Guide for trade unions representatives for sustainable ... · vehicles and trains, capturing and storing carbon emissions, saving energy at home and at work. Energy and resource efficiency

Guide for tradeunions

representativesfor sustainabledevelopment

IT Il presente progetto ha ricevuto un finanziamento dall’Unione Europea (Linea budgetaria 04 03 0302 Azioni di informazione e formazione per organizzazioni sindacali, bando VP/2011/002. Codice

progetto: VS/2011/0188).

La responsabilità dei contenuti è unicamente dell’autore e la Commissione non è responsabile in alcun modoper qualsiasi uso che possa essere fatto delle informazioni contenute nel presente documento.

EN This project has received funding form the European Union (Budget heading 04 03 03 02Information and training measures for workers' organizations, call VP/2011/002. Identification

number of the project: VS/2011/0188).

Sole responsibility lies with the author and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made ofthe information contained herein.

FR Ce projet a reçu un soutien financier de l’Union Européenne (Ligne budgétaire 04 03 03 02Actions de formation et d'information en faveur des organisations de travailleurs, Appel à

propositions VP/2011/002. Numéro du projet : VS/2011/0188).

Les contenus de ce Guide sont de la responsabilité des auteurs et la Commission Européenne n’est pasresponsable de l’utilisation des informations contenus dans cette publication.

INDEX

Preface Sergio Sorani 3

Presentation Judith Kirton-Darling 5

‘Greening’ our mission Renato Santini 6

Introduction. Greening the economy 7

Chapter 1. Sustainable development 10

Chapter 2. The European framework 14

Chapter 3. Green bargaining for a low carbon economy: a bottom-up approach 18

Chapter 4. Union environmental representatives in the workplace 22

Chapter 5. The union’s role in environmental issues in the community and society 30

Chapter 6. Jobs and skills in a Just Transition 35

Chapter 7. Unions and international action 41

CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS 44

ANNEXES – CHAPTER 1 46






Project partners’ presentation 60

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This guide has been produced by Ecologia e Lavoro, a partner in the project led by CISLToscana in Italy, along with trade unionists from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany,Greece and the UK.

The guide aims to provide workers and union representatives across the EU with thetools to build union activism and action for a sustainable recovery.

The guide covers both the European energy and climate change policy framework andalso provides many practical examples of trade union action which can be taken at alocal level within the workplace.

It is not always easy to convince others that the answers to the economic, environmentaland social crises are one and the same. These ideas are not always immediately accepted- we still need the commitment of workers, employers and governments. But we need tofind new ways to tackle new challenges and this guide aims to provide these.

Special thanks are due the experts who have contributed to the work: Roberto Caracciolo,Director ISPRA (Institute for Environmental Research), Professor Marco Frey (Sant’Annacollege of Pisa University) and Marco Gisotti (Green factor).Special thanks go to Elizabeth Biliotti, Giuseppe D'Ercole and Gabriella Fenili whodrafted the original report.

Sergio SoraniEcologia e Lavoro

Preface

Unions are agents of social and environmentalchange: Let’s act like it!Europe is in crisis on many fronts and each onepresents a fundamental challenge to trade unionsand their members. 25 million people are out ofwork across the EU as workers are paying forthe banking crisis with deep cuts to jobs, wages,and our public services. Half of the young peoplein countries like Spain and Greece are unem-ployed and economic insecurity is widening thegap between rich and poor, making for a moreunequal, more divided Europe. In addition, eco-nomic uncertainties are playing their part inmaking people less concerned about the environ-ment and climate change, at a time when weknow we are pushing the planet to its limit inconsuming energy and natural resources at a to-tally unsustainable rate. Yet within this criticalchallenge of climate change lies the real possi-bility for a sustainable economic recovery, lead-ing to growth, investment and new jobs andskills. In all of this, trade unions have a key roleto play, as they have demonstrated in democraticchanges now evident in France, Greece, Germanyand elsewhere.

There are alternatives to recession and austerity.This guide, developed in cooperation with tradeunions in seven countries (led by CISL Toscanain Italy), aims to provide workers and union rep-resentatives with the tools to build union activismand action for a sustainable recovery.

As trade unionists we recognize that we have aduty to be part of the solution.

For the European Trade Union Confederation(ETUC), Europe today is faced with a three-fold crisis:

• Socially, Europe is reaching its highest everrates of unemployment. Jobs, wages and work-ing conditions are under threat. There has beena dramatic rise in insecure, precarious work inEurope, with youth unemployment wreckingthe hopes of a generation. Yet for want of gov-ernment leadership we have skills’ gaps in keyindustries and professions. We need job cre-ation strategies promoting the value and qualityof work.

• Environmentally, the extreme weather condi-

tions we have been experiencing recently arebecoming far more widespread. In response,opinion polls show that the majority of the pub-lic in the European Union consider globalwarming to be one of the world's most seriousproblems, with all the implications for loss ofbiodiversity and extreme weather events. Cli-mate change poses a threat to peace globallyas resources and energy become more expen-sive and the subject of conflict.

• Our financial system is bust. Our failed bankingsystem is not working for the real economy. Itis incapable of delivering the scale of invest-ment needed to tackle the longer-term chal-lenges of climate change and resource deple-tion. The United Nations has estimated the costof addressing these climate challenges as atleast 2% of global GDP. While we are able tofind financial resources easily for fossil fuelsubsidies or military spending, we are strug-gling to find the money to invest in our com-munities and the planet’s eco-systems on whichwe depend.

As trade unions we are committed to sustainabledevelopment. We pushed for workers’ health andsafety and environmental regulation in the past,and we must continue this legacy to defend ourwell-being in the future.

This means changing the way we produce andconsume goods and services, to conserve re-sources, work smarter and avoid destroying vitaleco-systems provided by our seas and forests. Itmeans urgently finding alternatives to fossil fuels– oil, gas, coal. We need investment in the newtechnologies of the future and the jobs and skillsthat go with them - solar and wind power, electricvehicles and trains, capturing and storing carbonemissions, saving energy at home and at work.Energy and resource efficiency on the scale thatclimate change and ‘planetary boundaries’ de-mand will mean pushing for new models such asthe ‘circular economy’. This is based on designingproducts that can be broken down and reused atthe end of their life. It means reduced consump-tion of materials and energy, recycling muchmore, and reusing waste as a raw material fornew production.

For the ETUC, this means a fundamental and

Presentation

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necessary shift for our societies, where tradeunions have a vital part to play. Our challenge isto make the most of the potential for job creationand social cohesion for workers and their fami-lies, but also to avoid negative consequenceswherever they may arise. Therefore, we have con-sistently called for a ‘just transition’ to the energyand resource efficient model we need. There arefive pillars to our ‘just transition’:

1. Participation and dialogue at all levels.

2. Investment in job creation and transforma-tion, through low carbon industrial policies andinfrastructure investment.

3. Effective and publicly-driven training andskills programmes, including an individual rightto training for all workers regardless of contract.

4. Respect for trade union and human rights.No job can be a green job if it is not a decent job.

5. Social protection safety nets for workers neg-atively affected by the transition, with activelabour market policies and well-financed socialsecurity systems. For the ETUC all workers re-gardless of sector, profession, gender or age, havea role to play in this transition and in ensuringthe greening of their own workplaces. The ETUC

is committed to an inclusive approach.

This European guide for trade union environmen-tal representatives is intended to be used as a toolto help trade unionists at all levels better under-stand the importance of sustainable development– where finance works for the common good,where growth respects the environment, and how‘just transition’ can be promoted as the way for-ward. The guide includes information on thetools already available, many examples of uniongood practice, the rights and policies we want topromote, and the goals we wish to achieve.

I hope the guide will prove useful for trade union-ists to find ways of addressing sustainable devel-opment in their own industries, workplaces andunions, and demonstrate the value of workingpeople’s voices in this vital area. Whether throughunion-only initiatives or collective bargaining, Ihope this guide will give inspiration to union rep-resentatives and provide a basis for unions towork together to promote solutions for peopleand the planet and not just for profit.

Good luck with your efforts to green your work-places wherever they are.

Judith Kirton-Darling (ETUC)

Work on this European guide for trade union environmental representatives was led byCISL Toscana (together with IAL Toscana and Ecologia e Lavoro) and supported bythe ETUC and six trade unions partners:

• Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS NW e.V – Germany• Confederation of Labour PODKREPA – Bulgaria• Confédération Démocratique du Travail – France• EKA Athens Labour Unions Organization – Greece• Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique – Belgium• Trades Union Congress (TUC) – UK.

The guide aims to provide workers and union representatives across the EU with thetools to build union activism and action for a sustainable recovery.

The guide draws on the experience of trade unionists who have been involved forseveral years in sustainable development, with the aim of raising the interest of alltrade unionists to engage in the challenge of greening the economy. Sustainable eco-nomic growth is vital to safeguard our, and future generations’, habitat on Earthwith a more equitable and inclusive dimension.

To be effective and inclusive, participation in this great transformation has to beginat the workplace. This is the objective of this green guide: reaching out to all work-places and employees.

The term ‘green’ as used throughout this guide means aspiring to a greener planetthat ensures a safer and more secure world for all species that live in it.

I wish you a good time using the guide and every success in your work.

Special thanks to Gabriella Pusztai from IAL Toscana for her diligent work in coor-dinating the partners, and to National CISL Secretary which in the person of FulvioGiacomassi has ensured and continues to ensure full support and confidence.

Renato Santini (CISL Toscana)

‘Greening’ our mission

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“The economic and unemployment crises we are cur-rently experiencing profoundly undermine our socialstructures. For the European Trade Union Confeder-ation (ETUC) there is a clear and urgent alternativeto austerity: a Sustainable New Deal for Europe,based on investment and sustainable governance forthe long term. This is the future of work, transformingthe economy not only in relation to climate or energybut discussing at the same time how we use re-sources. And we have a responsibility as trade unionsto support and train our delegates so that they be-come confident in negotiating around green issues.Trade unions are important stakeholders and wantto have their say about industry policy, climatechange and the environment for the long term. Theunion movement and social dialogue are the firstpillars of a just transition to a sustainable future.”(1).The need to seize the employment opportunitiesof greening the economy (2) is a key recommenda-tion of the Employment Committee of the Euro-pean Union (EU). Its report, Towards a greenerlabour market - the employment dimension of tack-ling environmental challenges (2010), emphasisesthe connections between climate change, environ-mental sustainability and the labour market. A nar-row definition of the ‘green economy’ or ‘green jobs’that limits it to new industries like renewables, failsto capture the full impact of the changes to theworld of work that lie ahead. A ‘just transition’ willaffect the whole world of work “in a similar way tothe challenges of globalisation, technologicalchange and ageing population” (Europe 2020’sstrategy).

So European and national trade unions need to fo-cus on appropriate employment strategies that ad-dress the challenges of our changing climate. Thismeans strengthening our capacity so that we canplay an effective part in building a new economythat limits climate change and maximises new op-portunities for working people.

Critical environmental issues

The environmental impacts of industrial develop-ment began in local areas with implications forhuman health - for example air pollution causingrespiratory diseases - but have increasingly as-sumed a global dimension.

The first global environmental phenomena werethe so-called ‘acid rains’ caused by emissions ofsulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from powerstations, with harmful effects on soil, vegetation,water resources and ecosystems. In response, na-tional governments and the EU introduced toughregulations to clean up emissions from power sta-tions and other industries.

Over time the number of unwanted environmentalpollutants has increased significantly. The followingexamples of critical issues are used by the Euro-pean Environment Agency in preparing periodicreports on the state of the environment in Europe:

Environmental issues

• Greenhouse gases and climate change• Ozone depletion• Biodiversity• Transboundary air pollution• Hazardous substances• Water stress• Soil degradation• Waste• Natural and technological hazards• Genetically modified organisms• Human health• Urban areas• Coastal and marine areas• Rural areas• Mountain areas

The first four have a global reach and require anagreement between all nations. This makes themmore difficult to tackle effectively, as has been theexperience under the UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change.

Further difficulties in addressing these critical is-sues lie in their close interconnection. Climatechange, for example, is the precursor of a signifi-cant number of environmental effects. In generalclimate change driven by greenhouse gas emissionsis causing severe disruption to habitats through

IntroductionGreening the economy

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1) Excerpts from Judith Kirton-Darling’s speech, Florence, January19, 20122 )http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=it&catId=89&newsId=970&furtherNews=yeshttp://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=6438&langId=en

extreme weather events, increased desertification,rising sea levels, and reduction of glaciers, with se-rious consequences for biodiversity.

Species may be lost, but also alien species appearin new territories - like the Asian tiger mosquitonow spreading disease through Europe.

Breaking the chain

The solution lies in building a sustainable futureand transforming the world of work. We have tobe able to competently negotiate, adding the subjectof combating climate change to our knowledgebase. Negotiating for a low carbon society meansrenewing our union mission for a more just andmore responsible society for present and futuregenerations.

We are aware of the difficulty of producing a singleEU guide which reflects the widely different tradeunion traditions across the EU, and the diverseeconomic and regulatory systems among MemberStates.

But we believe it is necessary to have a commonknowledge base in order to give those who are ap-proaching this urgent issue both the broader pic-ture and the opportunities to take part in specificinitiatives.

In the fight against climate change, the EU, itsMember States and the ETUC are engaged in anumber of key strategic initiatives, listed below.This list is not exhaustive – useful updates are avail-able from the EU’s Directorate General for ClimateAction (3) and a free quarterly magazine Environ-ment for Europeans (4)

European environmental initiatives

1. Starting from the UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change (UNFCCC) signed at the Riode Janeiro Conference in 1992, all countries ofthe world are engaged in the fight against climatechange and global warming as consequences ofgreenhouse gas emissions. (5)

2. The UNFCCC convened its 17th annual Confer-ence of the Parties in Durban (December 2011)where it confirmed the need to contain globalwarming to less than 2 degrees above pre-indus-trial levels, based on scientific evidence, in orderto avoid irreversible changes to the climate andthe extreme manifestations that would otherwisefollow. (6) Reducing global warming means a

rapid shift of productive human activity towardsa low carbon economy.

3. The EU has set binding targets on its MemberStates to cut greenhouse gas emissions acrossthe EU by 20% by 2020 and prepared a first roadmap until 2050 for its low carbon economy.(7)

4. The EU’s ‘20-20-20’ targets are:• a reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions ofat least 20% below 1990 levels

• 20% of EU energy consumption to come fromrenewable resources

• 20% reduction in energy use compared withprojected levels, to be achieved by improvingenergy efficiency.

5. Europe 2020 is the EU's growth strategy for thecoming decade. In a changing world, the EU aimsto develop a “smart, sustainable and inclusiveeconomy” (8) .The strategy will help Europe toovercome the crisis both domestically and inter-nationally, promoting competitiveness, produc-tivity, growth potential, social cohesion and eco-nomic convergence. It will introduce reforms inthe medium / long term which will help growthand employment, and ensure the sustainabilityof public finances. All common policies, in par-ticular the common agricultural and cohesionpolicy will align with the new strategy.

6. The ETUC has acknowledged the objectives ofthe European Strategy for 2020 and wants to par-ticipate in the strategy along with its affiliatedtrade unions on behalf of their 65 million mem-bers across the EU (9).

7. The ETUC and national unions have adoptedthe objectives of the low carbon economy (‘20-20-20’) as an opportunity for employment growth,innovation and a more equally distributed devel-opment across Europe (10).

This European guide for trade union environmentalrepresentatives aims to encourage the direct partic-ipation of trade unions and workers in these keystrategic initiatives. The guide aims to promote un-derstanding of environmental issues and interven-

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3) http://ec.europa.eu/environment4) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/news/efe/index.htm5) http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/development/sectoral_de-velopment_policies/l28102_en.htm6) http://unfccc.int/meetings/durban_nov_2011/meeting/6245.php7) http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/272&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en8) http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm9) http://www.etuc.org/r/610) http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/2CO_10_Sustainable_develop-ment_and_Climate_Change_03-10-2.pdf; http://www.etuc.org/a/9159

tion techniques in order to help achieve the objec-tives set by the European Union.

Trade union environmental representatives

“The message we address to a union’s environmentalrepresentative in the just transition scenario is that‘in your company (on your territory) it is you whocan change things’. It means to broaden the horizonof trade unionists to themes that represent not onlythe necessity but also an opportunity for a more sta-ble and competitive economy.” (11)

Different traditions govern union activities acrossthe EU, but they share the principles of autonomy,democracy and solidarity towards their own com-munities. For some unions the main focus is em-ployment-related issues, while others prefer to workthrough local and national institutions.

This guide is intended to be a useful reference forall European trade unionists who feel the need tointervene or improve their action on environmentalissues and, therefore, to increase their skills in thisfield. It reflects the richness of experiences whichcan become shared practices.

The guide does not replace the organisationalchoice of national unions who may have specialistgreen representatives, specifically trained on envi-ronmental issues, or who choose to promote a moregeneral and widely spread environmental cultureor orientation in terms of their capacity for action.Each union will define on the basis of its history,traditions, or even in terms of innovation and ex-perimentation, the forms of organisation and therole they consider appropriate and necessary.

Nevertheless, union environmental representatives,however defined, can be the basis of a bottom-upapproach to the environmental policies of the EU.They need to understand the impacts of measuresfor combating climate change on the economy, andthey give meaning to the statement that workerscan be key agents of this change.

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11) Excerpts from Sébastien Storme’s remarks, Florence, January19, 2012.

What is sustainable development? The classic definition of sustainable developmentis:“Development that meets the needs of the presentwithout compromising the ability of future genera-tions to meet their own needs.” Brundtland com-mission, 1987

In 1983, the UN set up the World Commission onEnvironment and Development, chaired by Nor-wegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.In 1987, the Commission published the BrundtlandReport, Our Common Future. Faced with wide-spread evidence of global pollution of the atmos-phere and the environment, and of a planet livingbeyond its means, the report promoted for the firsttime the concept of sustainable development, or“development that meets the needs of the presentwithout compromising the ability of future gener-ations to meet their own needs.” Over time, sus-tainability means striking a balance in the relation-ship between people, resources and environment.

The Commission argued that widespread povertyis no longer inevitable: sustainable developmentrequires meeting the basic needs of all and extend-ing to all the opportunity to fulfil their aspirationsfor a better life. A world in which poverty is en-demic will always be prone to ecological and othercatastrophes. Meeting essential needs requires notonly a new era of economic growth for nations inwhich the majority are poor, but an assurance thatthose poor get their fair share of the resources re-quired to sustain that growth. Such equity wouldbe aided by political systems that secure effectivecitizen participation in decision making and bygreater democracy in international decision mak-ing.

An early realisation of the maturing institutionaland political response to the environmental crisisis the United States’ National Environmental PolicyAct 1969 (NEPA). The Act established a US nationalpolicy promoting the enhancement of the environ-ment, the President's Council on EnvironmentalQuality. After NEPA, other countries establishedspecialised legislation and institutions for imple-menting environmental policies.

The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) was launched at the first World Conferenceon Environment in Stockholm (1972). UNEP over-

sees the UN’s Environmental Programme whichmostly promotes and encourages good environ-mental governance among governments and inter-national agencies.

Yet in the end, sustainable development is not afixed state of harmony, but rather a process ofchange in which the exploitation of resources, thedirection of investments, the orientation of tech-nological development and institutional change areconsistent with sustaining future as well as presentneeds.

Rio Conference 1992 - principles and tools

A more structured way of defining sustainable de-velopment is contained in the action plan thatemerged at the World Conference on Environmentand Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992(the Earth Summit): Agenda 21, or the agenda ofthings that need to be done, globally, nationallyand locally in the 21st century in order to achievethe objectives of sustainable development.

