The voluntary approach: An effective means of achieving sustainable development?

This paper identifies two broad approaches to achieving sustainable development: (a) the voluntary approach and (b) legislative requirements. This paper concentrates on the limits of the voluntary approach. First, it examines the limits resulting from the way in which markets currently operate. It then goes on to look at four aspects of the voluntary approach: environmental policies; environmental management systems (standards); environmental charters and corporate environmental reporting –and notes the limitations of these methods in improving environmental performance. This paper argues that the voluntary approach will not deliver the increase in environmental performance necessary to bring about sustainable development and that this increase will result only from adopting a legislative approach.