工作和生活创造一个干净的、 有竞争力的、健康的环境。” 良好的环境规制对于竞争力的贡献： 在当前欧盟普遍关注经济增长和就业的背景下，本文列举例证对于环境规制和竞争力之间的关系进行研究，结果发现一个现代规制方法可以： -减少工业和商业成本 -创建环境商品和服务市场

43、-驱动创新 -降低经营风险，提高保险公司的投资信心 -辅助竞争优 势，创造竞争性的市场，创造和维持就业 -保护自然资源 我们的结论是，现在有来自国际研究的充分例证可以证明，良好的环境管理和调控不妨碍整体竞争力和经济发展。相反，它可以通过创建压力，驱动效率而在资源创新和创作新的机会上有所贡献，并提高企业效益。欧洲的环保机构负责人提交本文作为本次辩论的 投稿 。 引言 有效地环境规制对于成功的市场来说是不可或缺的，同时也是一个充满活力的现代经济体的重要组织部分。没有规制的市场必将是混杂、不公平 的 ，而是不可能带给人们安全、和信赖的产品以及一个干净的生存环境的。 持相反意见 的人认为，环境规制只是

44、经济发展的撒丁齿轮，只会给商业带来负担、无效率和低竞争力，因此企业总是重视时间和成本，而低估了规制给商业和整个社会带来的益处。 严格的环境规制可能是有害的，但是现代方法可以以人们喜欢的、利于提升经济体竞争力的方式来改善环境。良好的现代规制可能是很多政策工具的混合，包 括基于市场的措施，如排放权交易，以风险为基础的方针，有效的参与和与企业和其他利益相关者的对话 。 有些国家，包括德国、意大利、瑞典，都明确了一种连贯的环境代码的好处，即汇总和协调各种相关环境立法。这种环境代码可以加强公民和企业的法律明晰度，简化执法工作的难度。 整个社会从污染和浪费的减少中获益并得以提高生活质量，商业也得以有效地运

45、行，而不是和那些无视规则的企业从事不确定、不公平的竞争。 良好的环境规制可以减少工业和商业的成本。 企业可以从中直接获利，因为地区规制例如能源使用效率和废弃物减排，可以降低成本，帮助企业发展更有吸引力的产品。 这些降低了的成本汇集在一起有效地改变了整个经济体。 来自英国的研究表明： -废物最小化可以减少生产商每年运行成本的 44 亿欧元 -60%的节约是来自于物质成本方面 -能源使用效率使得工业节省了 27 亿欧元 -处理废弃物的投资收益期不会超过一年 -农业部门通过改善的环境管理措施得以节省 13 亿欧元 一些公司表示，这些收益不会是短暂的。据 医疗保健巴克斯特国际公司估计，自从 1996

46、年引入废弃物减排和废物包装等措施，公司已经节约了超过5000 万欧元的成本。科技公司 3m 自从 1975 年久开始执行期污染防治计划，到现在已经获益 7400 万欧元之多。 意大利全国回收及循环再造的包装纤维素联盟 近来发布了关于纸制品分类措施的结果，在过去六年的执行过程中，成本收益比的分析显 示的是达到 6亿一千万欧元的平衡，相当于意大利造纸工业的全年产值，也相当于整个新闻行业 3.5 年的纸制品消费量。 明智的规制可以帮助企业了解如何获取收益，给他们和他们的股东带来好处，同时也伴随着环境的改善。 政府和行业之间的自愿协议，可以证明是有用的政策工具 以促进创新的环保措施， 尤其是那些是依据

47、核心的监管框架的具体措施 ,它伴随着一系列具体的自愿措施和基于股东共同利益的活动。 一个 典型 例子是为波尔图威尼斯泻湖（意大利）石油化工领域的自愿协议。 它通过清理和补救那些受污染场地，创造了很多优势和环保成本的节约。同时也阻 止或降低了已有的和潜在的合法活动的成本。 它还包括一个监测和核查 机构，以及公众、私人和股东的参与。 严厉的环保标准和规制有利于为环保产品和服务创造市场。 据估计，世界环保产品和服务市场价值高达 4250 亿欧元，而且这一数据到 2010 年 4 月会增长到 5650 亿。这个数字可以与 航空航天和制药业相提并论了。在英国，环保产品与服务行业涵盖了 17000 多个企

48、业，年营业额达到330 亿欧元。 据 工业环境经济国际研究所在隆德 的 报道 ， 在瑞典与环境有关的就业人数持续增长。 可以 预测，在未来几年，越来越多的人将 或多或少 投入他们的工作时 间， 从事 一些与环境有关的任务 。 哈佛大学的迈克尔 波特教授表示，具有较高环保标准的企业往往是在市场中领先或保持较好记录的企业。这是因为，高标准可以激励企业进行创新，不仅仅是在公司的环保方案上实现创新，也是在公司管理规则上的创新。 一些国家通过严格的环保标准取得了商业成功，他们中的大多数是通过提供清洁技术和废物管理。丹麦在风力涡轮技术上的领先就是一个例证，丹麦通过追求环保领先和创新，获得了其竞争力优势。 企业应对规制的方法更为重要， 尤其是在环境方面， 规制 往往是专门设计来改变行为 的。迈克尔 波特已经认识到了这种 动力，他写道：“数据清晰的显示出，解决环境法规的成本可降至最低，如果无法降低的话，便可以通过创新带来其他收益。” 有些人认为，如果 公司的盈利未能再创新 ， 不规范的市场将作出判决。不过波特和范德林德这样可以克服商业惯性，以警示和教育企业要重视资源短缺、技术创新以及保护过渡期的环境。