Agenda 21 identifies the social and economic di-mension to environmental issues. For industrially-advanced countries it proposed profound changesin prevailing ways of living and working. For de-veloping countries it defined a programme of eco-nomic growth which is not environmentally de-structive, is based on the fight against deep socialinequalities, on birth control, and on the viabilityof large urban areas.

Part of Agenda 21 is the environmental programmefor the conservation and management of resourcesfor development. This covers issues such as protec-tion of the atmosphere, integrated management ofsoil, the fight against deforestation, desertificationand drought, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity,water protection, and ecologically optimal man-agement of toxic substances and all types of waste.

For each issue, Agenda 21 sets out objectives, theactivities that countries must achieve, technicaland financial means needed, and the legal and in-stitutional tools that are necessary.

The specific roles of some social and economicgroups where governments should strengthen co-operation for sustainable development are identi-

Chapter 1.Sustainable development

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fied. These include women, children and youngpeople, workers and trade unions, farmers, theworld of scientific research and production activi-ties. The need to encourage negotiation and theparticipation of various stakeholders in environ-mental policies is emphasised, in order to take theplace of the command and control approach (12)that characterised them in the past.

Finally, there is detailed analysis of tools for im-plementing the programme. These range from fi-nancial instruments - such as aid to developingcountries by developed countries with an increasein the share of GDP for this purpose - to scientific,technological and educational initiatives such asempowerment, training and information initiatives,and preparation and effective use of specific insti-tutional and regulatory tools.

During the Rio conference two international con-ventions were launched, signed by most of the gov-ernments represented in Rio: the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change and theUnited Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.The first aims to stabilise the atmospheric concen-tration of greenhouse gases at a level that does notdisrupt the global climate system. The second re-quires that all countries adopt strategies and toolsto preserve the variety of living species, and ensurethat the benefits resulting from biological diversityshould be divided equally.

Even if the conference was limited on a political-diplomatic level, important contributions emerged- to defining problems, finding solutions, and iden-tifying the main issues for a new environmentalagenda.

In particular the definition of problems in an in-tergenerational time horizon has encouraged theso-called ‘precautionary approach’ that: "in the pres-ence of threats of serious damage, scientific un-certainty should not serve to justify delays in theadoption of effective measures to prevent environ-mental degradation”.

A close examination of the concept of sustainabilityfrom an ecological point of view has been con-ducted by the Wuppertal Institute (13) . Boxes 1and 2 show, respectively, the criteria and the prin-ciples for sustainability that result from its work.In the Annexe (14), Easter Island is shown as acase of unsustainable development in support ofthese theories.

Tools for implementing sustainable developmentin Europe

With the Treaty of the European Union an impor-tant step forward was taken in putting environmentand sustainable development at the heart of thepolitical process. Article 2 states that one of thebasic objectives of the EU is to promote “balanced

12) The command and control approach is a form of managementof environmental protection activities based on the imposition ofgiven norms and commands and the following control of their im-plementation (control).13) The Wuppertal Institute carries out research projects at the re-quest of private and public bodies.. It has economists, technologists,climatologists, chemists, physicists, biologists, sociologists and cul-tural historians as collaborators. It has five departments: climatepolicy, material flows and structural changes, energy, transporta-tion, and new models of well-being. Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind isPresident of the Wuppertal Institute which was founded in 1991under the direction of Professor Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. 14) See Annexe 1, Chapter 1

Box 1. Ecological criteria for environmentalspace use

a. The use of renewable resources can’t befaster than their rhythm of renewalb. The emission of materials can’t be biggerthan the absorption capacity of the environ-mentc. The use of non-renewable resources has tobe reduced to a minimum level. They can beused only if a physical replacement with anequivalent functional level is created in theform of renewable resourcesd. The length of human intervention must belinked to the natural length of a process, re-garding both the waste decompositionprocess and the regeneration time of renew-able resources or ecosystems.

Box 2. Principles for resource use

Regeneration principle: A renewable resource can be used only insofaras it is regenerated;it cannot release a larger quantity of sub-stances than the environment may absorb.

Use principle:The use of energy and materials must be re-duced to a low-risk level.

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and sustainable development” while Article 174 says:“Community policy on the environment..... shall bebased on the precautionary principle and on the prin-ciples that preventive action should be taken.... (15)

In line with these basic assumptions, principles ofsustainable development and a programme for im-plementing policies are incorporated into the Eu-ropean Council resolution of 1 February 1993. Thisresolution adopts the Fifth Environmental ActionProgramme, already partly developed for the Rioconference and reflecting some of that conference’soutcomes. The programme envisages protective ac-tion in all sectors of the economy, and advocatesgradual shifting the style of environmental gover-nance from ‘command and control’ to participatoryand consensual forms. It also adopts as a tool formeeting these goals, a preventive integral approach,based on the precautionary principle and an analy-sis of the life cycle of products. The Sixth Environmental Action Programme,launched in 2002 to run over a ten-year period,strengthens this approach. In particular it identifiespriority areas (climate change, nature and biodi-versity, environment, health and quality of life, nat-ural resources and waste), establishes overall aimsand principles (subsidiarity, polluter pays, etc.),and it promotes numerous initiatives in line withAgenda 21 (e.g transfer of clean technologies to thecandidate countries, collaboration and partnershipwith social partners, patterns of consumption andproduction etc.).

Unlike the UN (or other international bodies whichgenerally do not have the necessary powers to en-sure compliance and implementation of their res-olutions), the EU is a real supranational body whichhas the tools to ensure member states implementits policies. In the environmental field, EU legisla-tion has, over the years, assumed a very important,organic dimension. It is communicated mainlythrough the issuing of directives, which set objec-tives while giving autonomy to member states asto how to implement them.

Other forms of EU legislation are decisions, bindingonly on certain states, and regulations which applyto all member states. Currently, these deal with allthe main environmental policy issues, such as pollu-tion, waste management, soil, sea and coastline con-servation, protection of flora and fauna, the urbanenvironment, land management (through environ-mental impact assessments), prevention of industrialrisks, and environmental quality of products (ecola-bel) and production processes (ecoaudit).

Regulatory measures such as EMAS and Ecolabel(see chapter 3) are voluntary while some, like theprinciple of “polluter pays” or the description ofproduct characteristics required by the Registra-tion, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction ofChemicals (REACH) regulation, are mandatory.The REACH regulation of chemicals is an exampleof implementing fully the principle of producer re-sponsibility. While previously states were respon-sible for the potentially harmful effects of chemicalsreleased onto the market, under REACH producersmust submit documentation about the risks asso-ciated with the substances they produce. This prin-ciple previously applied only to the pharmaceuticalindustry.

Another example is a recent directive on wastewhich outlines a wide application of the producer’s"enlarged" responsibility. As a result, packagingmanufacturers have to ensure that packaging wasteis recovered and recycled, and producers of elec-trical and electronic equipment must recover thewaste they produce.

One of the primary objectives of the legislation isto promote production and consumption with verylow resource consumption. So we can see over timethe shift from a cradle to grave concept (which isabout controlling the environmental effects of prod-ucts from production to when they stop beingused), to the cradle to cradle concept (which en-courages maximum recovery in productionprocesses, through the circularity principle in theuse of resources, copying the natural life cycle offauna and flora).

A definition from the world of work

Various stakeholders in economic, social and cul-tural sectors across Europe have implemented nu-merous initiatives, projects and definitions of sus-tainable development on the basis of the EU’s leg-islative principles. One such definition is providedby the national labour agreement of chemistryworkers in Italy (May 2006): “Sustainable development and environmental strat-egy: the Parts recognize that sustainable development- understood as a balanced and dynamic integrationof the principles of economic growth, environmentalprotection and social equity - is the point of referencefor the construction of a coherent environmentalstrategy”.

15)http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/ce321/ce32120061229en00010331.pdf

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This definition of sustainable development basedon the dynamic equilibrium of economic, socialand environmental factors is compelling, as it givesall stakeholders – employers, unions and the widerenvironmental? movement - responsibility for pro-moting a balance between the three factors.

It also recognises that in some areas, notably inthe rich western industrial world, there should begreater responsibility towards the environment,whereas in developing countries there will be moreemphasis on social concerns such as poverty. How-ever environmental protection should always berecognised, albeit with a different emphasis inricher and poorer countries. Achieving the rightbalance is the responsibility of every nation andlocal area and this will change over time.

EU 2020 - Europe’s growth strategy

The European growth strategy for 2020 (1) hasthree objectives:

1. Smart and sustainable growth developing theknowledge-based economy and innovation

2. Sustainable growth building a more competitivelow-carbon economy

3. Inclusive growth raising Europe’s employmentrate.

To measure progress in meeting these objectives,five headline targets have been agreed for the wholeof the EU:

1. Employment - 75% of 20-64 year-olds to be inemployment

2. R&D /innovation - 3% of the EU's GDP (publicand private combined) to be invested in R&D/in-novation

3. Climate change /energy – achieving the “20/20/20”targets (see below)

4. Education - reducing school drop-out rates tobelow 10%; at least 40% of 30-34–year-olds com-pleting third level education

5. Poverty / social exclusion - reducing the numberof people at risk of poverty and social exclusionby at least 20 million

With respect to each of these headline targetsunions are an important stakeholder, directly in-volved in the world of work and in action to im-prove the quality of life and the protection of groupsat risk of poverty and marginalisation.

20-20-20 renewable energy directive

The European Union Climate and Energy Package(2) is a series of measures adopted by the EuropeanParliament in December 2008 to address the prob-lems of energy supply, climate change and sustain-able industrial development.

The 2009/28 Directive on climate change and en-ergy sets out EU targets, making a 20% reductionin greenhouse gas emissions and a 20% increase inenergy from renewables compulsory, while encour-aging a 20% increase in energy efficiency. The Di-rective also includes guidance on how to achieveenergy efficiency and energy conservation by sec-tor. (3) .

The aim is to design a common European frame-work for the production of energy from renewablesby setting binding national targets but varyingfrom country to country, depending on differentstarting conditions and development opportunities.Regarding the transport sector, the only bindingtarget is to achieve 10% of energy from biofuels by2020.

Member States were required to adopt a nationalaction plan (by 30 June 2010) in order to achievethe objectives, taking into account the effects of allother existing measures to promote energy effi-ciency in final energy consumption: the higher thereduction in total energy consumed less energyfrom renewables will be needed to achieve the tar-get. National programmes should also look at re-forming planning and price fixing, in favour of en-ergy from renewables.

Member States may exchange quotas for renew-able energy through "statistical transfers". They canwork together on common projects and establishcooperation agreements with third countries forthe production of sustainable energy if the electric-ity is produced in newly built plants, consumed inthe EU, and has not received any other incentive.

From 31 December 2011, and every two yearsthereafter, Member States were required to submita progress report. The European Commission willexamine and monitor the programmes and submit-ted reports and, if appropriate, propose correctivemeasures. Member States have to ensure that in-formation on measures to support energy effi-ciency and energy from renewables is made avail-able to all stakeholders (consumers, builders, in-stallers, architects and suppliers of energy systems)and they are required to establish information,awareness raising, guidance and training pro-grammes for citizens on the benefits of the devel-opment and use of energy from renewables.

Roadmap

The European Commission’s communication of 8

Chapter 2.The European framework

14

1) http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm2) http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/33&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr3)http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:140:0016:0062:en:PDF

15

March 2011 on ‘the roadmap for a competitive lowcarbon economy in 2050’ strengthens even furtherthe EU strategy towards a low carbon economy (4).

In this communication the European Commissionoutlines the key steps aimed at reducing emissionsof greenhouse gases in the EU by 80-95% by 2050(compared to 1990 levels), through energy effi-ciency, innovation and increasing investment. Thedocument indicates possible actions for key sectors,including:

• Energy: could become more diverse, withoutprejudicing competitiveness and security, andcan almost totally eliminate CO2 emissions. Thiscan be done by using existing technologies andby investing more, particularly in “intelligent net-works” and photovoltaics.

• Transport: emissions from road, rail and inlandwaterways could be brought back to below 1990levels by 2030 by the effective use of existingtransport infrastructure, the development of hy-brid engine technologies, more energy efficientvehicles, electrification and 2nd and 3rd genera-tion biofuels.

• Built environment: better energy performancestandards in the building sector in order to re-duce emissions by around 90% by 2050. Toachieve this, those built from 2021 onwards willhave to be nearly zero-energy buildings and itwill be necessary to invest in the refurbishmentof the existing building stock.

• Industrial sectors, including energy intensiveindustries. GHG emissions in the industrial sec-tor could be reduced by between 83-87% by 2050,by innovation in energy resource use, increasedrecycling and carbon capture and storage at largescale,

• Agriculture: sustainable land use and emissionsreduction can be achieved by efficient land man-agement and plant food management, efficient

fertilizer use, and by local diversifica-tion of production, optimising the ben-efits of extensive agriculture,• Investment: investing in a low-carbon future means significantly in-creasing public and private capital in-vestment, an additional investment ofaround 270 billion euros in 40 years(1.5% of EU GDP per annum) on topof the overall current investment rep-resenting 19% of GDP. This, however,would - reduce the energy bill and Eu-rope's dependence on imported fossilfuels- create new jobs, and better

Definitions (Art. 2 Directive 2009/28/CE)

“Energy from renewable sources means en-ergy from renewable non-fossil sources,namely wind, solar, aerothermal, geothermal,hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower,biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plantgas and biogases.”(…)“Gross final consumption of energy meansthe energy commodities delivered for energypurposes to industry, transport, households,services including public services, agriculture,forestry and fisheries (…)”.(…) “Support scheme means any instrument,scheme or mechanism applied by a MemberState or a group of Member States, that pro-motes the use of energy from renewablesources by reducing the cost of that energy, in-creasing the price at which it can be sold, orincreasing, by means of a renewable energyobligation or otherwise, the volume of suchenergy purchased. This includes, but is not re-stricted to, investment aid, tax exemptions orreductions, tax refunds, renewable energy ob-ligation support schemes including those us-ing green certificates, and direct price supportschemes including feed-in tariffs and pre-mium payments.”

4) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELE X:52011DC0112:EN:NOT

Guide for environmental representatives

Figure 1: greenhouse gases emissions in the Ue – towards a reduction of 80% (100%=1990)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 20500%

20%

40%

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Politica attuale

Settore dell'elettricità

Settore residenziale e terziario

Altri settori (emissioni non CO2)

Industria

Trasporti

Agricoltura (emissioni non CO2)

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know how, over both short and long term, de-veloping job creating sectors and providingtraining for workers, particularly in renew-ables, construction and new technology sec-tors

- improve air quality, monitoring and progres-sively reduce air pollutants, resulting in im-proved public health, reduction in mortalityand health expenditure, and a reduction indamage to ecosystems.

In conclusion, the paper addresses the internationaldimension: scientific knowledge says that a cut of50% in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 isnecessary to avoid the increase of 2°C in tempera-ture which would have irreversible climate changeimpacts.

The EU - whose emissions represent approximately10% of global greenhouse gas emissions - is com-mitted to enhancing its cooperation in the fightagainst climate change. Its actions should con-tribute to innovation, energy security and compet-itiveness in key sectors of growth and development.

The interconnection between the objectives of in-novation, the ‘climate - energy package’, and growthand employment qualifications make European

trade unions key players in the construction of anew Europe – more competitive economically,more sustainable and more equitable in growth.

New Directive on energy efficiency The proposal for a Directive on energy efficiency(5) (adopted by the European Parliament on 11September 2012) was presented as part of the Eu-rope 2020 strategy and aims to contribute directlyto one of its priority objectives - 20% energy savingsby 2020 - a goal which, because of the insufficientlevel of previous measures, is not yet on track.

5) http://www.ipex.eu/IPEXL-WEB/dossier/document/COM20110370FIN.do

Definition: Article 2, Proposal for a Directive onenergy efficiency COM(2011) 370 final

“Energy audit means a systematic procedureto obtain adequate knowledge of the existingenergy consumption profile of a building orgroup of buildings, an industrial or commer-cial operation or installation or a private orpublic service, identify and quantify cost-effec-tive energy savings opportunities, and reportthe finding”

ABOUT 400,000 JOBS ARE CREATED IN CLEAN TECH, VERSUS POTENTIALLY 250,000 JOB LOSSES IN FOSSIL FUEL SUPPLY CHAINS

Jobs from low-carbon power sectorJobs from e�ciency and fuel shift

Jobs lost from reduction of petroleun, gas and oil

Thou

sand

s of J

obs

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

-100

-200

-3002010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030

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The proposal contains arrangements for setting na-tional targets for energy efficiency by 2020, andsays the Commission must assess in 2014 whetherthe EU is able to achieve the target. If necessary alegislative proposal will be tabled, setting out ob-jectives at national level.

The ETUC played a key role in ensuring thatprovisions on social dialogue and worker train-ing are included in the text of the directiveadopted in September by the EU institutions.The directive sets out the following elements:

• Energy end-users: the directive establishes a com-mon framework of measures in order to definerequirements for the public sector - both for therefurbishment of public buildings and for the ap-plication of energy efficiency standards in pur-chasing properties, products and services. Mem-ber States should establish mandatory nationalenergy efficiency schemes, mandatory energy au-dits for large companies, and standard measuringand billing requirements for energy companies.

• Energy supply: Member States will be asked toadopt national plans for heating and cooling inorder to take advantage of the potential of highefficiency power generation and district heatingand cooling. Plants should be located close to de-mand for heat and all new power generationplants, as well as existing facilities, should beequipped with high efficiency cogeneration units,(except for specific cases that are exempt).

The proposed directive also requires memberstates to establish an inventory of energy effi-ciency data for fuel combustion, or oil and gasrefining. It also sets out the requirements on pri-ority / guaranteed access to the network, on thepriority dispatching of electricity from high effi-ciency cogeneration, and on the connection ofnew industrial systems that produce waste heatfrom district heating or cooling.

• Other measures: establish performance require-ments for national regulatory authorities, infor-mation and training activities, requirements onthe availability of certification schemes, promot-ing action for developing energy services, and acommitment of Member States in removing bar-riers to energy efficiency.

Choices on biodiversity

Directive 92/43/CEE on the conservation of naturalhabitats and of fauna and flora (Habitats Directive)

aims to maintain biodiversity through the conser-vation of natural habitats and of wild fauna andflora, which are part of Member States’ heritage.

It relies on establishing by contract (mainly withfarmers) a coherent network of protected ecologicalsites, the Natura 2000 network, the purpose ofwhich is to promote the maintenance of biodiver-sity, taking account economic, social, cultural andregional conditions.

This network of protected areas was completed in1992 with Directive 79-409 (EC) on the wild birds’distribution area (1979) located on EU territory.This Directive concerns:• habitats of species in danger, vulnerable to spe-cific changes in their habitats, or species consid-ered rare because of their small populations ortheir restricted local distribution, and those thatrequire special attention because of the specificityof their habitat,

• terrestrial or marine habitats used by migratoryspecies not listed in Annex I (regularly occurringmigratory birds); the same tool is applied to theprotection of migratory species.

Special attention is paid to wetlands. The objectivesare to protect habitats, assuring the survival andreproduction of rare or threatened wild birds andto protect the breeding, moulting, wintering sitesand resting areas of all migratory species.

Each state designates protected areas for speciesof community interest, based on criteria establishedby the Directive.

Directive 2000/60/EC (23 October 2000), also calledthe Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementsthe framework for a common European policy onwater and has the following objectives:

- have a good status of waters by 2015- progressively reduce discharges, phase out emis-sions of priority substances

- abolition of discharges and dangerous prioritysubstances by 2021.

The WFD for water management and water relatedactivities (industrial discharges are only a part ofit) drives the implementation of action plansthrough guidelines for creating good quality aquaticenvironments. National action plans have been de-veloped to help apply the Directive.

