UK environmental regulations are ‘heavy handed’ and cost UK businesses £4 billion a year to comply with, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has claimed.
In a new report, the CBI said that unless the government acted to reduce costs, businesses would not be able to significantly improve their green credentials.
The report stated that green laws cost firms £4 billion a year and that the government was not sympathetic to business needs when implementing legislation.
The CBI said that the enforcement of EU directives, such as the disposals of hazardous waste, has not been done in a business-friendly manner, with many firms worried about the impact of such laws.
The government has introduced several environmentally-friendly business rules over the past year, demanding that firms become more energy efficient and dispose of waste effectively.
Bosses have been warned that they will face heavy fines if they flout the laws.
John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, said that firms are not trying to avoid their environmental responsibilities.
“They want to comply but they also want the government to help them do the right thing in a cost-effective way.
“Too much environmental regulation is badly designed and poorly implemented. We are not anti-regulation or against rigorous enforcement but we make no apology for complaining about sloppy laws that are implemented poorly and enforced in an ill-considered fashion,” he said.
