Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

 11.6. 
 Voluntary measures of environmental 
policy
Any  form  of  business  or  production  as  well  as  any  individual 
action can have an impact on the environ ment, causing environ-
mental degradation. At the same time, the public interest in environ-
mental  issues  and  the  impact  of  specific  manufacturing  processes 
or companies on the environ ment is increasing. In addition, the 
lawmakers are also interested to make the operations of companies, 
plants, industrial units comply with the requirements of the law, 
whereas consumers want them to operate or provide services in an 
environ ment-friendly way. Finally, employees also want to work in a 
safe and healthy work environ ment.
An environ mental management system helps satisfy the interests 
of everyone by establishing certain requirements or principles related 
to processes and products, by preparation of information, as well as 
by  granting  companies  and  plants  certification  of  an  independent 
authority  (certification  organisation)  that  they  meet  certain 
requirements.
In this way, not only those concerned can feel safe and have assur-
ance but also every company is enabled to make its business comply 
with the environmental requirements, as it has an opportunity:
 
Š
to identify and assess the company’s impact on the environment,
 
Š
to formulate the company’s intentions in the area of 
environmental protection (the company’s environmental 
policy and environmental protection objectives),
 
Š
taking into account the financial and technical capabilities, 
to develop the company’s environmental programme aimed 
at systematic and targeted reduction of the negative impacts,
 
Š
to know the legal requirements regulating the company’s 
business activity,
 
Š
to perform accountancy of the company’s resources and 
analysis of the environmental pollution caused.

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268 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
The International Organisation for Stan dardisa tion (ISO) is a 
worldwide federation of national stan dardisation organisations, 
which brings together approximately 100 countries. ISO is a public 
organisation established in 1947.
The ISO 14001 standard developed by the International Organi-
sation for Standardisation is a global-scale environ mental standard.
The  EU  Eco-Management  and  Audit  Scheme  (EMAS)  was 
develop ed and implemented as a management tool to promote en-
viron mental protection, wise use of resources and improvement of 
public information activities at the companies and organisations that 
voluntarily participate in the system.
In the EU Member States, this system works since 1995, initially 
involving  industrial  enterprises.  As  of  2001  –  after  the  adoption 
of  the  European  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  761/2001 allowing 
voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-
management and audit scheme (EMAS) – the system is open to all 
organisations. Upon completing the necessary preparation, any 
enterprise, company, institution and municipality can participate in 
this system. The companies and organisations which are included in 
the EMAS register obtain the right to use the EMAS logo.
In 2009, the Commission decided to extend this environ mental 
management system to all its activities and buildings in Brussels and 
Luxembourg as described in Decision C (2009) 6873. The European 
Commission recognises the positive contribution it can make to 
sustainable Development as a long-term goal through its policy 
and legislative processes as well as in its day-to-day operations and 
decisions.
To  be  more  specific,  the  Commission  commits  to  minimise 
the environ mental impact of its everyday work and continuously 
improve its environ mental performance by:
 
Š
taking measures to prevent pollution and to achieve more 
efficient use of natural resources (mainly energy, water and 
paper);
 
Š
taking measures to reduce overall CO
2
 emissions (mainly 
from buildings and transport);
 
Š
encouraging waste prevention, maximising waste recycling 
and reusing and optimising waste disposal;
 
Š
integrating environmental criteria into public procurement 
pro ce dures and into the rules regarding the organisation of 
events;
 
Š
complying with relevant environmental legislation and regu-
lations;
 
Š
stimulating  the  sustainable  behaviour  of  all  staff  and 
subcontractors through training, information and awareness 
raising actions;