Areas for union action on the environment

Labour relations in Europe have a rich heritagewhich is part of the participatory and democraticsocial model known as the “European socialmodel".

In the important challenge that Europe faces forleadership in the fight against climate change,labour relations - dialogue between trade unionsand employers - and tripartite relations betweenpolitical institutions, trade unions and employers– are key to success. These complex relationshipsare valuable not only for meeting the challenge ofclimate change but also for achieving the importantobjectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy through a"bottom-up" approach with the direct participationof workers in close dialogue with business and in-stitutions (1).

Parallel with the 20-20-20 Climate and Energy pack-age (see chapter 2), the EU envisages one millionnew jobs being created over the next decade in therenewable energy sector alone As noted by the In-ternational Labour Organisation (ILO), the move-ment towards a more sustainable economy will af-fect the labour market in at least three ways:

• new jobs will be created• some jobs will disappear and will not be re-placed

• some jobs will be replaced or transformed asmethods of production, job profiles and re-quired competencies adapt to market demandfor green goods and services.

In order to measure the employment impact of thegreen economy the term ‘green job’ needs to be de-fined (see chapter 6). It is ambiguous, and can beused to show how jobs, know-how, and professionscan contribute directly to the promotion and pro-tection of the environment. However, the transitionto a sustainable economy means all jobs will haveto change in how they are carried out on a dailybasis as well as production processes, use of mate-rials, processing techniques and how work is or-ganised.

So the implications of moving to a green economyare felt at the local level as businesses and workersrespond to new regulatory frameworks and theirconstraints, starting with the specific implicationsfor the local economy and negotiating their own

version of the green economy relevant to the com-pany and the area where it is based.

Social dialogue in the workplace and acrossdifferent sectors

What are the connections between sustainableproduction processes, industrial relations and em-ployment? One way of looking at this is to con-sider the relationship between competitivenessand sustainable production, using the concept ofquality. Competitive pressures have led companiesto address not merely the scale of production butalso market and consumer demand. This is en-capsulated in the concept of ‘integral quality’which includes not only the quality of productionand labour but also that of the internal and exter-nal environment in which the company operates.

Labour relations at the workplace are crucial forthe improvement of dignity, for decent and safejobs, and for well being. Alongside key directiveson health and safety in the workplace, unionsmust support workers’ right to work in full com-pliance with environmental laws as well as sup-porting employers’ commitment to continuous en-vironmental improvement.

European directives and regulations related tosustainable development provide tools and guide-lines for business aimed at continuous environ-mental improvement - for example, the EMASenvironmental certification and regulations oncorporate social responsibility.

Among these legal regulations we look specificallyat EMAS (2), Ecolabel (3), the CSR regulation,SA8000 (4), ISO (5) , and the Emissions TradingScheme directives (6)

EMAS III Regulation

EMAS certification (7) represents official recogni-tion at European level that a given company has

Chapter 3.Green bargaining for a low carbon economy: a bottom-up approach

18

1) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52011DC0112:EN:NOT2) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:342:0001:0045:EN:PDF3) http://www.ecolabel.it/, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecola-bel/4) http://www.sa-intl.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=937&parentID=479&nodeID=15) http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html6) ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/index_en.htm

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achieved excellence in environmental managementand in its communication plans, both of which areimplemented voluntarily.

It entails an open dialogue with stakeholders, com-municating outside of the company independentlyvalidated environmental information. EMAS alsoenhances staff involvement, providing a greaterguarantee of compliance with environmental leg-islation, and through continuous improvement ofperformance it minimizes the environmental im-pacts of activities of the company’s activities.

Any company can ask for EMAS certification, man-ufacturing and services, across the private and pub-lic sectors. The active participation of workers is aprerequisite for obtaining EMAS certification andcertification bodies should ensure the rule regard-ing workers’ active participation is being applied.

The European community’s label for ecologicalquality (Ecolabel)

The European Ecolabel (8) is a voluntary scheme,established in 1992 to encourage businesses to sellproducts and services that are kinder to the envi-ronment. Products and services awarded the Eco-label carry the flower logo, allowing consumers -including public and private purchasers - to identifythem easily. Today the EU Ecolabel covers a widerange of products and services, with more beingcontinuously added. Product groups include clean-ing products, home appliances, paper, textiles,home and garden products, lubricants and servicessuch as tourist accommodation.

The Ecolabel was extended recently to includetourist accommodation. A European Commissiondecision of 9 July 92009 set ecological criteria forthe award of the Community Ecolabel for touristaccommodation services. These criteria set limitson the main environmental impacts from three as-pects of providing tourist accommodation services- purchasing, provision of the service and waste.In Greece trade unions take part in the govern-ment’s Organization for National Certification.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Is about integrating ethics into the corporate strate-gic vision - a voluntary integration of social andenvironmental concerns into business operationsand in the internal and external relationships of acompany. CSR doesn’t require formal employee in-volvement, but defines employees as privileged sub-jects of CSR programmes and activities. It is useful

to introduce this right, at least as a right of proposalfor workers. In Italy the collective labour agreementof the cement sector contains the right to informa-tion and consultation. (9)

SA8000 is a voluntary certification standard forcompanies that want to assure consumers (andalso the wider public) that products are producedin accordance with workers' rights: ie no use ofchild or forced labour, maintenance of health andsafety standards at work, freedom of association,no coercive or discriminatory practices, definitionof fair working hours and pay. To get the certifica-tion, a company has to ensure that the chain ofsuppliers / subcontractors / sub-suppliers meetsthese social requirements. SA8000 was developedby Social Accountability International, a non profitorganisation established in the USA in 1997 withthe aim of developing standards of social responsi-bility.

ISO 14001 is a standard which establishes criteriafor environmental management systems. It is a cer-tifiable standard, which means that only a certifi-cation body - accredited to operate within certainrules - can release certificates showing conformitywith the requirements. The certificate is not manda-tory, but the voluntary choice of the company / or-ganisation which wishes implement and improveits own environmental management system.

ISO 26000 helps organisations make a contribu-tion to sustainable development by encouragingthem to go beyond mere compliance with laws, topromote a common understanding in the field ofsocial responsibility and integrate other tools andinitiatives. It provides guidelines applicable to allorganisations, to be achieved through a participa-tory approach.

Emissions trading scheme ETS

Emissions trading scheme (ETS): the second gen-eration of the ETS Regulations establishes sectorbenchmarks and economic sanctions if a companyfails to reach the sectoral benchmark. Employeesof a company that is below the benchmark risklosing their job or lower pay because the companywill need to spend money on purchasing emissionrights.

The schemes referred to above – though they maynot be compulsory – provide workers with oppor-

8) See Annexe 1, Chapter 39) See Annexe 2, Chapter 3

20

tunities to ask employers to make their jobsgreener, and also for higher pay based on reducedcosts due to more sustainable business activity.

+20% of energy efficiency is one of Europe 2020goals. With the adoption of the European EnergyEfficiency Directive, this objective has becomebinding meaning that every job should, directly orindirectly, pursue the goal of reducing energy con-sumption. The directive also includes provisionspromoting social dialogue and worker training.Member states will determine how these provisionsare enacted but trade unions should use them tothe best effect possible.

Il dialogo sociale tripartito: strumentied esperienze

Agenda 21 (10) is an action programme (local, na-tional, international) for sustainable developmenttoward the 21st century, initiated by the UN Con-ference on Environment and Development in Riode Janeiro in 1992.

Agenda 21 covers climate / environment and so-cio-economic emergencies and encourages partic-ipation of all stakeholders who work / live in agiven area. The UN document recommends thateach local authority start a dialogue with its resi-

dents, local associations and private enterprise, andadopt a ‘Local Agenda 21’. Through consultationand consensus building, local authorities can learnfrom the local community and businesses, and canget information in order to formulate the beststrategies. The consultation process can increasethe public’s environmental awareness. The pro-grammes, policies and laws set by local governmentcan be evaluated and modified according to newlocal plans adopted through the process. Thesestrategies can also be used to support funding pro-posals at local, regional and international level.Agenda 21 also aimed to strengthen the role ofmayors and of workers and their unions (paragraph29). It recognises that sustainable development will

mean major changes for workers and their unionswho are key players in achieving sustainability inthe context of a tripartite relationship (ieworkers/unions, government, employers).The Covenant of Mayors (11) was launched bythe European Commission in 2008 to support localauthorities in implementing sustainable energypolicies. Local governments, in fact, play a decisiverole, considering that 80% of energy consumptionand CO2 emissions are associated with urban ac-tivities. It provides an opportunity for taking theactions of a public authority as a basis for tripartiteaction (political institutions, companies and tradeunions) in order to achieve the binding goals ofthe ‘Climate and Energy package 2020’ within thelocal area.

Covenant signatories are committed to prepare aninventory of emissions and to submit, within oneyear, a plan for sustainable energy with the mainactions they intend to carry out.

Good practice

� ITALYICESPA initiativeAs an example of tripartite dialogue experience,the CESPA initiative (Economic and Social Councilfor Environmental Policy), established in Italy in2005 by the Ministry of Environment, involves theparticipation of every employers’ organisation andof major national trade unions. CESPA has an ad-visory function on environmental legislation.

� UKCampaign for the green economyThe TUC is represented on the government’s GreenEconomy Council (GEC), a tripartite body that in-cludes business and government representatives.The government has described the council as “theleading engagement mechanism for developmentof new green growth policies.” The non-governmentstakeholders have prioritised several key issues:government support for the UK’s energy intensiveindustries like steel and ceramics facing high en-ergy bills and needing to invest in new technologies;the need for investment in skills and training foran energy and resource efficient economy; and us-ing public procurement to build UK supply chains

Questi riferimenti, anche se non obbligatori,mettono i lavoratori nelle condizioni di poterchiedere ai propri datori di lavoro un posto dilavoro più verde e anche di avere un salarioverde sulla base dei risultati che possono de-terminare per le imprese una riduzione deicosti per lo svolgimento delle loro attività.

10) http://www.eumayors.eu/index_en.html11) http://www.eumayors.eu/index_en.html

in the new green economy – for example, renew-ables and electric vehicles. (12).

� GREECE

Cooperation of 12 institutional bodies for theenvironment

This initiative is targeting a wide range of envi-ronmental issues in the city of Athens. Participantsinclude trade unions such as the Greek GeneralConfederation of Labour (GSEE),the regionallabour organisations of Athens (EKA) and Piraeus(EKP). It started in 2009 and is based on a Memo-randum of Understanding (MoU) signed by 12 so-cial, political and scientific institutional bodies.

Having set a high priority on the promotion ofgreater Athens’ green and free spaces, theMoUaimed to

• keepall open-free spaces• protect and ensure free public access to beaches• contribute to public awareness and mobilisationon the environment.

The participants in the initiative are: the Prefectureof Athens, the Greek General Confederation ofLabour (GSEE), the Civil Servants Organisation(ADEDY), the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE),the Local Union of Municipalities and Communi-ties of Attica (TEDKNA), the Athens Bar Associa-tion (DSA), the Piraeus Bar Association (DSP.), theUniversity of Athens (UoA), the National TechnicalUniversity of Athens (NTUA), the Agricultural Uni-versity of Athens (AUA), the Athens Labour UnionsOrganization (EKA) and the Piraeus LabourUnions Organisation (EKP).

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11) http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/index.cfm?mins=433&mi-nors=83&majorsubjectID=8

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ToolsThere are a number of tools that union represen-tatives can use to carry out an assessment of envi-ronmental issues in the workplace. These includean:• Environmental audit. This aims to analyse the

environmental effects generated by the activi-ties of the company/organisation to ensurecompliance with regulations and/or proceduresprovided by an environmental managementsystem and to identify where there is room forimprovement.

• Energy audit. This involves an analysis in orderto understand how energy is used, and thecauses of wasted energy. Energy usage is criti-cally evaluated and compared with average con-sumption to identify how consumption can bereduced.

• Life-cycle assessment (LCA). This is a methodof analysis which evaluates the interactions aproduct has with the environment throughoutits life cycle. LCA is recognised internationallythrough International Organization for Stan-dardization (ISO) standards. It takes an inno-vative approach, assessing all phases of a pro-duction process as interrelated.

However the most comprehensive tool - which alsorequires the active participation of workers - is thesystem of European environmental certification,the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).This is perhaps the most useful tool for trade unionaction as it can be introduced in any workplace.EMAS has the following phases:

1. Initial environmental review. This is a com-prehensive preliminary examination of envi-ronmental issues, their impacts and the envi-ronmental performance related to activities atthe workplace. It involves looking at the generalcharacteristics of the site (e.g. administrative,urban planning, landscape, cultural, etc.) thena detailed analysis of activities is carried out toidentify the environmental impact of the site.It involves using indicators to measure: theemissions of pollutants in water and the atmos-phere, waste generation, the consumption ofraw materials, energy, water, land and naturalresources, the discharge of heat, noise, odours,dust, vibration, and visual impact.

2. Identifying major environmental problems.Once the environmental aspects related to the

activities have been identified, the most signif-icant impacts need to be found on the basis ofcertain criteria - such as the number of in-stances, the quantity and quality of emitted pol-lutants, the time that an environmental com-ponent producing a given impact needs to re-store optimum conditions, regulatory con-straints, and the effects on the company’s rep-utation.

3. Determining objectives. To determine specificgreen objectives for any workplace an environ-mental programme can be drawn up. The ob-jectives selected should be based on the initialanalysis of priorities, and take into accounttechnological options as well as financial andoperational constraints. They should also ben-efit from the input of all stakeholders, includingemployees. As far as possible, the objectivesshould be expressed quantitatively, using thekind of indicators set out in the table below.Where possible, the indicators should includedeadlines and be regularly reviewed and up-dated.

4. Action planning. Once objectives have beenestablished an action plan is prepared. Actionscan be related to single processes, projects,products, services, or operations. Employeesshould be informed and involved in the imple-mentation of the measures proposed.

5. Environmental management system. If acompany's environmental programme is to besuccessful, it is essential that an environmentalmanagement system is introduced. This definesspecific responsibilities, technical and mana-gerial processes and the (human, technical, eco-nomic) resources that will be needed. It is notenough just to identify one responsible personfor all environmental issues - all the variousfunctions of the company must be involvedwith the power and resources needed to meettheir responsibilities.

.

Chapter 4.Union environmental representatives in the workplace

Workplace environmental programme:objectives and indicators

OBJECTIVES INDICATORS

Waste • Generated waste per unit reduction of end product per year

• % of recycled waste per year

Resource • Quantity of raw materialefficiency used, e.g. each quarter

Elimination • Quantity of greenhouse gas 2or reduction emissions per year.of discharges of • Reduction of pollutant’s ,pollutants into quantity - CFC, CO, SO2, the environment hydrocarbon, lead

Re-designing • Quantity of raw material products in order or energy used per to minimise their unit of product per yearenvironmental • % of recycled material impact in packaging per year

Improvement • No. environmental of safety accidents per month.practices and • Investment inenvironmental environmental management protection

Promoting • Hours of environmental environmental training for employees awareness per monthamong employees

Example:

Typical environmental responsibilities in an or-ganisation

• Information about developments inenvironmental legislation

• Management of human, physical andfinancial resources

• Identification and management ofenvironmental problems

• Establishment, maintenance and planning ofcontrol systems

• Definition of procedures in case ofemergency

• Evaluation of costs and benefits ofenvironmental management

6. Information and training. Training and in-formation activities must be conducted in aplanned, documented, systematic and contin-uous way. Internal communication is very im-portant because of the need to communicatewith employees and give them an opportunityto make suggestions. External communicationshould convey appropriate information to pub-lic authorities, the press, environmental groups(NGOs) and the local community. Trainingshould be provided at all levels, from executiveto clerical and operational staff. In particular,staff should be trained, at a minimum, on theimportance of compliance with the environ-mental programme, on regulatory require-ments, on processes and operating procedures,on the possible effects of various activities onthe environment, and on correct behaviour inthe event of an accident. Employee motivationfor continuous environmental improvementcan be encouraged by providing economic orother rewards to those who achieve the agreedgoals.

7. Mid-term and final evaluation. An environ-mental impact assessment should be carriedout regularly to measure changes and theachievement of objectives. In particular, dataon pollutant emissions into the atmosphere,water, soil, waste production, energy, water andraw materials consumption etc. should be con-tinuously monitored. This can be done by di-viding production processes into phases, deter-mining procedures for defining levels of ac-ceptability and operating parameters, the pro-vision and maintenance of suitable measuringequipment and the continual recording of datacollected.

Nel procedimento possono essere inseriti pro-grammi e obiettivi di miglioramento ambientalecontinuo riferiti alla catena /filiera dei fornitori ealle attività dirette e indirette dell’impresa.

Specific areas where union representativescan intervene

Continuous environmental improvement (CEI)Continuous environmental improvement (CEI) and/ or reducing the environmental impacts of all eco-nomic activity should be the starting point for allenvironmental action plans. So what are the benefitsfor companies and workers?

Acknowledgement of the local and social contextin which a business activity takes place can improve

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a company’s economic security. The greater the un-derstanding of the impacts that an economic activityhas on the site, the local area and on the wholecountry, the greater the prospects for the continua-tion and growth of that activity. Also, jobs in work-places where there is a CEI programme are morelikely to respect the context in which they operateand be more oriented towards the future.

Another economic benefit is linked to eco-efficiencyadvantages. In a globalised world where competi-tion for natural resources is becoming increasinglyfierce, having an eco-efficiency strategy means beingless exposed to the changing prices of raw materialsas well as bigger resource redistribution within thecompany and / or in the local economy.

An integrated approach: from design toproduct recoveryWith regard to the principle of ‘extended producerresponsibility’ of goods through their life cycle, es-pecially in large companies, the union environmen-tal representative should request information abouthow materials are recovered from the product con-ception and design phase to the end of its life-cyclewhen it becomes waste. Life-cycle assessment leadsto industrial innovation ensuring the circularity ofmaterial use similar to the circular life cycle in thenatural world. It also means recognising the ‘cradleto cradle’ concept (see chapter 1). In large compa-nies asking for investment in the design of moresustainable products it can lead to not only envi-ronmental but also economic advantages.

Use of new materials which are easy to re-useIn companies where it is not possible to carry outresearch and development of new products or im-plement new organisational processes, union envi-ronmental representatives can ask that materialsare used that are suitable for recovering and recy-cling.

Recognising the role of trade unions

• Recognition of the unions’ role in environmentalissues – e.g. setting up a Joint Environment Com-mittee

• Recognition of the unions’ environmental repre-sentatives

• Training and information on environmental issuesfor both union reps and employees.

• Staff briefings on green issues.• Environmental assessments• Evaluation and reporting of environmental im-pacts.

Sustainable travelSustainable travel is often considered only in termsof the wider economy and society. Union environ-mental representatives should consider travel inrelation to the workplace. This may include:

• The appointment of a travel manager• Vouchers for public transport• Changing rooms and repair services for cyclists• Car pooling and car sharing• Telecommuting.

Waste and eco-efficiencyThe eco-efficiency of all resources used in the pro-duction cycle, and the use of materials better suitedto recovery and reuse, is one of the most fascinatingareas of innovation, not only from the perspectiveof new technologies, but also for new organisa-tional approaches. These include:

• Waste reduction• Separated waste collection – tools and supports• Reducing the consumption of materials• Recovery of materials.

Improving environmental impactsContinuous environmental improvement (CEI) isa procedure that can be used in both the internaland external life of a product, economic or serviceactivity. It includes:

• The economics of proximity• Green purchasing• Emission reduction• Purification and recovery of water resources• Reduction of land occupation / soil use• Food systems and food waste recovery• Water dispensers• Protection of installations from hydro-geologicalrisk and from extreme events related to climatechange

• Control and communication with local stakehold-ers about the risks of relevant industrial acci-dents.

