Climate and Environment
Climate change, limited natural resources and the insatiable global demand for energy: these challenges make sustainability in business more urgent than ever before. Climate change is a global challenge that must also be met globally. The BDI is committed to climate protection and to the European climate package. However, the cost-effectiveness of the measures taken must be scrutinised; the auctioning of certificates (EUAs) in the EU emissions trading scheme, for example, will not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but will rather deprive companies of investment funds that could otherwise be used to improve their facilities.
The BDI climate study »Costs and Potentials of Greenhouse Gas Abatement in Germany« demonstrates that industry is able to innovate products, processes and technologies to ensure efficient climate protection across all sectors. The BDI is equally committed to the targets of environmental, consumer and labour protection. After all, an intact environment, healthy and satisfied consumers and workers are key positive location advantages.
A lot depends on the compatibility of the various laws and regulations here. Now that REACH has been enacted, the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals and the regulation of chemical substances should be conducted in centralised, consistent and transparent processes – and no longer in a myriad of separate laws and diffuse modalities. The BDI is applying its expertise in all environmental and technological fields to the achievement of this goal.
