An organizing framework for the implementation of environmental voluntary approaches

Abstract

Abstract There is a rich terminology associated with environmental voluntary approaches. The richness in terminology is matched by the pervasive nature of the implementation of voluntary approaches into the fabric of European environmental policy and regulation. The lack of a universal definition of what an environmental voluntary approach is has made the implementation task more difficult. The richness in terminology dealing with environmental voluntary approaches is categorized and the characteristics, context and implementation of environmental voluntary approaches are discussed. This paper proposes an organizing framework for the implementation of environmental voluntary approaches, which includes context assessment; instrument rationale; negotiation process; content; implementation; and post‐implementation, enforcement and monitoring. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.