EnergyEnergy is the biggest challenge for every workplace,because all use some form of energy. So good prac-tice needs to be developed and consumption bench-marks set for different types of activity. These in-clude:• Energy savings and efficiency• Participation in green investment such as in re-newable technologies.

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PayGains from environmental efficiencies at work(“gainsharing”) can also be translated into pay invarious ways. Some business agreements state thatpay is directly related to environmental outcomes(water, energy consumption, waste production etc.).In others a ‘green’ wage premium is linked to main-taining a company’s environmental certification.Elsewhere, in Belgium, the national Eco-Cheque(1) agreement between the social partners has twoobjectives: improving workers’ purchasingpower and encouraging the purchase of green prod-ucts and services. The list of products and servicesis determined in consultation with social partnersand reviewed annually. In Italy, Eco loans take theform of end-of-contract indemnities which smallenterprises (below 50 workers) manage themselves.

Green skills & trainingDeveloping the green strategy of any business ac-tivity requires the improvement of specific profes-sional skills. The union environmental representa-tive should consider the relevant skills that may beneeded. This might include:• requesting vocational training for green skills • requesting the employment of green professionals(e.g. energy manager, travel manager, waste man-ager, sustainability manager, etc.).

Good practice

� ITALY

Common statement of CGIL, CISL, UIL andConfindustria . (2)The common statement between the employers’organisation and the three most important tradeunions in Italy (CGIL, CISL, UIL) is among themost significant experiences in industrial relationsrelating to environmental issues. With reference tothe goal of +20% of energy efficiency in the EU, ajoint action programme was agreed in this commonstatement in December 2011 to be implementedacross all industrial enterprises.

Green salary agreement in Paper mills(Cartiere) in LuccaIn the largest paper mills in Lucca’s industrial dis-trict several company agreements were signedwhich established an annual wage premium in ad-dition to normal remuneration according to the

national sectoral collective agreement. This com-ponent of salary can range from a minimum annualwage of 300 euros to a maximum of 900 euros, de-pending on water and energy savings in the pro-duction process.

In some cases the value of wage increases is directlyproportional to the economic value of saving energyand water. In others, the wage premium is basedon percentages of water and energy savings. Thewage premium has increased workers’ attention toenergy and water management in productionprocesses, and created greater collaboration be-tween all departments and between different pro-fessional roles and levels within the factory.

� BULGARIA

Agreement Bulgartransgaz EAD La compagnia bulgara Bulgartransgaz EAD ha fir-mato un accordo che punta alla riduzione signi-ficativa delle emissioni di gas serra mediante lamodernizzazione delle sue turbine a gas. L’accordoè stato firmato nel 2011 e scadrà nel 2020.La necessità di inserire tematiche ambientali nel-l’accordo è nata in seguito al recepimento della di-rettiva 2009/29/�� e per fornire una strategia disviluppo sostenibile. In conformità con i requisitiper la deroga dall’art. 10c di tale direttiva e con ilProgramma nazionale bulgaro degli investimenti– adottato per la compensazione della produzionedi elettricità del Paese e in vista della realizzazionedi progetti per diversificare la sicurezza delle for-niture di gas –, Bulgartransgaz EAD sta lavorandoad un progetto per la modernizzazione delle turbinea gas: gli apparecchi avranno un’alta efficienza econsumeranno meno gas naturale. Questo com-porterà una riduzione significativa delle emissionidi gas serra. I delegati di Podkrepa hanno discussoil progetto e lo sostengono pienamente.

� GERMANY

Steelmaking agreement ArcelorMittalin EisenhüttenstadtArcelorMittal is the world’s largest steel company,founded 61 years ago. It employs 2,800 workers ata plant in Eisenhüttenstadt from an overall total of

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1) See Annex 1, Chapter 44.2) http://www.confindustriafirenze.it/sites/www.confindustri-afirenze.it/files/allegati/2012/02/03/avviso_comune_eff._energetica_conf._cgil_cisl_uil_21.12.2011.pdf

8,000 in Germany. Both management and theworks council follow objectives of internal innova-tion and modification projects.

The first project ‘Together we are Strong’ is a jointinitiative in taking measures against right-wing vi-olence in the company and the region and takingsocial responsibility for good working conditions.Key instruments are posters, information flyersand cultural festivals. This corporate anti-racismcampaign is regarded as one of the models for fur-ther nationwide initiatives. One important featureis a four to six-week practical course which traineeshave to complete during their education in a socialorganisation in the region. These practical coursescontribute to the development and strengtheningof tolerance and solidarity towards others.

The second project is called ‘Top Gas Recovery’,and focuses on environmental protection by in-vesting in the reconstruction of blast furnaces withtop gas recovery. This will drastically reduce energyconsumption and CO2 emissions from steelmaking.The furnace project will be initiated at the plant inEisenhüttenstadt. ArcelorMittal has committed upto 90 million euros to the project. The German gov-ernment and the federal state of Brandenburg havealso agreed to invest up to 40 million euros.(3).

� GREECENational Agreement between GSEE (4), SEV(5)., GSEVEE (6). and ESEE (7).This national agreement was in force between 1994and 2009 signed by the General Confederation ofGreek Workers (GSEE) and employers organisa-tions SEV, GSEVEE and (ESEE). The agreementfor all productive sectors and all private sectorswas for one year initially and renewed every year.The main issue it covered was the environment.

Both the general concern of workers on environ-mental issues and trade unions’ sensitivity to theseconcerns led to the inclusion of key environmentcriteria in the National General Collective Agree-ment of Labor (NGCAL). The agreement took intoconsideration the following sustainability issues:energy use, water use, raw material use, transportsof goods, mobility, waste management, and emis-sions in the atmosphere.

The NGCAL was renewed every year after collectivenegotiations and signed by the social partners. Inthis way the provisions of the article concerningthe environment was enshrined every year. In the

first year (1994) a joint committee (workers andemployers) was set up. The committee was taskedwith looking at environmental issues in relation tothe productive activities and the urban situationand to come up with proposals. In the followingyears the provisions relating to the environmentbecame more specific. The range of issues is nowvery wide and includes all those of common inter-est.

� UKUnite reps at the Magor BreweryThe Magor Brewery, near Bridgend, south Wales,makes 8% of British beer, including Stella Artois,Becks and Boddingtons. The brewery employs 400people on a 23 hectare (57 acre) site. Brewing in-volves the use of huge amounts of energy and water- 35,000 litres of water a day, 50 tonnes of CO2

emissions a day. That has all changed with the helpof the union, Unite, which has taken the lead inhelping the company to reduce its carbon footprintand save costs.

Three years ago, the union set up Project JUPITER(Join US People in Tackling Energy Reduction).Itincluded a team of ‘energy guardians’ representingall departments at Magor which reviewed the en-ergy savings that could be made and how. It setgoals and monitored improvements to productionprocesses. It has resulted in an energy saving mind-set amongst employees.

Since starting the project the company has seenwater usage decrease by 46%, electricity usage by49% and heating bills by 23%. The company hassaved over £2 million annually in bills, all througha mix of quick wins and a rolling programme ofinstalling energy efficient equipment. The unionconvenor also felt that having a supportive man-agement was vital to the project’s success. The man-agement at Magor was involved from the beginningand continues to fully support it. However it is aUnite initiative and the union set up meetings and

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3)For more information, seehttp://rubigm.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Veroeffentlichungen/dialog_no_8_2012.pdf4) General Confederation of Greek Workers5) Hellenic Federation of Enterprises.6) Institute of Small Enterprises7) Economic and Social Council of Greece8) The ending of the National General Collective Agreement of La-bor, and against all International, European and National legisla-tion, as it is provided in the program of adjustment signed betweenthe Greek Government and the Troika (IMF, ECB and EuropeanCommission.), will seriously affect cooperation between the socialpartners and not only on environmental issues.

chaired them and invited management to take part.The project has now entered a new phase and isspreading the energy saving word beyond Magorinto the local business community. A TUC greenreps course, Trade unions and the environment, wasorganised on site. The brewery is now exploringsolar PV and wind turbines to power the site.

PCS reps at HM Revenue & Customs LillyhallAt HM Revenue & Customs Lillyhall an environ-mental sustainability plan has been agreed betweensenior management and the Public and Commer-cial Services Union (PCS) representatives in an at-tempt to meet the ‘Greening Government Commit-ments’ that the government has set for its own es-tate.

The joint management/union discussions set uptargets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%,reduce the amount of waste generated by 25% andreduce water consumption all by reference to a2009/2010 baseline. The Lillyhall plan for 2011/2012focuses on each commitment in turn and sets outa series of objectives, actions, and targets aimed atachieving the reductions required. Progress on theplan is reviewed monthly at senior managementmeetings.

In an attempt to reduce the environmental impactof travelling to work the reps have been liaisingwith the car park committee to promote car-sharingand have negotiated a Cycle to Work scheme. In September 2011 all staff were invited to takepart in World Car Free Day with those actively par-ticipating entered into a prize draw. Due to the en-thusiasm of the reps and the support of manage-ment the day was a huge success with over 50members of staff using a different mode of trans-port for the day.

Management and reps agreed paper usage wouldbe a good place to start reducing waste. Workerswere encouraged to set printers to print doublesided and scrap paper boxes are now in place nextto each printer. This scrap paper is turned into notepads further reducing the amount of paper usedon site. The scrap pads were launched through anotebook amnesty during Climate Week (a nationalinitiative that takes place every year in March). Thenext big event is Green Office Week. As part of thisthe team at Lillyhall has invited the local watercompany, United Utilities, along to advise on howto reduce water consumption.

Community union reps at Tata Steel’s 20” Pipe

Mill in HartlepoolCommunity Union is the largest trade union withinTata Steel Europe (previously Corus) and aims tohave environmental representatives in place at allof Tata UK’s operations in order to work with thecompany to reduce its carbon footprint. This is al-ready happening with clear results at the 20” PipeMill in Hartlepool. Union reps at the site are trainedso that they can answer questions about environ-mental procedures from colleagues in the mill andthey are also in a position to give the company’senvironmental team input as to how and why im-provements can be made around the site.

The reps attend quarterly meetings with the com-pany’s environmental department where they areinformed about anything discussed in the sectionmanagers’ environmental committee meeting. In-formation on any changes, legal updates, breaches,can then be passed on to the rest of the workforcethrough the reps and it is also an opportunity forthe employer to get opinions and ideas on any ofthe solutions they have proposed. One proposalput forward by a rep at a meeting has resulted inall the amenity blocks having a recycling area anda recycle centre on site for waste such as tins andplastic.

The reps have attended environmental awarenesstraining organised by the employer to give theminsight into environmental regulations and require-ments which the 20” Pipe Mill must adhere to: theidea is that they can then share this knowledgewith the rest of the workforce. Six of the reps wenton to train to become environmental internal au-ditors which involved attending a three-day trainingcourse. The course has enabled all attendees togain a recognised qualification as an internal au-ditor which means they are now able to completecompetent environmental internal audits for the20” Pipe Mill.

“As we progress in our role we would like to beable to complete more audits and be able to offermore support to the environmental department,like safety reps have progressed in their role,” saidone of the reps who is now a qualified environ-mental auditor. “I think the next big step would befurther environmental training for all staff mem-bers on site. This would help our role to progressand for the workforce to have a better understand-ing of what our role is on site.”

In turn the company’s environmental departmentis now able to rely on the trained environment reps

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to complete a thorough, relevant audit schedule,which ensures that the site is constantly regulated,and areas of improvement identified. Ultimatelythis means the organisation is able to reach highstandards in its ISO 14001 audits (certification forenvironmental standards) and ensures they are pre-pared for new and ever more stringent environ-mental legislation.

� BELGIUMSWIFTAn ambitious project to improve travel to workarrangements has been developed closely withunion representatives as well as a project on biodi-versity. It has various outcomes: strengthening ofthe link between the municipality, the companyand employees, salary savings for employees, andsavings for the company through reducing depend-ency on fossil fuels. In particular, the use of bicycleshas been promoted through a system of leasing.Showers have been installed as well as coveredparking for bicycles, cloakrooms, and increased fi-nancial investment by the employer.

Another project developed jointly with union rep-resentatives concerns biodiversity. A flowerymeadow has been created which contributes to thequality of life at work, hives have been settled, andan inventory of fauna and the flora has been drawnup.

� FRANCENational Institute of Geographic and ForestInformation (IGN)IGN, a public body, produces and maintain geo-graphical information. It employs 1700 workersacross nine sites. In the 2006 business plan IGNincluded sustainability issues, producing a ‘charterof values’ that integrates the concept of sustain-ability and social responsibility. One of the areasin which the effects of the project were tangiblewas that of building policy, with old buildings beingdestroyed and the construction of a new one withlow energy consumption. As part of this reorgani-sation, the issue of parking was raised. Throughworking groups in which the trade union CFDTwas involved, a sustainable travel project beganand the need to introduce teleworking was consid-ered. This led to an ad hoc regulation signed bytwo trade unions. Training activities on sustainabledevelopment were also carried out. These weremuch needed.

SolvaySolvay is a chemical group which employs 20,000workers across 50 countries, 4,000 of them inFrance, where the major national site in Tavaux(Jura) has 1,450 workers together with 100 othersin related industries. The risks posed by the chem-ical activities at the plant come from the emissionof gaseous chlorine, the danger of fire and explo-sion.

Given these risks to the environment, Solvay's sus-tainability strategy is integrated in the organisationof the Group and its businesses and processes. Theunion (CFDT) has entered into a process of sus-tainable production developed by the company, forexample, all workers were involved in a ‘staff aware-ness forum’.

The improvement of environmental risks has oftenresulted in negative effects on employment, but theunion is coming from the angle of prevention andnot being resigned to inevitable technologicalchange, but anticipating changes through its in-volvement in negotiating amendments to workingconditions in order to avoid redundancies.

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Unions in the local communityWhat role can trade unions play locally, beyondthe workplace, in environmental issues? There aretwo aspects here: the first is directly linked to tradeunion activity to protect workers and employment;the second is about picking up important informa-tion about environmental issues through theirmembers.For example, a union environmental representativemay discover information about:

• opportunities to treat and restore contaminatedland

• land use recovery of abandoned industrial sites• critical issues related to production processes • opportunities to introduce good environmentalmanagement tools in production processes (e.g.EMAS, ISO 14001, Ecolabel)

• the social acceptability of existing productionactivities or new proposals.

Trade unions can therefore be important partnersfor local environmental groups and institutions -after all, unions represent the interests of workerswho work and live in the area. Production activitiesand work are often seen as being in conflict withprotecting the environment; but the protection ofjobs and the coexistence of production and envi-ronmental protection are the union’s objectivesfrom the perspective of sustainable development.

The union’s role in sustainable development is alsoevident in local conflicts over environmental issues(e.g. the 'Nimby' phenomenon – not in my backyard). There can be many reasons for such conflict,from worry about technological risks to concernsabout the effects on health, landscape and the nat-ural environment or the compounding of alreadyexisting risks.

Environmental conflicts are often triggered byplans for new production facilities or infrastructuresuch as a new road or rail network, or because ofthe proposed closure of plants or activities whichhad been in the area for a long time. An exampleof this is industrial settlements in mountain areaswhich were welcomed in the past because they of-fered employment and development in depressedareas, but are now viewed as detrimental in areasdeveloped for tourism. Lack of information and ofparticipation in decision making may also affectthe social acceptability of public policy decisions.

In these situations unions may be involved in dis-cussions with employers’ associations, authoritiesand local environmental organisations in an at-tempt to overcome opposition to the plans. Mutualtrust has to be created between the company andorganisation proposing the project and the localcommunity so that local citizens are able to partic-ipate in decisions (1). Unions have the experienceand expertise to encourage public authorities tomanage the process in a way that is transparentand participatory (see the schedules below). Theunion representative can play an important role inencouraging comprehensive, timely, objective in-formation on the issue.

EU Directive 2001/42/EC requires a mandatorystrategic environmental assessment process (SEA)for programmes and plans which have a significantimpact on the environment. In SEA the process ofinformation / communication is essential andshould involve continuous interaction with the localcommunity. All stages, from initial analysis to im-plementation of the work, should be subject to con-sultation with the local community and the regu-latory system (i.e. institutions involved in monitor-ing the project).

Schedule no 1

However, the communication and participationprocesses often become one-way information fromthe project proposer to the local community. Thiscan happen when there is:

Chapter 5.The union’s role in environmental issues in the community and society

OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF A PROJECT WITH A RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, IN A PARTICIPATIVE PROCESS

Community: communication - participation

Impact assessment Monitoring

ProjectAnalysis of the situation

Mitigations

Compensations

Works Implementation

1) www.nimbyforum.it

• insufficient or biased communicationsand evaluations• a lack of three - coordinated but inde-pendent - operating groups (design, evaluation,communication)• inadequate allocation of resources • conflict management based on propa-ganda and political interests instead of informationand problem analysis.

As schedule no. 2 shows, communication is oftenseen as important only in the final phase of imple-mentation. By then it may be too late to modifythe project and conflict starts which may preventthe work from being completed.

This is what happened in the province of Lucca inItaly, where a company already established in thearea proposed to set up a paper recycling facility.The conflict between residents associations, thecompany and local institutions did not provide anopportunity for a truly participatory process. Thetrade union tried to promote discussion by encour-aging meetings to take place, and participating inthem, and by supporting the decision-makingprocess. But in the end the process took so longthat the company moved the operation elsewherewhich meant the local economy did not benefitfrom the investment.

Schedule no 2

Specific issues on which unions can intervene

There are many environmental issues in the widercommunity and society, ranging from pollution andbiodiversity to responsible consumption, on whichunions may wish to intervene; some of these aresuggested below.

When identifying these areas, it is important totake into account the relevant legislation and reg-ulatory frameworks available, at both national andEuropean levels. Some of the most importanttransnational environmental frameworks include: • The “Seveso” directive, which obliges MemberStates to ensure that operators have a policy toprevent major accidents. It now applies toaround 10,000 industrial establishments wheredangerous substances are used or stored inlarge quantities, mainly in the chemicals, petro-chemicals, storage, and metal refining sectors.

• The Aarhus Convention (2) on access to infor-mation, public participation in decision-makingand access to justice in environmental matters.

• The European Commission’s biodiversity strat-egy to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosys-tem services in the EU by 2020. There are sixmain targets, and 20 actions to help Europereach its goal.

• The draft EU Soil Framework Directive, whichaims to harmonise and raise the level of soilprotection across the EU. The approach cur-rently proposed would require Member Statesto: tackle soil erosion, loss of soil organic mat-ter, salinisation, landslides, acidification andso on.

Risks

To promote the safety of both workers and citizens,areas at risk or subject to maintenance need to bemapped and the people involved need to be in-formed of the risks and what to do in the event ofan emergency. This is also important for discus-sions around planning (roads or infrastructure),and for production and workers’ activities. The fol-lowing needs to be considered: • hydro-geological risk (mapping of risk areas –upstream maintenance of the territory) (3),

• risks of relevant technological / industrial acci-dents (Seveso II) (4),

• polluting industrial sites and activities that havea significant environmental impact.

BiodiversityAmong the challenges of sustainable development,conserving biodiversity is less well known and oftenovershadowed by the serious issue of climatechange. Yet ecosystems play a vitally important

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CRITICAL SCHEMA

Comunità: comunicazione - propaganda

Impact assessment

Mitigazioni?

Compensazioni?

RealizzazioneAnalisi situazione

Community: communication - participation

ProjectAnalysis of the situation

Mitigations?

Compensations?

Works? Implementation

2) http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environment/general_pro-visions/l28056_en.htm 3) See Annex 5, Chapter 54) See Annex 5, Chapter 5

role in the balance of nature and in the capacityfor adaptation to climate change.

