Asia Pacific Environmental and Occupational Health Journal

Environmental issues are no longer issues restricted within national borders but are fast becoming regional and international concerns. International agendas such as the 1989 Basle Convention to curb the movement of toxic wastes across the globe, the 1992 UNCED meeting in Rio de Janeiro to minimise the impacts of development on the environment, and the continuing discussions on the establishment of the ISO 14000 environmental standardisation for industries, are testimonies to the extent of international attention being given to environmental issues.

These international events have caught the attention of government, public and the corporate world. It is therefore obvious from these recent developments that we will have to change the way in which we view the environment. This means that governments, especially those of developing countries have to update and tighten their legislation and enforcement efforts, while industries have to streamline their management and production activities and modify their polluting processes. As it is in any process of change, those who change first will benefit the most and suffers the least impediment from the change. This is probably why many large corporations, especially the multinationals, are gearing themselves up to face this emerging worldwide environmental wind of change. As it normally is in the business world, those who response earliest to an inevitable change will enjoy the competitive edge over their competitors. With this world scenario in mind, let us review the current and future environmental issues confronting the corporate world.