Legislation to protect and enhance the environment has now passed into UK law.
Through the new Environment Act, Government aims to “clean up the country’s air, restore natural habitats, increase biodiversity, reduce waste and make better use of resources”. It hopes to incentivise people to recycle more and encourage businesses to create sustainable packaging.
These changes will be driven by new legally binding environmental targets, and enforced by a new, independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) which will hold government and public bodies to account on their environmental obligations.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “The Environment Act will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.
“The UK will now be able to go further than ever before to clamp down on illegal deforestation and protect rainforests, through a package of measures will ensure that greater resilience, traceability and sustainability are built into the UK’s supply chains.
“The Act will crack down on water companies that discharge sewage into rivers, waterways and coastlines. It will see a duty enshrined in law to ensure water companies secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows.”
The law will also mean businesses will need to be more transparent about where they source key commodities from, and businesses that fail to comply will be subject to fines, with the precise level to be set at a later date through secondary legislation.