Biodiversity also plays an essential role for examplein water and air purification and in food production(e.g. pollination). The gamble we are taking on biodi-versity is strongly linked to socio-economic issues -many of the services provided by nature are free todaybut tomorrow they may become very expensive.

There are many directives concerned with natureconservation and these are integrated in Europeanand national projects in order to comply with theNagoya Convention (2010). Trade unions cannotwait for health catastrophes caused by pollution,or for irreversible events to happen to considerpopulation and workers’ interests in this regard.And business interests go hand in hand with these(see Pavan Sukhdev’s report on the Economics ofEcosystems (5) ).

Unions should pay particular attention to the fol-lowing issues: • reforestation• protected natural areas• coastal protection.

Urban pollution

Urban planning includes protection of depleted re-sources (such as soil), but also issues related to cit-izens’ and workers’ quality of life, and to employ-ment (such as public transport and waste manage-ment) (6). Unions may wish to intervene in the fol-lowing:

- Transport (7). Transport related measures suchas analysing traffic flows can have an impact ontravel between home and work, determining itseffectiveness and cost for workers.- Waste management (8). EU Framework Direc-tive 2008/98 (19 November 2008) reformulatesthe waste management hierarchy giving it a pri-ority order with implications for differentiating,recycling, and reusing waste.

- Urban green spaces (9).

Noise, light and air quality control should also beconsidered by trade unions, in line with what theyalready do about health and safety issues in theworkplace, by extending the protection from work-ers to citizens.- Noise pollution (10) - Light pollution (11) - Air quality (12)

Responsible consumption

Trade union rights and protection continually crossover into our lives as citizens. An obvious exampleof this is our role as consumer. What we buy on adaily basis may be viewed as a private issue yet ithas important social, political and environmentalimplications.

We may think that consumption ends with the actof buying something. But it is in fact a much longerprocess that begins with the decision to buy andcontinues with where we buy, the type of product,how we use it and what we do with it when wehave finished with it. Depending on how we dealwith each of these steps, our consumption can havediffering environmental impacts - and social con-sequences. We need to consider the impacts on re-sources or energy, the social impacts linked toprices and working conditions, and the disposal ofwaste.

Trade unions have something to say on this issue,because they want to encourage their members tobe responsible consumers, and in the longer term,they promote the idea of a society in which workers’and citizens’ behaviour plays a decisive role in thechoices available. More specifically, unions havean interest from three perspectives: economic, so-cial, and environmental.

EconomicA short distribution chain (in Italy: filiera corta)represents an opportunity to enhance food produc-tion in the local area. It makes it possible for em-ployment in the area to be increased or maintainedand lowers transport costs. This approach cannotbe left to the market: there needs to be a distribu-tion of wealth and an exploitation of environmentalresources which recognises the value of biodiver-sity.

SocialEvery individual is a person who purchases goodsand services. In societies we develop relationshipsthat go beyond the point of purchase and createassociations that guide the market through itschoices. In turn this brings opportunities for par-

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5) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/economics/6) See Annex 6, Chapter 57) See Annex 7, Chapter 58) See Annex 8, Chapter 59) See Annex 9, Chapter 510) See Annex 10, Chapter 511) See Annex 11, Chapter 512) See Annex 12, Chapter 5

ticipation and sharing which are not only instru-mental to the supply of goods, but bring aboutchanges in practices, behaviour and ideas. Tradeunions need to be aware of these organisations inconsidering priorities for action.

EnvironmentalBy reducing the need for transport, polluting emis-sions will decrease, organic farming can developwith an emphasis on local production and respect-ing biodiversity. This makes an important contri-bution to the environment’s resilience. The protec-tion of biodiversity and local production to whichresponsible purchasing contributes are both waysto pursue sustainability.

Good practice

� ITALYMemorandum of understanding betweenCGIL, CISL UIL and the Region of Tuscany(13)The regional government of Tuscany and tradeunions have signed a memorandum of understand-ing on an environmental action plan. The memo-randum enshrines the involvement of regional tradeunions CGIL, CISL and UIL in the implementationphase of the three-year plan which aims to intro-duce changes in production and consumption, inorder to develop eco-efficiency within the Tuscaneconomy and society. Two actions have been agreed:

• the establishment of a technical bilateral com-mittee to manage the implementation of theregional environmental action plan, giving pri-ority to the design of interventions in criticalenvironmental areas

• pilot training projects in order to increase theenvironmental knowledge of local trade unionofficials, and especially of trade unionists fromfederations which are the most affected by en-vironmental problems.

� UKUnions campaign for carbon captureIn the UK’s industrial heartland, trade unions arecampaigning for urgent investment in new carbontechnology to capture CO2 emissions from heavyindustry and power stations. For example, in theAire Valley industrial region, Yorkshire, a group ofa dozen coal power stations, cement works, chem-ical plants and steelworks emit altogether about60 million tonnes of CO2. Unions in these compa-nies and industry groups are working together topersuade government of the economic and envi-ronmental case for shared investment in new tech-nology to capture and store the CO2 in the NorthSea’s depleted gas and oil fields.

Similar opportunities exist in other industrial re-gions like Teesside, the East Irish Sea and east coastof Scotland. The TUC has strongly supported theGovernment’s plan to invest £1billion in a pilot proj-ect. In a new study, A Roadmap for Clean Coal (14),

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13) Vedi scheda 14, Capitolo 5.

the TUC’s Clean Coal Task Group is urging the gov-ernment to move more quickly and decisively tobring public and private investments and expertstogether to get the first project underway. The jointunions-industry body argues that not only can CO2capture help us reach climate change targets, butcan also create tens of thousands of new jobs andskills across industry and the power sectors.

Construction union UCATT supports a greenapproach to social housingUCATT is supporting the building of an environ-mentally-friendly housing development not onlybecause it is helping tackle climate change and fuelpoverty but also because the workers involved inthe Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) projectare getting the opportunity to develop their greenskills on cutting-edge green technologies.

The 91-home Park Dale project in Airedale, York-shire is the UK’s largest zero carbon housing de-velopment. The homes cater for a range of agesand family sizes and were built for WDH by devel-opers Bramalls to the highest sustainable housingstandard using traditional construction methods.For example, each home is connected to a centralbiomass boiler that uses locally produced woodpellets to provide heating and hot water; everyhouse has a south facing roof fitted with 35m2 ofphotovoltaic (PV) panels to turn energy from thesun into electricity; and the air temperature in eachproperty is regulated by a mechanical ventilationheat recovery system.

According to the environmental manager, a unionmember, “Other local authorities and social housingproviders can be doing exactly the same as us” said.“It just requires vision on the part of senior man-agement and a commitment to work in partnershipwith the trade unions and other organisations.”

The UCATT General Secretary argues that the proj-ect highlights a major transition occurring in theconstruction industry. “It demonstrates not onlythe massive change needed in the way people areemployed in construction; but also the opportuni-ties for retraining those with traditional skills."

Apprentices have had access to unique hands-onpractical training in cutting-edge green technologiesat Park Dale – skills they would never have acquiredon a conventional building site. For example, he cannow install and maintain the grey water system toflush the toilet. Apprentices are now helping to passon their skills to WDH’s adult workforce. The union

commented: “The project is fantastic. It is good forthe environment, good for the tenants, and good forconstruction workers – providing them with the op-portunity to develop green skills for the future. Wecertainly hope to see more developments like thisspringing up around the country.”

� GERMANYWorking group on sustainable procurement ofraw materialsA working group has been set up to identify the in-terests of employers, employees and environmentalassociations and, where possible, to develop jointstrategies in the gravel and sand extraction, andstone and lime quarrying industries.The working group is made up of representativesfrom IG BAU (Construction, Agriculture and Envi-ronment Union) IG Chemie (Chemical Workers’Union), DGB (German Federation of Trade Unions)regions Münster and Dortmund, Arbeitgeberver-band VERO (construction and raw materials in-dustries’ Employers’ Association), Managing Direc-tors from different companies, BUND (Friends ofthe Earth Germany) and Nabu (German Natureand Biodiversity Conservation Union).

� BELGIUM“Semaine de la Mobilité” (travel week)Since 2002, the two major trade unions in WalloniaFGTB and CSC have developed what is known as“Cellules syndicales de Mobilité” (trade unions’ travelunits). In practice, it is an initiative that aims to sup-port travel projects in companies and develop unionrepresentatives’ awareness as well as social dialogueand training.This project is run with the financial support of theWalloon government. The general objective of theunits is to improve the capacity of representatives tointervene on travel issues.

In addition to the work with the representatives the“Cellules syndicales de Mobilité” take part in devel-oping the mobility plans in ‘areas of economic activ-ities’ as well as in public initiatives such as the ‘travelweek’ organised each year in September by the Wal-loon government though awareness actions in com-panies.At the moment, the trade unions’ travel units arealso participating in a public project called ‘Tous véloactifs’ that aims to promote the use of bicycles fortravelling to work.

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14) http://www.tuc.org.uk/search/start.cfm

Consultation Consultation between representatives from trade unions, business,government, regional bodies and voluntary organisations, on the shiftto a green, low carbon economy, from the workplace to nationalgovernment.

Green and decent jobs Investing in the technologies and infrastructure to meetthe sustainability challenges for a low carbon, resource - efficientfuture while creating quality jobs.

Green skills Government-led investment in education/training and skillsprogrammes, from the workplace to national level, to equipstudents and the workforce with the skills for a low carbon,resource-efficient economy. Promoting individual worker’s rights to trainingto ensure access for all workers.

Respect for labour & Democratic decision-making and respect for humanhuman rights and labour rights are essential in order to ensure the fair

representation of workers and communities. Strengthening worker information, consultation and participationrights to matters concerning sustainable development..

Social protection Strong and efficient social protection systems in thetransition to a low carbon economy

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A Just Transition

The shift to a low carbon economy is not just nec-essary but increasingly inevitable. A TUC report, AGreen and Fair Future (2009) (1) argues that. inthe past, significant periods of economic restruc-turing have often happened in a chaotic fashionleaving ordinary workers, their families and com-munities to carry the cost of change. Indeed, indi-viduals and communities in the UK are still payingthe price for the rapid shift away from industrialproduction over the last 30 years.

Although much more needs to be done to reducethe significant risks from climate change this cen-tury, new environmental regulation and investmentin green and decent jobs can begin to change theshape of the UK economy over the next decade.

But the injustices of industrial change in the pastmust not become a feature of transition to a lowcarbon economy now and in the future. Not onlywould this be unacceptable to trade unions and besocially damaging but it would undermine the cred-ibility of the transition itself and could slow or evenhalt this vital and urgent shift.

For this reason, among others, we need a 'just tran-sition' to a sustainable economy. ‘Just transition’recognises that support for environmental policiesis conditional on a fair distribution of the costsand benefits across the economy. It means unionshaving a place at the table with government andemployers, negotiating on the creation of jobs, skillsand social protection for all those affected.

Chapter 6.Jobs and skills in a Just Transition

The ETUC is also calling on the EU to adopt a Eu-ropean ‘just transition roadmap’ that includes thepromotion of social dialogue and workers’ rights,EU targets on quality jobs and skills, and new ini-tiatives on the anticipation of change, through in-vesting in skills and training initiatives. The transi-tion to a low carbon economy is also an opportunity

for employment growth with more skilled jobs, bet-ter distributed across the nation.

Production activities related to the oil and coal erameant strong technological development but with

1) http://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-14922-f0.cfm

For the ETUC, the five pillars of ‘just transition’ are based on the principles of fairness and equity:

Definitions

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) defines the green economy and green jobs as fol-lows: The green economy “is an economy where investment in sustainable production and in cleaner tech-nologies is shaped by key principles of social justice, social protection, and decent work.”

“A green job reduces the environmental impacts of enterprises and economic sectors to sustainablelevels, while providing decent work and living conditions to all those involved in production, and ensuresworkers’ rights are respected. Green jobs are not only those traditional jobs people think of as green –like making solar panels, manufacturing wind turbines, water conservation and sustainable forestry.They also include retrofitting related jobs in the construction and public transport sectors, and makingenergy efficiency improvements in manufacturing plants, along with services supporting all industries.”

Source: ITUC report Growing green and decent jobs, Millennium Institute, March 2012 (4)

“The eco jobs have to be decent jobs which means adequately paid with safe working conditions, job se-curity, reasonable career prospects and respect for labour rights.” UNEP background paper on green jobs

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little attention given to environmental concerns.The new economy must place much more emphasison the availability of local natural resources. Theability to plan, and for different sectors of the econ-omy to work together in an integrated and recip-rocal fashion, are important features.

The transition to a low carbon economy is takingplace within a context of general economic crisis.Both manufacturing and service sectors need struc-tural and technological reorganisation to enablethem to build resilience to this crisis. According tothe United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) (2) companies will be better able to resistthe economic crisis if they first address presentand future risks from climate change, and if theyharmonise their production models with local com-

munities and the environment, so creating virtuousnetworks between citizens, governments and nat-ural resources.

The European Commission (3) has suggested agreen revolution as a way out of the crisis: “In con-ducting fiscal consolidation, Member States shouldgive priority to sustainable growth-friendly expen-diture in areas such as research and innovation,education and energy”.

In general, manufacturing and service sectors aremoving towards more efficient forms of organisa-tion. In the case of new areas, like renewables, theyneed new skills. In the case of existing sectors, likecar production, retraining is needed.

According to the classification by the Centre ofExcellence (5) in California, the areas traditionallymeant by the green economy, where green jobs aredeveloped, are: renewable energy (production andstorage), equipment installation, sustainable build-ing, energy efficiency, production and cultivationof biofuels, sustainable transport, water, wastemanagement and waste water management, envi-ronmental protection and sustainable developmentin general. Each of these areas are closely inter-connected. Consider energy efficiency, for example,which has implications for entire production chainsfrom manufacturing to waste management. There

may be opportunities to use biomass (using woodto produce heat and hot water) or to move to moresustainable transport within a company, both ofwhich have energy saving implications.

Business Europe believes that the distinction be-

I “green jobs”

2) http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/Environment/cli-mate/C4C_Report_Adapting_for_Green_Economy.pdf3) http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=DOC/11/1&format=HTML&aged=0&language=ENguiLanguage=en4) http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc_green_jobs_summary_en_fi-nal.pdf5) http://www.coeccc.net/Environmental_Scans/GreenEcon_Scan_SW_09.pdf

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tween so-called “green” and more conventional sec-tors is artificial (6). Instead, the focus should be onthe wider process of greening all jobs. In this sensethere is the potential to rejuvenate older professions- often linked to manufacturing or agriculture.Through being relocated within the green economy,they can have a new lease of life. There is a longlist of such jobs including: livestock farmers, farmworkers, leather workers, suitcase makers, handbagmakers, carpenters, chair menders, masons,plumbers, panel beaters, car mechanics, welders,watch repairers, printers, bookbinders, electricians,electromechanical technicians, weavers, tailors, up-holsterers, painters, plasterers, scaffolders, floorlayers, drivers, messengers and even gas meter con-trollers (7). Many of these are jobs, for which thereis a growing demand, can also be attractive toyoung people.

If we are to seize the opportunities for growth inemployment offered by the development of a sus-tainable economy, we need a workforce with theright skills. A recent European Centre for the De-velopment of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) re-port (8) says it is more important to top up worker’sexisting skills than to design new study or trainingcurricula for the more specialised, newer skills sets.In fact many of the skills needed for sustainablejobs are already available in existing occupations.These generic skills refer both to skills required inalmost any occupation (such as communication,team work etc.) and general green skills (such asreducing waste) that should apply to any occupa-tion and are more important than specialised greenskills. Case studies illustrate that if there is a solidbasis of professional skills, with a commitment toupdate or train, a wide variety of tasks required bya new ‘green’ profession can be performed (9).

Key figures in this transformation are those who,even without highly specialised training, can guideorganisations in a green direction, improvingprocesses and efficiency, encouraging the acquisi-tion of relevant skills among the workforce, andthe training of existing or hiring of new staff. Tech-nical staff are also very important, as they are ableto play a direct role in redesigning processes, put-ting in place technological innovations or buyingnew products.

As the CEDEFOP report referred to above says, theEU suffers from systemic weaknesses in its skillsbase which limit its productivity and competitive-ness in today's economy as well as reducing its ca-pacity to exploit the opportunities offered by green

growth. These deficits in management skills andtechnical job-specific skills, many of which are re-lated to science, technology, engineering and math-ematics (STEM), are a greater concern than short-ages of new green skills. While, on the one hand,green skills will become important for almost everyjob, on the other hand the retraining needed forworkers to move to an occupation in an entirelydifferent green industry, may not be available.

Skills in traditional sectors are also needed in thesustainable economy, for example, workers withexperience in shipbuilding and in the oil and gassector are highly sought after in the wind-turbineindustry because of their skills in welding, surfacetreatment and outfitting. There are some areas inwhich significant investment in skills will beneeded, mainly because of the scale of action re-quired. This is most notable in energy efficiencyand the building of zero-carbon homes; even if thenew practices are not particularly complex, a verysignificant number of workers will need to updatetheir skills.

Generally speaking, “green workers” will have hadappropriate training relevant to the sustainabilityrequirements of the business where they work, orthey will receive training on the job. In both casesthe worker’s value is increased by green compe-tencies, not only in professional terms, but also ascitizens more engaged in the sustainability of theircommunities.

Union environmental representatives have a keyrole to play in relation to both new and updatedskills, promoting both on-going training and aware-ness raising on environmental issues. Providingworkers with qualifications and/or re-qualificationtraining for the new economy, means making themmore employable and competitive in the labourmarket, especially with regard to the green con-version of manufacturing and services.

Trade unions at all levels (local, regional, national,European) must press for highly professional train-ing programmes so that young people can get jobsin the green economy as well as workers currently

6) http://www.nho.no/getfile.php/filer%20og%20vedlegg/BE%20po-sisjonsdokument%20om%20En%20mer%20milj%F8vennlig%20%F8konomi%20-%20utfordringer%20for%20sysselsetting%20og%20ferdigheter,%2014.06.2010.pdf7) http://www.rischiocalcolato.it/2011/11/sos-lavoro-a-rischio-estinzione-molti-mestieri-manuali-agricoli-ed-artigianali.html8) http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3057_en.pdf9) See Annex 1, Chapter 6

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employed in jobs that will decline and, in somecases, disappear altogether.

Good practice

� ITALYCampaign for vocational training on energyefficiencyConfindustria, the Italian Industrial Employers’Association and the trade unions organisationsCGIL, CISL and UIL have established a joint train-ing programme on energy efficiency in industrialcompanies across the country. The programmeprovides basic training (8 hours) for workers andspecialised training (40 hours) for energy man-agers (technical executives with responsibility forenergy management activities). The courses areexpected to be attended by union officials fromboth companies and local organisations.

As part of the course the partners have includedthe importance of developing joint and shared ac-tions on eco-efficiency and also encourage wagepremiums for workers and savings for businesses.

� UKThe New Green Team A new initiative by the public services union, UNI-SON, supported by the TUC, shows how tradeunions are campaigning for green & decent jobs atlocal level. The New Green Team (10). launched inJanuary 2012, argues for a green skills’ strategy toidentify and address key skills needs.

The Greener Jobs AllianceThe Greener Jobs Alliance was set up by the Uni-versities and Colleges Union (UCU) to campaignfor a national skills strategy to deliver a low carboneconomy. The union believes green investmentcould provide the boost the economy desperatelyneeds.

The union joined forces with South Thames Col-lege, London, and local organisations to show howa further education college and a trade union canjointly promote the development of green jobs andskills by working with community organisations.The union hopes not only to influence nationalskills policy but also to develop demonstration proj-ects in local areas that can inspire students to wantto work in the energy saving sector and give them

the opportunity to gain the skills needed for thelow carbon economy.

