The BAT process includes agreeing and setting emissions limits within environmental permits and determining the types of technologies and methods operators should use to reduce their environmental impact.  

The United Kingdom has launched the new ‘Best Available Techniques’ framework to enable regulators and the industry to work together to identify and apply updated and challenging standards to reduce harmful emissions and improve environmental performance. The aim is to develop higher standards for industrial emissions as it moves away from the EU framework.

Under the permits granted by environmental regulators to industrial facilities like textile and chemical industries, businesses must use the best techniques available to them to prevent or minimise emissions and their impacts on the environment.  

The new framework will see the UK government and Devolved Administrations, i.e, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the department of agriculture, environment and rural affairs) working with industry and local councils to identify these methods from across the UK’s largest industries, according to an official release.

The collaborative approach will also give industry greater certainty to support investment that will drive forward innovation in cleaner technologies, the release said.  

A new governance structure will be established, with new independent bodies, called the Standards Council and the Regulators Group, consisting of government officials and expert regulators from all four nations of the UK.

A UK Air Quality Governance Group will also be set up to oversee the work of the Standards Council and the delivery of the requirements under this new framework. Interested parties from industry, academia and civil society will be able to engage in the running of the BAT system through an advisory group being set up by the UK BAT Team.  

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)