CODES OF ENVIRONMENTAL-MANAGEMENT PRACTICE - ASSESSING THEIR POTENTIAL AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE

Codes of environmental management practice emerged as a tool of enviro nmental policy in the late 1980s. Industry and other groups have devel oped codes for two purposes: to change the environmental behavior of p articipating firms and to increase public confidence in industry's com mitment to environmental protection. This review examines five codes o f environmental management practice: Responsible Care, the Internation al Chamber of Commerce's Business Charter for Sustainable Development, ISO 14000, the CERES Principles, and The Natural Step. The first thre e codes have been drafted and promoted primarily by industry; the othe rs have been developed by non-industry groups. These codes have spurre d participating firms to introduce new practices, including the instit ution of environmental management systems, public environmental report ing, and community advisory panels. The extent to which codes are intr oducing a process of cultural change is considered in terms of four di mensions: new consciousness, norms, organization, and tools.