EPA Victoria has released a practical guide to help businesses of all sizes to minimise their greenhouse gas emissions.
The new Guideline for Minimising Greenhouse Gas Emissions is designed to help businesses from the local hairdresser and coffee shop to big service providers and manufacturers cut their emissions and meet their obligations under the Environment Protection Act 2017.
EPA Victoria CEO Lee Miezis says EPA has made improvements to the guideline after releasing a draft version for feedback earlier this year.
“Importantly, while every business is expected to make progress on cutting its GHG output, the guideline does not impose a rigid set of rules. The aim is to help businesses take reasonable actions based on their individual situation,” Mr Miezis said.
“While a big industrial operator might calculate their greenhouse gas emissions in proportion to their scale and resources, a local shop or farm might use reductions in their power and gas bills as measures of success,” he said.
“It all fits in with the General Environmental Duty (GED), a legal obligation under the act requiring anyone whose activities pose risks of harm to the environment or human health to understand those risks and take reasonably practicable steps to minimise them.”
These guidelines explain how to identify sources of GHG emissions, assess the risk of harm, implement measures to reduce them and assess the effectiveness of the measures chosen.
“EPA is committed to playing our part. Our role is to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of pollution and waste on Victorians and the environment and while EPA doesn’t regulate all sources that contribute to climate change, we have a responsibility to consider the effects in our regulatory decision making,” Mr Miezis said.
“Just like businesses, we must act to ensure the harm from industrial emissions - including greenhouse gases - is minimised in a meaningful and sustainable way.” he said.
You can download the new ‘Guideline for Minimising Greenhouse Gas Emissions’ from the EPA website epa.vic.gov.au/about-epa/publications/2048
The new Guideline for Minimising Greenhouse Gas Emissions is designed to help businesses from the local hairdresser and coffee shop to big service providers and manufacturers cut their emissions and meet their obligations under the Environment Protection Act 2017.
EPA Victoria CEO Lee Miezis says EPA has made improvements to the guideline after releasing a draft version for feedback earlier this year.
“Importantly, while every business is expected to make progress on cutting its GHG output, the guideline does not impose a rigid set of rules. The aim is to help businesses take reasonable actions based on their individual situation,” Mr Miezis said.
“While a big industrial operator might calculate their greenhouse gas emissions in proportion to their scale and resources, a local shop or farm might use reductions in their power and gas bills as measures of success,” he said.
“It all fits in with the General Environmental Duty (GED), a legal obligation under the act requiring anyone whose activities pose risks of harm to the environment or human health to understand those risks and take reasonably practicable steps to minimise them.”
These guidelines explain how to identify sources of GHG emissions, assess the risk of harm, implement measures to reduce them and assess the effectiveness of the measures chosen.
“EPA is committed to playing our part. Our role is to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of pollution and waste on Victorians and the environment and while EPA doesn’t regulate all sources that contribute to climate change, we have a responsibility to consider the effects in our regulatory decision making,” Mr Miezis said.
“Just like businesses, we must act to ensure the harm from industrial emissions - including greenhouse gases - is minimised in a meaningful and sustainable way.” he said.
You can download the new ‘Guideline for Minimising Greenhouse Gas Emissions’ from the EPA website epa.vic.gov.au/about-epa/publications/2048
Reviewed 27 September 2022