As demand for low carbon training is not as strongas it should be to justify significant investment incurriculum development, the UCU South ThamesCollege branch worked with the college and otherlocal organisations to promote low carbon trainingto local employers to create more demand. It alsocreated links with local community organisationsworking on sustainable development in the twoLondon local authorities where South Thames Col-lege has a campus – Merton and Wandsworth.

The alliance also sought to initiate opportunitiesfor the college students, such as those in the con-struction school, to experience work with local or-ganisations that would be involved in deliveringthe Green Deal - a UK government initiative thataims to improve the energy efficiency of domesticand business properties. So far students in heatingand ventilation and electrical installation haveworked with local employers by joining them on ahome energy visit and installing photovoltaic (PV)systems in private households.

As a result of the project, one tutor from the con-struction school at the college is attending a fiveday training course with Parity Projects, a local en-ergy conservation consultancy, to learn how to de-liver a short course on energy efficiency measures.The alliance also produced training materials, in-cluding a video to be used on a range of ‘Educationfor Sustainable Development’ courses and meet-ings.

Overall the project offered a practical demonstra-tion of community trade unionism and illustratedhow a UCU branch can link environmental actionwith the future job prospects of staff and students.(11)

� GREECEThe Academy of Labour and the Institute ofLabour

1.The Greek General Confederation of Labour(GSEE), recognising the need for education andtraining for trade union elected representatives,new union members, and young members, es-tablished the Academy of Labour. The Academy

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10)http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-20478-f0.pdf11)The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNRx6tNFG8U

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runs courses in subjects related to trade unionactivity, including the environment. Those takingthe courses, which last for one year, can become‘green delegates’ either at company or at re-gional/local level.

2. The Institute of Labour, a trade union institute,carries out studies related to the environmentand employment in Greece, on the socio-eco-nomic impact of climate change policies, and onthe preconditions for sustainable development.It also offers training to workers, and those whoare unemployed, on protection of the environ-ment, renewable energy sources, training for en-ergy inspectors etc. The Institute of Labour hasalso participated in European programmes foridentifying environmental skills so they can becertified as professional skills. It has also pro-duced numerous publications on environmentalissues and sustainability in order to promote un-derstanding and development of union initiativesin these areas.

� GERMANYCooperation project on resource efficiency forworks councillors and employees The efficient use of materials and energy can savecompanies money, secure jobs and contribute toprotecting the environment. A social partner ini-tiative on resource efficiency, led by the GermanFederation of Trade Unions (DGB), worked in part-nership with the DGB Bildungswerk (DGB’s edu-cational institution) and the Federal Ministry forthe Environment, Nature Conservation and NuclearSafety. The result was the cooperation project onresource efficiency for works councillors and em-ployees (Kooperationsprojekt Ressourceneffizienzfür Betriebsräte und Beschäftigte: KoReBB).

From 2008 to 2011, KoReBB set out to strengthenand promote sustainable energy and efficiency inthe use of materials in companies in order to con-tribute to long-term site and employment protec-tion. KoReBB offers qualifications and advancedtraining for employees and project activities insupport of the works councils. The project gavecompanies an opportunity to identify ways of bal-ancing economic interests with environmental is-sues and employee interests.

� FRANCESchool Notre Dame d’UsselNotre Dame d’Ussel is a private school offering

places from kindergarten to high school. The schoolhas 600 students, 35 teachers and 15 technical andadministrative clerks. In 2005 the school introducedAgenda 21, an action plan designed to meet socialand environmental objectives in line with the edu-cational process. As part of the pedagogical obser-vatory board the trade union FEP Limousin (CFDT)had a leading role in suggesting projects and raisingawareness.

As a first step, the Agenda 21 Steering Committeedecided to provide shared civic, legal and socialeducation across high school classes. The commit-tee also decided to carry out a number of projects,and organise an event at the end of the year inorder to present the actions and invite partners (inparticular the Permanent Initiative Centre for theEnvironment). The actions were about solidarity,funding the school year costs for students in Togoand investing in Catholic Aid’s ‘Fair boutique’.

Recently the ‘energy section’ of the school has builta wind turbine and plans to use solar panels, the‘plastic arts’ section has used recycled materials,and an organic garden is also envisaged.

47th CFDT Congress: an ‘Eco-Congress’(Tours, June 7-11, 2010))In 2010 the trade union CFDT engaged in a processof eco-sustainability at its Congress, with two ob-jectives: to encourage participants to take an atti-tude of eco-responsibility and to provide the toolsand procedures to facilitate personal commitmentaround these issues.

On-line conference management was at the heartof the process (registration of participants, confer-ence documents, amendments); the restaurantserved local and organic products; there were in-centives to use rail or car sharing for travel; onlyrecycled paper was used and only a limited selec-tion of documents were printed; eco-friendly standswith prizes for the best projects; a “sustainable de-velopment space” at CFDT’s stand with general in-formation on the union’s best practices. The Con-gress also carried out an assessment of CO2 con-sumption based on data collected on energy, water,paper consumption, the transportation of peopleand materials, volumes of waste etc. This assess-ment will provide a benchmark for possible im-provements from one Congress to another. Finally, at the conclusion of the process, the unioncompensated for greenhouse gas emissions whichcould not be avoided, by supporting local and in-

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ternational projects that seek to tackle environ-mental and social problems.

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Chapter 7.Unions and international action

“Think globally, act locally” is one of the most wellknown slogans used by organisations that are fight-ing for environmental causes. The slogan recog-nises the global dimension of environmental issues.An obvious example is global warming due togreenhouse gas emissions across the planet, towhich we can respond locally in our lives and atwork.

Trade unions can not only adopt this slogan fromthe environmental movement but can also enhanceit with their strong organisation at internationallevel and their mission of solidarity among all work-ers: ‘Think globally, act locally and globally’.

Trade unions activity around environmental issues,both within the ETUC and the wider internationalcontext, has been growing in recent years. At theUN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 thetrade union delegation was one of the smallest, yetby the time of the next Earth Summit in Johannes-burg in 2002 they were the largest group.

ETUC Sustainable Development Working Group

The ETUC’s Sustainable Development WorkingGroup brings together trade union experts fromacross the EU to advise the ETUC on what climatechange means for people at work and in their dailylives. Over the past two years, the Working Group hasprovided expert advice on:

• The EU Roadmap 2050, which sets out the poli-cies needed for the EU to reach its ambitious tar-gets on climate change. The ETUC is calling forhuge investment across the EU in green jobs andskills as a union-led response to austerity.

• Going green at work: how trade unions can makea difference in saving energy and resources atwork, through joint projects with their membersand employers.

• The UN’s international negotiations for a newglobal climate change treaty: the ETUC is callingfor a globally fair, legally binding and ambitiousagreement to tackle climate change, in line withthe scientific evidence. Green jobs, decent workand worker involvement are among the ETUC’skey demands.

.

Workers & climate change: the ITUC Tackling climate change is a top strategic priorityfor the International Trade Union Confederation(ITUC). Every year, the ITUC sends a strong dele-gation to the UN’s annual negotiations for a newglobal climate change agreement. The UN Frame-work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) iswhere the talks take place, and where nations mustagree a new treaty to take over from the Kyoto Pro-tocol (KP). The KP is the first global climate changeagreement, but it applies to only 27 countries andexpires in December 2012.

At the UN conferences, the decision makers arethe world’s 182 nations. The ITUC, with over 165million members globally, is recognised as an Ob-server Group to the UN. The ITUC’s working groupon climate change, where European trade unionsplay a key role, aims to influence governments andthe UN to agree to a treaty that will stop climatecatastrophe.

The ITUC works to ensure that developed nationstake urgent actions to cut their carbon emissionsthrough new technologies and investments. It alsowants developing nations, especially the poorest,to receive major new financial support to adapt tothe changes ahead, and build greener economiesas they develop.

ITUC demandsThe ITUC published a report, Workers and climatechange, ahead of the last UN conference in Durbanin December 2012. The report puts forward the fol-lowing demands:1. Cutting emissions: developed countries mustcommit to an emissions reduction target of atleast 25% to 40% by 2020, in line with the UN’sscientific evidence. The major developing coun-tries and emerging countries (such as Chinaand India) should take actions to ensure theireconomic development follows a below busi-ness-as-usual trajectory – through investing inrenewable energy, efficient technologies andpublic transport.

2. Signing a new and ambitious Kyoto Protocol:to avoid a gap in emissions reduction commit-ments when the Kyoto Protocol runs out in De-cember 2012, the legally-binding Kyoto Proto-col (KP) should be renewed from December2012 (as KP2), with the highest emission targetsalready ‘pledged’ by participants, or more.

3. Climate finance: the UN must set up a majornew fund building up to $100 billion a year by2020 to help developing countries deal with cli-mate change.

4. Just transition: the UN must include the prin-ciples of ‘just transition’ and decent work inthe new treaty, to give workers a voice in thefuture. It must also mandate the InternationalLabour Organisation (ILO) to monitor progressand set standards on green jobs, green skillsand national dialogue between unions, govern-ment, business and communities in every coun-try. (1).

European Works Councils and Global Unions

Multinational companies seem to be the real pro-tagonists of globalisation. By having a sole deci-sion- making centre they are the only organisationsable to define strategies of a global nature that ‘flyover’ national contexts and governments. Whilethere is not a ‘world government’, there is transna-tional governance of a company. This gives thesecompanies’ decision makers an extraordinarypower to determine not only their economic im-pacts but also those of a social and environmentalnature. So we can look at multinational companiesas entities that can help influence the developmentmodel of the planet.

This is why it is vitally important to find ways ofentering into dialogue with the key decision- mak-ers in multinational companies, to try to interveneon directions and choices that draw on strategiesfor global development. The European dimensionoffers more opportunities than other internationalcontexts, with a robust regulatory framework basedon the acquis communautaire and on the Europeansocial model.

European Works Councils (EWC) should be con-sidered in this context, as the only form of labourrepresentation at a transnational level able to in-teract with the decision makers of the leading glob-alised companies.

EWCs began in Europe under the European socialdialogue with the aim of extending the experienceand practice of social dialogue from a ‘macro’ in-stitutional / inter-professional / sectoral level to the‘micro’ level of a single company. Apart from a se-ries of pilot experiments, the official birth of theEWC came with a 1994 European Directive, re-cently revised, which defined the characteristicsand rules of this new instance of European socialdialogue and which lead to the creation of nearly

900 European Works Councils.

The role of the EWC is to facilitate informationand consultation between employers and workers,but in many cases this has extended to drawing upframework agreements. A recurring theme of theseagreements and, more generally, of the interactionbetween the EWC and transnational companies iscorporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustain-able development.

Even if the European dimension offers such op-portunities we must not overlook the fact thattransnational corporations often operate beyondthe European context, at a global level. This is alsothe level at which Global Unions operate.

An interesting example is the international frame-work agreement (IFA) signed by multinationals’head offices and the Global Unions often in collab-oration with the European trade union federationsand the EWC. Around 200 IFAs have been signed,and the issues of CSR and sustainable developmentare the most frequently cited in these agreementsbecause they are in line with the overall businessstrategy of these companies.

Global Compact

The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy ini-tiative that brings together businesses, internationalagencies (2), workers and civil society associations.It is based on 10 principles covering human rights,labour, the environment and anti-corruption andaims to promote an alliance between businessesand public authorities and joint responsibility to-wards society and development.

The idea was proposed by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan in his address to the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 1999when he spoke of a “Global Compact on sharedprinciples” in order to give a human face to globalmarkets. This was a particularly significant openingtowards the world of business, and broke with UN

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1) http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc_contribution.pdf2) The Global Compact Office is supported by six UN agencies: theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR);the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the Interna-tional Labour Organisation (ILO); the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP); the United Nations Industrial DevelopmentOrganization (UNIDO); the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC), the United Nations Industrial Development Or-ganization (UNIDO). The first five organizations deal with theGlobal Compact’s ten principles, while UNIDO give support toSMEs. For more information see http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

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tradition which had previously not been very opento such forms of dialogue.

Since then, the Global Compact has developed rap-idly at global level and is now a growing networkbased on the processes of ‘learning, ‘dialogue" and‘partnership projects’. A growing number of com-panies and organisations from all over the worldare participating in the Global Compact. They de-cide voluntarily to achieve a "more inclusive andsustainable global economy" through sharing, sup-porting and implementing the 10 principles pro-moted by the initiative.

By 2011 there were over 8,000 stakeholders partic-ipating in the Global Compact including over 6,000companies across 135 countries. European coun-tries were the first to participate in the Global Com-pact (France and Spain) followed by Latin America(Argentina, Mexico and Brazil). Inside the GlobalCompact, national networks operate proactively.

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Towards a Just TransitionA Just Transition: rights for environmentalrepresentatives The shift to a low carbon economy is not just nec-essary but increasingly inevitable. Although muchmore needs to be done to reduce the significantrisks from climate change this century, new envi-ronmental regulations and investment in green anddecent jobs can begin to change the shape of theEuropean economy over the next decade.But the injustices of industrial change in the pastmust not become a feature of transition to a lowcarbon economy now and in the future. Not onlywould this be unacceptable to trade unions and besocially damaging but it would undermine the cred-ibility of the transition itself and could slow or evenhalt this vital and urgent shift.For this reason, among others, we need a 'just tran-sition' to a sustainable economy. ‘Just transition’recognises that support for environmental policiesis conditional on a fair distribution of the costsand benefits across the economy. It means unionshaving a place at the table with government andemployers, negotiating on the creation of jobs, skillsand social protection for all those affected.Consultation between social partners, or “stake-holders”, is fundamental to a Just Transition, in-volving representatives from trade unions, business,government, regional bodies and voluntary organ-isations, on the shift to a green, low carbon econ-omy. Consultation is essential at all relevant levels,from the workplace to national government.

The partners involved in preparing this Guide fortrade unions representatives for sustainable devel-opment believe that a level playing field of rights atwork is essential for environmental representativesacross the EU. A set of positive rights should beopened for discussion with the social partners insupport of continuous environmental improvementin work organisation and industrial processes. Itshould include the right of workers to information,training and trade union action on these issues.

Just as for the health and safety issues at work,where workers’ representatives and employers en-joy a range of rights and duties to ensure safe andhealthy working conditions, so a similar frameworkneeds to be developed to ensure continuous envi-ronmental improvement - both as regards theirown organisations but also in upstream and down-stream activities.

This is the meaning of the national contract ofchemistry workers in Italy (2006) which establishedfor all chemical companies operating in Italy theprinciple of continuous environmental improve-ment with the definition of employers’ obligationsand workers' rights. The contract of workers in thecement sector in 2010 also established the right ofworkers to be active participants in the process ofCorporate Social Responsibility within the sector.

European training programmes on sustainabledevelopment

Skills for low carbon, resource efficient economyare a second fundamental principle of a Just Tran-sition. This involves Government-led investment ineducation/training and skills programmes, fromthe workplace to national level, to equip studentsand the workforce with the skills for a low carbon,resource-efficient economy. Training programmesfor new professional skills should include the newprinciples and cultural values of sustainable devel-opment.

There is no doubt that with the forthcoming lowcarbon economy new professions and skills appearon the labor market, and in a wider aspect all ac-tivities shall have a green change, because only inthis way we can have a general change in the pro-duction, consumption modes, and in organizingthe social and civil life of citizens of the 3d millen-nium.

As we said in the Guide, we have to pursue andbuild together a different kind of developmentbased on the principles of sustainability to safe-guard the planet and the richness and variety of itlife it supports, and to distribute the benefits ofeconomic growth in an equitable manner. One ofthe major resources of welfare is labor, and laborin the new society has to grow in quantity andquality.

Rediscovering the role of "worker-citizens-consumers"

Trade unions involved in this project also believethat trade union organizations should considerdeveloping a range of activities to develop theirmembers’ consciousness of their role as con-sumers.

CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS

The purchases of goods and services that respectsocial and environmental considerations, includ-ing local purchasing, can be an effective actionfor a sustainable economy.

Supporting the Tobin taxIn drafting this Guide, the project partners haveconsidered a variety of ways to tackle underdevel-opment and reduce carbon emissions.

The ETUC supports the Tobin tax on internationalfinancial transactions to help reduce speculativefinancial initiatives and contribute vital funds tothe challenge of underdevelopment and globalpoverty alleviation. We welcome the EU’s supportfor this initiative.

Taxing carbon emissionsCarbon taxes are one of a number of ways inwhich regulations are being deployed to combatclimate change. We do not think that taxing car-bon emissions is a cure for all problems involvedin the international "governance" of the fightagainst climate change. But pricing carbon emis-sions, through the European Emissions TradingScheme, for example, can help to introduce a de-terrent to practices damaging the planet.

Carbon taxes can help to spread the developmentof products and services with lower CO2 content,both in continental markets and internationaltrade. It would certainly be useful to help citizensunderstand the issue of climate change and theneed to guide production, consumption andlifestyles towards a low carbon economy. In thisway resources can be used to promote policiesfor employment and environmental protection allaround the world.

Building alliances

Trade unions at national and international levelhave developed a wide range of joint initiativeswith environmental organisations, employers andgovernments in the field of environmental protec-tion and the fight against poverty and inequality.This includes the Spring Alliance, a broad-basedmovement pushing for an EU that places peopleand planet at the centre of policymaking. It wasestablished by four leading civil society organisa-tions – the European Environmental Bureau (EEB),the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC),Social Platform and Concord – and is composed ofgroups and individuals from civil society and be-yond.

We trust that this Guide will help build andstrengthen alliances such as this, between all thoseconcerned to ensure a truly sustainable, fairer andmore equitable European and global society

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� ANNEX 1

Easter Island - a case of unsustainabledevelopment

Easter Island which is only 120 square kilometres(km), is located in the Pacific Ocean 3,700 km fromthe west coast of South America and 2,315 kmfrom the nearest habitation, Pitcairn island. Forthis reason, from an environmental point of viewit can be considered an isolated system (ie a systemwhich can’t interact and change resources withneighbour systems). This makes it a particularlyinteresting example, because it is possible to eval-uate with high reliability the consequences of anyaction which changes the environmental balance.

The Dutch Admiral Roggeveen was the first Euro-pean to visit the island on Easter Sunday 1722. Hefound a society in a primitive state with about 3,000people living in squalid reed huts or caves engagedin almost perpetual warfare and resorting to can-nibalism in a desperate attempt to supplement themeagre food supplies available on the island.

What amazed and intrigued the first European vis-itors was the evidence, amongst all the squalor andbarbarism, of a once flourishing and advanced so-ciety. Scattered across the island were over 600 mas-sive stone statues, on average over twenty feet high.When anthropologists began to consider the historyand culture of Easter Island early in the twentiethcentury they agreed on one thing: the primitive peo-ple living in such poverty-stricken and backwardconditions when the Europeans first visited the is-land could not have been responsible for such a so-cially advanced and technologically complex task ascarving, transporting and erecting the statues.

Easter Island therefore became a mystery and awide variety of theories were advanced to explainits history. Today the mystery is solved: the islandis a striking example of the dependence of humansocieties on their environment and of the conse-quences of irreversibly damaging that environment.

The history of Easter Island is believed to have begunin the fifth century (CE) when Polynesians colonisedit. They discovered a world with few resources: theisland was volcanic in origin, both temperatures andhumidity were high, drainage was very bad and therewere no permanent streams on the island. Becauseof its remoteness the island had only a few species

of plants and animals and the waters around the is-land contained very few fish.

