National frameworks

.

A central focus for Broadway continues to be helping to develop the legal, governance and policy frameworks for sustainability at the national level.

Without these, business cannot plan and invest in a way that will help deliver environmental progress alongside economic prosperity, and society cannot be confident that environmental goals will be met.  

The Climate Change Act and the system of carbon budgets informed by the CCC provides an overall framework for net zero, but such clarity was lacking for the broader environment. In Broadway’s early years we focused on a creating a business-NGO consensus on a post-Brexit environmental policy framework. We worked closely with environment secretary Michael Gove, and our proposals [link to The Environment Act – a blueprint report in the publications section] formed much of the basis of the Environment Act.  

With the Environment Act in place and the first Environmental Improvement Plan now law, we now have a workable high level framework for environmental policy:

But there is more to do.  Our focus now is:

  • Developing delivery mechanisms to connect this framework with activity on the ground. This requires mechanisms at the sector level such as our work on net zero sector roadmaps and at the local level
  • Rationalising the myriad of different sustainability requirements for SMEs across procurement into a single national framework.

Key people

Edward Lockhart-Mummery

Convenor

Broadway Initiative

Matthew Farrow

Chief Operating Officer

Broadway Initiative

Key publications

What should the Government's Net Zero Strategy say about SMEs?

The Dasgupta Review: how the government's response can help business invest in nature

Governing the Environment: is there a case for UK architecture?

Blueprint for an Environment Act

Assurances for an Environment Act

Environment Bill: 5 changes to unlock market and local power to solve environmental challenges

Principles for the development of National Frameworks

Government’s central role is to create the conditions for society to meet needs and aspirations in a way that achieves a healthy environment. Policies need to be:

Long-term and predictable

so people can plan, invest and collaborate

Clear on who is responsible for what

so people can start to think for themselves about how to solve problems

Outcome focussed and technology neutral

so people can innovate and find the best solutions for their circumstances

Responsive to changing circumstances

so we can adapt as the environment, society and the economy, or understanding of them, changes

Incentivising

so it is simpler, quicker and cheaper to be environmentally friendly and hard and costly to fail

User centric

so policies are proportionate and designed for users rather than having separate administrative regimes for each element of the environment

Credible, fair and robust

so everyone is confident that rules will be enforced and no one can profit from degrading the environment

Internationally aligned

so they enable UK businesses to trade with the world and access markets for UK solutions

Evidence based

so decisions are taken in full knowledge of the facts, aiming to avoid predictable or unintended consequences

Share by: