Compliance with producer responsibility legislation: experiences from UK small and medium-sized enterprises
Compliance with producer responsibility legislation: experiences from UK small and medium-sized enterprises
This study investigated the legal performance of UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with producer responsibility legislation. The research incorporated legislation controlling packaging and packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment and the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Compliance audits and interviews were conducted with SMEs, regulators, government officials and SME support organisations. A total of 44 SMEs from the north-west of England were audited between April and September 2008. The study's findings suggest:
low levels of ‘letter of the law’ and ‘spirit of the law’ compliance;
enforcement activity and surveillance of SME compliance was generally low; there has not been any formal enforcement action taken under the WEEE Regulations or the RoHS Regulations and enforcement under the PER Regulations is extremely low.
Recommendations on how to improve SME compliance control systems are provided.
compliance, producer responsibility, smes, environmental law, auditing
310-330
Wilson, Christopher Wilson
eb381bbe-db21-4e4a-9a73-7045352eeb3a
Williams, Ian David
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
Kemp, Simon
942b35c0-3584-4ca1-bf9e-5f07790d6e36
July 2011
Wilson, Christopher Wilson
eb381bbe-db21-4e4a-9a73-7045352eeb3a
Williams, Ian David
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
Kemp, Simon
942b35c0-3584-4ca1-bf9e-5f07790d6e36
Wilson, Christopher Wilson, Williams, Ian David and Kemp, Simon
(2011)
Compliance with producer responsibility legislation: experiences from UK small and medium-sized enterprises.
Business Strategy and the Environment, 20 (5), .
(doi:10.1002/bse.698).
Abstract
This study investigated the legal performance of UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with producer responsibility legislation. The research incorporated legislation controlling packaging and packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment and the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Compliance audits and interviews were conducted with SMEs, regulators, government officials and SME support organisations. A total of 44 SMEs from the north-west of England were audited between April and September 2008. The study's findings suggest:
low levels of ‘letter of the law’ and ‘spirit of the law’ compliance;
enforcement activity and surveillance of SME compliance was generally low; there has not been any formal enforcement action taken under the WEEE Regulations or the RoHS Regulations and enforcement under the PER Regulations is extremely low.
Recommendations on how to improve SME compliance control systems are provided.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 28 September 2010
Published date: July 2011
Keywords:
compliance, producer responsibility, smes, environmental law, auditing
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 186323
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/186323
ISSN: 0964-4733
PURE UUID: d64a9bfd-b2a6-4cea-92fb-95b8ec8fbe8a
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Date deposited: 13 May 2011 08:51
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:22
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Author:
Christopher Wilson Wilson
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