The settlers were restricted to breeding chickenand growing sweet potatoes, but these activitieswere not very demanding and left plenty of timefor other activities. As the population slowly in-creased the forms of social organisation familiarin the rest of Polynesia were adopted. The basicsocial unit was the extended family, which jointlyowned and cultivated the land. Closely relatedhouseholds formed lineages and clans, each ofwhich had its own centre for religious and cere-monial activity.

The chief monuments were large stone platforms,similar to those found in other parts of Polynesia,which were used for burials, ancestor worship andto commemorate past clan chiefs. These platformsindicate the intellectual level of the population be-cause some of them have sophisticated astronom-ical alignments, usually towards one of the solsticesor the equinox. At each site they erected betweenone and 15 huge stone statues that survive todayas a unique memorial to the vanished society.

Crop production took very little effort and so therewas plenty of free time which the clan chiefs wereable to use for constructing the statues. They tookup immense amounts of peasant labour and werefashioned to represent in a highly stylised form amale head and torso, carved using only obsidianstone tools, weighing about ten tons and measuringapproximately 6 meters. The statues were draggedacross the island using tree trunks as rollers (therewere no animals that could be used) and thenerected on the platforms.

The population of the island grew steadily from theoriginal small group in the fifth century to about7,000 at its peak in 1550. Over time the number ofclan groups would have increased and also the com-petition between them in statue construction in orderto have a good social position and prestige. As thepopulation slowly increased, trees would have beencut down to provide clearing for agriculture, fuel forheating and cooking, construction material forhousehold goods, pole and thatch houses and canoesfor fishing. The most demanding requirement of allwas the need to move the large number of enor-mously heavy statues to ceremonial sites around theisland. As a result by 1600 the island was almostcompletely deforested (the initial settlement on

ANNEXES – CHAPTER 1

Easter Island had a dense vegetation cover includingextensive woods) and massive environmental degra-dation caused the collapse of the society.

The deforestation of the island had drastic effectson everyday life for the population. The shortageof trees forced many people to abandon buildinghouses from timber and live in caves or sheds ofstone, canoes could no longer be built and onlyreed boats incapable of long voyages could bemade. Fishing was also more difficult because netshad previously been made from the paper mulberrytree (which could also be made into cloth) and thatwas no longer available. Removal of the tree coveralso badly affected the soil of the island, whichwould have already suffered from a lack of suitableanimal manure to replace nutrients taken up bythe crops. Increased exposure caused soil erosionand the leaching of essential nutrients. As a resultcrop yields declined. In addition they were almostcompletely isolated from the rest of the world, sothey couldn’t import resources to restore its envi-ronmental heritage.

It became impossible to support 7,000 people withdiminishing resources and numbers fell rapidly.Without canoes, the islanders were trapped in theirremote home, unable to escape the consequencesof their self-inflicted, environmental collapse.

The social and cultural impact of deforestation wasequally important. The inability to erect any morestatues must have had a devastating effect on thebelief systems and social organisation and calledinto question the foundations on which this com-plex society had been built. There were increasingconflicts over diminishing resources resulting in astate of almost permanent warfare. Slavery becamecommon and as the amount of protein availablefell the population turned to cannibalism.

The fate of Easter Island has wider implications.Just like Easter Island the earth has only limitedresources to support human society and all its de-mands. Like the islanders, the human populationon this earth has no practical means of escape. Forthe last two million years humans have succeededin obtaining more food and extracting more re-sources on which to sustain increasing numbersof people and increasingly complex and techno-logically advanced societies. But have they beenany more successful than the islanders in finding away of life that does not fatally deplete the re-sources available and irreversibly damage their lifesupport system?

� ANNEX 2

The development of environmentallegislation in Italy The development of environmental legislation inItaly Specific environmental policy has a very recenthistory in Italy, although some important measuresdate back to the second half of the 1960s. The his-tory of Italian legislation on environmental issueshas three phases:

1. An embryonic phase between 1966 and 1977.This is characterized by a first response to en-vironmental problems with clear visibility, suchas the ‘anti-smog’ law in 1966, followed in 1970-71 by regulations and by the establishment ofa ‘Committee on ecological issues’ in the Senate(1971).

2. The second phase over the next decade, wascharacterised by increasing legislation, largelyprompted by EU environmental directives.Some examples are the ‘Merli law’ in 1976 ontackling water pollution, followed by the decreeof the president of the Republic in 1982 onsolid waste, the ‘Galasso law’ in 1985 on land-scape protection and so on. (Note that thisphase coincides precisely with the period be-tween the Seveso accident and Chernobyl).

3. The third phase began with the creation of theMinistry of the Environment (law no. 349 in1986). Extensive law-making characterized thisphase, from the regulation of industrial and ur-ban waste treatment to the creation of nationalparks, industrial sites at risk from noise restric-tion, hazardous substances and assessing theenvironmental compatibility of some types ofprojects.

Recently sustainable development principles andthe importance of environmental issues were thesubject of national legislation. Two examples are:the institutional innovation {law n. 61 in 1994 –creation of the National Environmental ProtectionAgency (ANPA) and regional Agencies}, and the en-actment by the Government of some importantplanning documents in order to use part of nationalincome for environmental preservation (the na-tional plan for sustainable development implement-ing Agenda 21, and two following interventionplans, triennial programmes for environmental pro-tection 1989-91 and 1994-96).

Law 61/94 reorganised environmental issues atboth administrative and technical-scientific levels,

47

and together with creating the Ministry of Envi-ronment represents the most important formalsteps towards environmental governance in Italy.Specifically, with the implementation of “expertstructures”, the separation of institutional and en-vironmental aspects of health issues has takenplace, bridging the gap between Italy and otherWestern countries. This is an important step, espe-cially because of critical observations made aboutItaly’s environmental policies, not so much the leg-islation, but its implementation.

At the legislative level we can see a rapid evolutionof the legal framework following EU action. Rulesof environmental impact assessment and EMASand Ecolabel regulations have been implemented.Later, procedures which extended integrated envi-ronmental assessment from single projects (envi-ronmental impact assessment or EIA) to plans andprogrammes (strategic environmental assessmentor SEA), were introduced alongside integrated en-vironmental authorisation (IEA).

The fast growing body of environmental legislationled to problems of coherence between differentlaws. It was therefore necessary to revise the legalarea often defined as “regulatory pollution”, withconsequences for public and private companies. In2006 the first step took place with the legislativedecree 152/2006, also known as “unified acts” (testounico) or “environmental code” (with later withfurther revisions).

ANNEXESCHAPTER 3

� ANNEX 1

1. The European EcolabelEuropean Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, estab-lished in 1992, to encourage businesses to sell moreecological products and services.

The criteria are agreed at European level, followingwide consultation, and the label itself is onlyawarded after verification that the product meetshigh environmental and performance standards.The voluntary nature of the scheme means that itdoes not create barriers to trade. On the contrary -many producers find that it gives them a competi-tive advantage.

The EU Ecolabel is part of a broader action planon Sustainable Consumption and Production andSustainable Industrial Policy adopted by the Eu-ropean Commission on 16 July 2008.

2. Trade union environmental representativesand the Ecolabel competent bodyArticle 4 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the Eu-ropean Parliament and of the Council of 25 No-vember 2009 on the EU Ecolabel, says that eachMember State should designate a body or bodies,within government ministries or outside, respon-sible for carrying out the tasks provided for in theRegulation and ensuring they are implemented.The composition of the competent bodies shouldbe such as to guarantee their independence andtheir rules of procedure should ensure transparencyin the conduct of their activities as well as the in-volvement of all interested parties.

Trade unions should be represented within thecompetent body for the Ecolabel and union envi-ronmental representatives have an important roleto play in representing unions on the competentbody. They can also play a wider role, especially inrelation to the working environment and trainingfor employees on the implementation of the Eco-label.

Competent bodies may require supporting docu-mentation and may carry out independent moni-toring. This provision is important because it givesunion environmental representatives on the com-petent body the opportunity to check important is-sues related to the involvement of employees in theimplementation of Ecolabel criteria including rel-

48

evant training.

3. The Ecolabel for tourist accommodationservices A European Commission Decision of 9 July 9 2009established ecological criteria for the award of theCommunity Ecolabel for tourist accommodationservices (notified under document number C(2009)5619). These criteria aim to limit the main envi-ronmental impacts from the three phases of pro-viding tourist accommodation services (purchas-ing, provision of the service and waste). In partic-ular they aim to limit energy and water consump-tion, waste production, to promote the use of re-newable resources and of substances which areless hazardous to the environment, and to promoteenvironmental communication and education.

4. Greek trade unions’ role in the Ecolabel fortourist servicesSince the competent body for the Ecolabel inGreece was established in 1992 (ASAOS), tradeunions have been represented through the GreekGeneral Confederation of Labour (GSEE). Thisparticipation gives enables unions to have a voiceon the wider implementation of Ecolabel criteria,and to strengthen the role of employees in touristaccommodation services.

.

ANNEXESCHAPTER 4

� ANNEX 1

Climate change and the environment:Belgian social dialogue - eco-chequesIn the Belgian social dialogue the climate changeissues (adaptation and mitigation) have emergedover the past ten years. These issues are addressedwithin the Central Economic Council (CCE) (1)andthe National Labour Council (CNT) (2) which aretwo instances of formal bilateral discussion at fed-eral level. Their primary mission is to provide ad-vice on economic and social issues. These two bodies work closely together on envi-ronmental issues, they have created a Joint Sub-committee on "Green Jobs" in order to facilitatethe drafting of opinions on these issues. This sub-committee has produced two reports on green jobs(Avis concernant la thématique des emplois verts,2009 et Réussir la transition vers une économie àbasse émission – Second avis concernant la thé-matique des emplois verts, 2010).

Since 1968, the National Labour Council has beenalso mandated to conclude collective labor agree-ments at interprofessional level.

In July 2009 CNT’s social partners have introducedthe eco-chèques (also called green cheques). Thisis an application of the agreement of December22, 2008 covering the period of 2009-2010. It wasdetailed in the Collective Labour Agreement No.98 of February 20, 2009, adopted by the NationalLabour Council.This initiative has two objectives:

• Increase employees’ purchasing power, • Encourage the purchase of green products andservices. The list of these products and servicesis defined in consultation with social partnersand reviewed annually.

This initiative was designed and implemented in acontext of economic crisis in order to improve thepurchasing power of employees, without affectingthe wage norm. Every two years an evaluation of

49

1) Established by the Law of September 20, 1948, the CCE has theobjective of addressing issues of the Belgian national economy. Itis composed - in a joint way - by approx. 50 members and other 50supply members. 2) Established by the Law of May 29, 1952, the CNT has the objec-tive of addressing social problems in Belgium. It is composed - in ajoint way – by 26 members maximum (13 management representa-tives and 13 union representatives).

the eco-chèque system by social partners is foreseen.The last evaluation has established a monitoringof the compliance with the ecological criteria ofthese products and services.Its implementation is done within companies andremains subject to sectoral collective agreementsnegotiated in joint committees and joint sub-com-mittees.Belgian trade unions have supported this initiative,because it encourages environmentally friendlyproducts, but they remain cautious about the riskof replacing a gross wage increase by this kind ofinitiative.

� ANNEX 2

Go Green at work: TUC check-list oftrade union green rights at work

In order to check the application of green rights atthe workplace, the TUC’s handbook for green unionreps, Go Green at work, suggests key ways to assessthe roles, responsibilities and resources involvedin greening the workplace:• Roles and responsibilities of trade union dele-gates on environmental issues, and how tradeunions intend to nominate them.

• Training advice and support needed to assistthem in their role.

• Issues of agreeing with management the timeaway from main duties required to make surethey can perform their duties, and take advantageof relevant training opportunities.

• Opportunities to carry out surveys and inspec-tions on consumption / savings in energy and en-vironmental resources, in consultation with man-agement.

• Ensuring effective links to health and safety riskassessments and other policies.

• Setting up a Joint Committee composed of tradeunions’ and employers’ representatives, andagreeing clear objectives and monitoring poli-cies.

• Agreeing promotional activities to encourage em-ployees and union members to engage in envi-ronmental issues.

• The right to information on energy and environ-mental issues.

• Considerways to share the benefits to achievingthe objectives.

• Consider wider benefits for consumers and thecommunity e.g. sustainable transport, local prod-ucts for canteens in enterprises and schools.

� ANNEX 3

Greeing the workplace - check-list forunions

Quick Walkround Checklist Energy1. Does heating or cooling keep workers comfort-able without wasting energy?

2. Is the workplace properly insulated and draught-proofed? Are outside doors frequently left open,creating draughts? Are there any areas wherecomfort is poor?

3. Are the thermostats in the right places, set to theright temperature? (19ºC for heating, 24ºC forcooling), and fitted with timers? Are the timesright?

4. Are heating or ventilation sources blocked byfurniture or equipment, or poorly located in re-lation to the workplace design?

5. Are there automatic power reducing features,e.g. motion sensor lights, timers, power downs?Are they enabled and do staff know how to usethem?

6. Are controls and switches clearly labelled andaccessible, including when they should/can beturned off?

7. Are all bulbs low energy? 8. Are all computer monitors flat-screen?9. Is all equipment turned off fully when not inuse? If not, why?

Resources, waste and biodiversity1. Is everything recycled that can be, and is every-thing bought recycled where possible?

2. Are water saving measures in place, such as rain-water harvesting, low flush toilets, water savingtaps, and audits of industrial water use?

3. Are the catering arrangements satisfactory or isfood over-processed or packaged?

4. Are there attempts to protect biodiversity or es-tablish wildlife habitats and natural garden areasat or around the workplace? Are these areas thatworkers and clients can access and enjoy?

Travel to work1. Have you completed a travel to work survey?2. Has a travel to work plan been negotiated with

50

the employer?

Good questions to ask workers include:• How do you travel to work?• Has this changed over time? • Would you like to change it if other options wereavailable?

• What problems does your current mode of travelcause (eg congestion, delays, long waits)?

• What stops you changing to public transport/bi-cycle/walking if you don’t use these options al-ready? (cost/lack of availability/family commit-ments/other)

• What would you like your employer to do?

ANNEXESCHAPTER 5

� ANNEX 1

Causal relationshipsIn order to better perceive and plan the interven-tions of environmental protection, the analysts hadgiven tools that help to optimise the programming.

An analysis tool of the OECD, further developedby the European Environment Agency is the DPSIRmodel (Determinants - Pressure – State – Impacts- Responses). It is based on a system for analysingthe causal relationships between human activitiesand environment.

The determinants (D) representing human activities(transport, energy, etc.) are the root causes (DrivingForces) of the pressures (P) on the environment.But at the same time human activities drive devel-opment and economic growth. The pressures(emissions, waste, etc.) alter the state (S) of envi-ronmental quality, producing impacts (I) of variousnature (health, ecological, economic, etc.) and sothey call for responding initiatives (R) from thepart of the community.

The correlation between pressures on the environ-ment (P) and the causes or determinants from hu-man activity (D) have great relevance for sustain-ability policies, or how much pressure is producedby a specific environmental factors. Not all pressurelevels are compatible at local level. Action has tobe taken. .

51

RESPONSESDETERMINANTS

AgricultureIndustryTransport...

LawsPlansRegulations

HealthEcosystemsLandscape

Carbon emissionsWastePollutants

The present state of the environment: air quality, water, soil

PRESSURE IMPACTS

STATE

� ANNEX 2

Decoupling pressures on theenvironmentDecoupling environmental pressures from eco-nomic growth by adopting policies that balanceeconomic development with good environmentalmanagement is one of the main objectives of theOECD strategy for the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The decoupling strategy means a specific effort bythe governments of member countries to direct themanner of consumption and production to formsthat allow a more efficient use of resources andwaste minimization. For the best achievement ofthe decoupling objectives the strategy states thatthese efforts are directed equally to producers andconsumers � ANNEX 3

The ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a measure of humandemand on the Earth's ecosystems. In 2000, Italy’secological footprint was estimated to be equal to4.5 hectares per citizen, according to the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF) study. WWF calculated howmuch energy and natural resources Italians usedper person. It exceeded the available national ter-ritory of 3.1 hectares per citizen.

Measuring the ecological footprint of a society ororganisation is another approach to achieve theobjectives of sustainability. It was developed byWackernagel and Ress in 1996. This approach es-timates the surface are of productive ecologicalsystems needed to assure the life of a communityin a sustainable manner with the current technol-ogy and with the sustainable organization of thecommunity.

The surface area is calculated by complex methodsand is equal to the surface needed for all the naturalresources required for the goods and services pro-duced and also for absorb all the waste and pollu-tants.

For 2007, humanity's total ecological footprint wasestimated at 1.5 planet Earths; that is, humanityuses ecological services 1.5 times as quickly asEarth can renew them. The globally accumulatedecological deficit is paid with non-renewable re-sources, particularly fossil resources and the poi-soning of air, water and soil.

52

DECOUPLING

Development

Resource consuming

Coupling Decoupling

RELATIVE DECOUPLING

Pressures

GDP

Δ (GDP) Δ (P)

Δ t Δ t> > 0

ABSOLUTE DECOUPLING

Pressures

GDP

Δ (P) Δ (GDP)

Δ t Δ t≤ ≤0

� ANNEX 4

Water risksHydrogeology is the discipline that studies under-ground and surface waters. The terms hydrogeo-logical upheaval and hydrogeological risk in thecommon sense of the word are used to identify thephenomena and the effective or potential damagecaused by waters in general, be they surface, in liq-uid or solid form, or underground. The most typicalexamples of hydrogeological phenomena compriselandslides, floods, coastal erosion, subsidence andavalanches.

Hydrogeologycal risk can be expressed by a formulathat links hazard, vulnerability and exposure ofpeople and things:• hazard expresses the probability that a harmfulevent of a determined intensity will occur in a zonewithin a determined period of time.• vulnerability indicates how much an “environ-mental component”, such as population density,buildings, services, infrastructures etc., can sustainthe effects of the intensity of a given event. • value at risk or exposure indicates the elementto be sustained in a certain event and can be ex-pressed either by the number of human presencesor by the value of natural and economical resourceson the territory at risk

http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/jcms/en/homepage.wp

� ANNEX 5

Major accidents involving dangeroussubstances – Seveso DirectiveSeveso accidentIn July 10, 1976 the chemical reactor of ICMESA(an industrial site) exploded near the Italian townSeveso. After the incident the EU began to discussa directive in order to have environmental securityand protection rules in high-risk industrial sites.

Seveso DirectiveAn accident is relevant if there is an emission, fire,or explosion, resulting from uncontrolled develop-ments in the course of the operation of any estab-lishment.

Industrial activities which foresee the presence and/ or use of dangerous substances are subject toCouncil Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-acci-dent hazards of certain industrial activities (Seveso

I). Chemicals are classified according to theirphysico-chemical, toxicological and eco-toxicolog-ical properties: they can be very toxic, toxic, oxi-dizing, explosive, flammable, highly flammable,dangerous for the aquatic environment. The Di-rective was updated through years. The Seveso IIDirective (96/82/EC) shifts the emphasis to thecontrol of the safety and security management: ed-ucation and training of personnel, operational con-trol, equipment design, modifications and mainte-nance.

In 2003, the Seveso III Directive (2003/105/EC)brings further changes and additions.The activities at risk are identified taking into ac-count the dangerous nature of substances and prod-ucts, used, handled or stored at a given site. It ismandatory to submit the documentation on therisk evaluation to the competent authority.http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environ-ment/civil_protection/l21215_en.htm

� ANNEX 6

Urban planning The strategy adopted by the European Communityfor the land protection in September 2006 indicatesthe main threats to our territories.http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pub R e f = - / / E P / / T E X T + TA + P 6 - TA - 2 0 0 6 -0367+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

When planning new buildings, the land is generallyconsidered as a “physical” support, but the land isa depleted and non-renewable resource, a commonprimarily limited good. Therefore for the environ-mental sustainability of an effective developmentit is necessary that all level public authorities inplanning and decision making pursue the followingmeasures:

• reduction of soil consumption, limiting water-proofing;

• safeguard soils with high production and protec-tive capacity or high natural or historical value;

• rationalization of productive activities: in case ofabandoned buildings or sites we have to opt forreconstruction, and only in delimited areas. In-directly this restricts also the need to expand theinfrastructure network.

Municipalities are encouraged to facilitate the soilconsumption and subsequent waterproofing of

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their areas because they can use up to 50% of in-frastructure costs for current expenses.Examples of municipalities with zero expansion(Osnago, Solza, Pregnana Milanese, Ozzero, RoncoBriantino, Cassinetta) confirm that it is possible,also economically speaking, to make the shift froma culture of expansion to a culture of restoring.This wouldn’t mean to stop building sector, but togive priority to restoring and maintaining of alreadyexisting buildings and to demolish-rebuild opera-tions. http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environ-ment/soil_protection/index_en.htm

� ANNEX 7

Urban mobility plans Urban systems’ sustainability can be assessed bytraffic. The complex problem of making sustainableurban mobility requires a strong commitment interms of innovation: from urban policies, methodsand contents, to the planning tool called UrbanPlan for Sustainable Mobility. This Urban Plan is aset of actions aiming the economic, social and en-vironmental sustainability which are three aspectsof the same problem.

The plan has three organizational levels, the strate-gic lines, the actions and the operative measures:

• strategic lines: evaluating economic, social andenvironmental impacts, so all aspects on whichdepend a mobility plan’s or system’s sustainabil-ity;

• actions, objectives: evaluating the plan’s results,so the direct effects that the plan has on the mo-bility system, modifying it in terms of sustain-ability;

• operative measures, tools: evaluating plan’s out-puts, thus the implemented products.

Indicators of impacts, results, and outputs are as-sociated respectively to the three hierarchical levelsof strategic lines, actions and operative measures. http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_re-port_2008_1http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/pdf/transport/2007_sutp_prepdoc.pdfhttp://www.euromobility.org/

The area mobility manager is reporting to all ref-erents of sustainable mobility on the area, and isnominated by the territorial organization (munic-

ipality, province, region) which is the more activein coordinating and promoting mobility manage-ment. The company mobility manager is workingin local authorities and in companies with morethan 300 employees.

The company mobility manager is individuated inone division of the company (human resources, lo-gistics, fleet management), draw up the Home-Work Travel Plan (HWTP), an analysis documentof the company’s mobility which contains recom-mendations for initiatives to disincentivate the useof private vehicles for the daily travels. The HWTPoffers to the employees a minor travel cost, shortertravel time, accident risk diminution, minor psy-cho-physical stress due to traffic, increasing facili-ties and services for those who are already usingalternative travel modes and new ways to socializewith colleagues.

The advantages for the company consist in the op-portunity to create socialization occasions for em-ployees, to offer a useful service to them, but alsoin parking space reduction, and better companyimage.

The mobility manager proposes new mobility serv-ices for the travel between home and work in syn-ergy with the local public transport (car sharing,car pooling, bike sharing, collective taxi, companyshuttles), he/she proposes the use of new technolo-gies for reducing travel occasions (teleworking, in-ternet), manage at best the existing company in-frastructures (parking areas, access to the com-pany).http://www.euromobility.org/

� ANNEX 8

Waste managementThe framework directive 2008/98 of November 19,2008, of the European Parliament reformulates thehierarchy in waste management, and applies thefollowing steps, in order of priority:

• prevention,• preparing for re-use;• recycling; • other recovery (e.g. energy recovery);• disposal.

Waste management plans include the analysis andevaluation of the current situation in a given geo-graphical area, the measures to adopt to improve

54

55

environmentally correct reusing, recycling, recoveryand disposal, the evaluation of how plans will con-tribute to the implementation of directive’s objec-tives and disposals. The waste management planscontribute to achieving the goal of reducing thevolume of biodegradable waste going to landfillsites.

When applying the waste hierarchy, member statesmust take into account the general principles con-cerning the environment protection, preventionand sustainability, technical feasibility and eco-nomic viability, resources protection, and the over-all social, economic, health and environmental im-pacts. Prevention programs must have the objectiveof dissociate economic growth from waste’s envi-ronmental impact, with indicators for monitoringboth the quantity and the quality of measureswhich may affect the waste production, planning,production, consumption / use phases.

In the waste production phase we may introduceplanning measures or economic tools for the effi-cient resources use, for the promotion of researchand development of cleaner products and technolo-gies, for the development of indicators on wasteproduction. After this, attention should be paid to the promo-tion of eco-design (life cycle), to information onprevention techniques, to training / informationmeasures for competent authorities, companiesand the public.

At the consumption and utilization phase we canincentivise the purchase of less polluting goods,promote awareness and information of the public,promote eco-labels. We can develop agreementswith businesses or retailers to ensure the availabil-ity of information on the prevention of waste andon products with lower environmental impact. Wecan integrate environmental criteria in calls fortenders and contracts, promote reuse and / or repairof products or components creating accredited cen-ters and networks to repair / reuse.

The extended producer responsibility (art. 8) is high-lighted, as member states may take measures toimplement the responsibility of those who design,produce, transform, handle, sell or import prod-ucts. The measures may include the obligation totake back returned products and their waste, theproduct management at the end of their life-cycleand consequent financial responsibility, the publicinformation on the reusability and recyclability ofproducts.

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environ-ment/waste_management/index_en.htmhttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriS-erv.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:312:0003:01:en:HTML EN

� ANNEX 9

Urban green spacesThe quality of public spaces in the city affects thequality of life of its citizens. Public spaces shouldbe designed in function of the inhabitants, but oftenprevail the activity and mobility requirements.Therefore it would be desirable that the biggest pos-sible number of municipalities develop the UrbanGreen Plan together with the City Urban Planning.

Green areas have a bioclimatic role, because thesum of evaporation and transpiration from plantscan contribute to a substantial mitigation of thesummer temperature in urban areas. Furthermore,with reference to the cultural sustainability of urbanareas and to the role of green areas inside the city,we should re-introduce the practice of urban gar-dens, in line with the objectives of Agenda 21.

� ANNEX 10

Noise pollutionIn every industrialized countries the noise of theliving environment has become one of the mainfactors of environmental degradation and decreas-ing quality of life. The main causes are the diffusionof individual and collective means of transport, thelack of coordination in the development of the ter-ritory where industrial sites, residential areas androadways are often mixed.

European Directive no 2002/49/EC highlights theurgent need to quantify the size of the populationexposed to noise, its severity and the correlationbetween the physical phenomenon and the impactof disturbance or degradation of the quality of lifeof populations. The main objective of a policy con-trolling noise in its various aspects is to keep expo-sure to noise as low as possible, through the devel-opment of criteria for protection from exposureand the noise assessment as part of the protectionprocess of citizens health. The general principleson which this assertion is based are found inAgenda 21:• precautionary principles: in every cases noise hasto be reduced to the lowest level possible in that

given situation;• polluters pay principle: the full cost associatedwith noise pollution (including monitoring, con-trol, mitigation) has to be paid by those who areresponsible for noise emitting;

• prevention principles: actions must be taken,when possible, acting on the noise source. Theplanning must be integrated with environmental

impact assessment considering the noise as a pol-luting component.

We can apply to the issue of noise pollution theDPSIR scheme already described in Annexe no 1of Chapter 5, as stated in fig.1.2 below, taken fromReview of indices and indicators for the noise ofAPAT.

56

� ANNEX 11

Light pollution Any form of artificial light irradiation being dis-persed outside the areas to which it is functionallydedicated and being oriented above the horizonline, is in fact classified as light pollution. The maincauses of light pollution result from excessive useof lighting and poorly functional installations. http://www.savethenight.eu/Light%20Pollu-tion%20in%20Europe.html

� ANNEX 12

Air qualityAir pollution is an alteration of the natural compo-sition of air due to chemical, physical and biologicalpollutants. These pollutants can be classified asmacro-pollutants when concentrations in the at-mosphere are measured in mg/m3 (milligrams percubic meter) and micro-pollutants: substanceswhose concentrations in the atmosphere are meas-ured in ng/m3 (nanogrammes by cubic meter).With reference to their source, pollutants can be

5656

RESPONSESPRIMARY CAUSES

Development of road and rail infrastructures Car, rail, air tra�c Productive activities...

Acoustic classi�cation Monitoring plans Penalties for excessive noise

% of population with health problems related to noise pollutionDecreasing real estate value

% of population exposed to noise levels > 65 dB(A)Exceeding noise levels prescribed by the regulations

Sound emissions

PRESSURES

IMPACTS

STATE

Figura n.1.2: Schema del modello DPSIR applicato agli indicatori di rumore

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environment/noise_pollution/index_it.htm

classified as primary if they are toxic in the formin which they are released into the atmosphere,and secondary if they result from primary underthe influence of physical or chemical catalysts. Theycan be found among the constituents of photo-chemical smog (e.g. ozone O3).http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environ-ment/air_pollution/index_en.htmhttp://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/570&format=HTML&aged=0&language=IT&guiLanguage=en

� ANNEX 13

IEA (Integrated EnvironmentalAssessment) e SEA (StrategicEnvironmental Assessment)The IEA procedure, as by EC directives no. 85/337and no. 97/11, is applied to construction works orof other installations or schemes on the territory,and has the following objectives:

• Protect human health,• Improve the quality of life through better envi-ronmental conditions,

• Preserve biodiversity,• Preserve the reproductive capacity of ecosys-tems,

• Protect the environment.

The IEA is carried out through an administrativeprocedure which assesses the environmental com-patibility of a planned project on the basis of ananalysis of all effects that the project itself will haveon the environment, and on socio-economic com-ponents involved in various phases of its implemen-tation: from design through building to demolition.This project approach has limitations because it in-tervenes only when decisions potentially harmful tothe environment are likely to be already undertakenat the strategic, planning or programme level.The SEA is an evolution of the IEA.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)aims to assess the environmental effects of plansor programs, prior to their approval (ex ante), dur-ing and after their period of validity, introducingthe consideration of environmental aspects alreadyin the strategy building phase.SEA’s other objectives are to improve informationto the public and to promote public participation

in planning / programming.The European Directive on SEA (2001/42/EC) isdirectly connected to the EIA and Habitats Direc-tives, as well as to several other directives whichcontain requirements for the establishment and as-sessment of plans / programs.

Generally the SEA process comes before an IEAprocedure. The two types of assessment work intwo different phases, with complementary goals.The SEA is a procedure to evaluate the environ-mental consequences of plans or programmes (de-terminants, environmental pressures and re-sponses), while IEA is a procedure to assess envi-ronmental impacts (changes of the environmentalcomponents) resulting from projects or works.From a legal point of view, the SEA’s guiding prin-ciples are precautionary, as they consist in inte-grating environmental interests into other interests(typically socio-economic) that determine plansand policies. The IEA’s guiding principle - moreimmediately functional - is the prevention of envi-ronmental damage.http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriS-erv.do?uri=CELEX:31997L0011:EN:NOThttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriS-erv.do?uri=CELEX:32001L0042:EN:HTML

� ANNEX 14

Regional CGIL, CISL UIL, Councilresolution No. 237 March 15, 2004This protocol aims to strengthen the relationship be-tween industrial development, territory and environ-ment for quality jobs, health and environment protec-tion in Tuscany, as the implementation of the RegionalEnvironmental Action Plan (PRAA) 2004-2006.The following two actions are outlined:

1) The establishment of a bilateral technical com-mittee aiming a dynamic management of the Re-gional Environmental Action Plan • analyzing critical environmental situations relatedto production processes, and sites to be recovered,in order to identify – possibly together with eco-nomic and institutional stakeholders - actions andprojects necessary to consolidate and develop theproductive apparatus;• identifying opportunities in terms of demand forproducts and services related to environment im-provement, proposing also projects and actions topromote development and quality jobs.

57

2) In order to increase skills and connections in aperspective of environmental governance and edu-cation for stakeholders who deal with environmen-tal issues, the parts agree on the usefulness of apilot training action. The training is designated to:

• trade unions officers dealing with environmental is-sues, especially trade unionist from federations whichare the most affected by the environmental problems;• trade unions’, companies’ and union representa-tive bodies’ officers.

58

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� ANNEX 1

Table 1. Examples of upskilling to new occupationsnegli Stati membri

Fonte: Cedefop: Skills for green jobs: European synthesis report http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3057_en.pdf, p. 10

� ANNEX 2

Green jobs in ItalyAn estimate made in Italy (1) by the Union of TradeChambers foresees that 22% of professional figuresneeded by the sectors in question have to specializetheir competences for the specific sector wherethey will operate. 49% need to learn more remain-ing at the same time sufficiently cross-sectoral, and30% will simply be “sensitised” to the sustainabilityissue. The same study states that the current trans-formation will be as big and deep that a total of39,5% of all professions will be in some way con-cerned.A transition which is already happening from thebottom, from small (10-49 employees) and micro(1-9 employees) companies, at least in Italy. Today the main demand for workers with “green”competencies is from these small and micro enter-prises. The big enterprises has a smaller demandfor professions potentially dedicated to sustainabil-ity and, furthermore, in relative decline in recentyears, while the demand expressed by micro andsmall enterprises continues to grow (2). This par-ticular and every time more evident tendency isdue to a necessity of transversal competencies re-garding environment: but it is also due to the de-velopment of niche markets for green products, aneed expressed by manufacturing and building in-dustries, businesses which has a growing demandfor more specialized figures in environmental is-sues.

The survey which highlights the expansion of newgreen professionals in the Italian small- andmedium-sized enterprises is very interesting as theyrepresent over 90% of the national industrial sector.It will be useful to assist and reinforce this labourmarket tendency with important territorial initia-tives and with the consolidation of these new skills.

ANNEXESCHAPTER 7

� ANNEX 1

The Global CompactThe Global Compact Network Italy, in line with thedirectives of the Global Compact Office in NewYork, acts as a national platform for the implemen-tation of Pact promotion and distribution on theItalian territory and carries out both the “terminal”and “sensor” role. Its mission is to make sure thatthe Global Compact will not only become betterknown and receive more adhesions, but it will betaken more seriously as a valid tool for the reformof way of being of their enterprises and stakehold-ers members.

The Italian network has organized many initiatives,including a preparatory meeting for the Rio Con-ference at the Foreign Ministry which was attendedby all the European networks of the Global Com-pact. During the conference on public-private part-nership, a significant number of best practices waspresented, and later summarized in a documentfor the UN’s Rio +20 Conference (June 2012).

A few days before the UN Conference, in fact, TheGlobal Compact Corporate Sustainability Forumhad been organized. More than 2,000 delegateshave worked together to provide an effective con-tribution to the work of the Rio Conference..

59

1) http://www.unioncamere.gov.it/download/1257.htmland http://www.symbola.net/assets/files/Ricerca%20GreenEcon-omy%20completa_1279545697.pdf2) http://www.unioncamere.gov.it/download/1257.html

60

is the regional organization of the Italian nationaltrade union CISL. The Italian CISL is the Confed-eration of Trade Unions in Italy organized in 20major national branch (sector) Federations and20 regional sections, with more than 4.5 millionof affiliated workers and pensioners. The CISLToscana has about 240,000 members, and is alsoorganized in a territorial way, with 10 provincialsections: Firenze, Prato, Pistoia, Pisa, Livorno,Massa Carrara, Siena, Grosseto, Arezzo andLucca. In 2005, CISL Toscana established the en-vironmental NGO, Ecologia e lavoro.http://www.cisltoscana.it/

Ecologia e Lavoro has the mission to:• train the CISL trade union’s representatives onenvironmental and sustainable development issues;• promote studies and research on environmentalissues and put together the issues of environment,economy and work;• developing initiatives and campaigns on issuesand objectives of sustainable development.http : / /www.cis l toscana. i t /ecologia -&-lavoro/ecologia-&-lavoro

The ETUC exists to speak with a single voice, onbehalf of the common interests of workers, at Eu-ropean level. Founded in 1973, it now represents85 trade union organisations in 36 European coun-tries, plus 10 industry-based federations.The ETUC’s prime objective is to promote the Eu-ropean Social Model and to work for the develop-ment of a united Europe of peace and stabilitywhere working people and their families can enjoyfull human and civil rights and high living stan-dards.The ETUC believes that workers’ consultation, col-lective bargaining, social dialogue and good work-ing conditions are key to promoting innovation,

productivity, competitiveness and growth in Eu-rope

IAL Toscana Innovazione Apprendimento Lavorosrl Impresa Sociale is the regional training agencyof the CISL Toscana. IAL Toscana operates in theentire educational system with a perspective of life-long learning: from guidance / orientation to train-ing for young people looking for a job, from con-tinuous training for workers to the advisory plansfor companies, and participating to local develop-ment plans aimed at increasing the competitivenessand employment.www.ialtoscana.it

The TUC was represented on the project by rep-resentatives from the Public & Commercial Serv-ices Union (PCS) and the TUC itself.

The TUC is the voice of Britain at work. It repre-sents 54 affiliated unions and brings Britain'sunions together to draw up common policies forthe world of work. Climate change is a strategicpriority for the TUC, and its climate change andenergy policy framework is determined by theTUC’s annual Congress. In consultation with itsaffiliated unions, the TUC coordinates its workon energy, climate change and industrial policythrough an expert advisory body, the Trade UnionSustainable development Advisory Committee(TUSDAC). Over the last decade, the TUC has en-gaged with the challenge of climate change andenergy policy through the notion of a Just Transi-tion to a low carbon future. "Just Transition" isabout recognizing and planning fairly and sus-tainably for the huge changes that climate changepolicies will have for our whole economy. TheTUC's recent "green" achievements include:• establishing a national network of green work-place projects supported by a Green Newsletterand website: http://www.tuc.org.uk/greenwork-

Project partners’ presentation

CISL TOSCANA

ECOLOGIA E LAVORO

IAL TOSCANA

TUC

CES/ETUC

61

placesnetwork/Green_Workplaces_News.cfm?theme=greenworkplacesnetwork

• setting up trade union environmental educationand green skills programmes; and

• working with industry, trade union and govern-ment stakeholders to develop a range of specificand practical policies linking industrial policyand climate change objectives.

The TUC takes forward its international commit-ments to tackling climate change through its rep-resentation on international bodies: the ETUC,the International Labour Organization and the In-ternational Trade Union Confederation:www.tuc.org.uk

The German teamincluded expertsfrom the GermanTrade Union Con-federation (DGB),the trade union IGBAU and the educationalinstitution Arbeit undLeben, all from the regionof Northrhine-Westfalia.As the trade union um-brella organisation, theDGB represents the Ger-man trade union move-ment in dealing with government at federal, stateand national level, the political parties, the employers´organizations and other groups within society. Thepartner in this project was the DGB executive boardof the federal state Northrhine-Westfalia, represent-ing 1.5 million members. The IG BAU (Industriegew-erkschaft Bauen Agrar – Umwelt) Westphalia repre-sents 40.000 employees of the building industry,building materials industry, gardening and landscap-ing, agriculture and forestry and the janitors workingin industrial facilities and buildings. Arbeit und LebenNW (North-Rhine-Westphalia) is an institution forfurther adult education supported by DGB and theGerman Association of Adult Education (Volk-shochschule VHS). Arbeit und Leben has built a farreaching network and arranges seminar programmesand projects with approximately 25.000 participantsand 1000 tutors each yearwww.dgb.de,http://www.aulnrw.de, http://www.igbau.de/

The CFDT (Confédération Française Démocratiquedu Travail) is one of the major trade unions inFrance. Organized into 18 major national SectorFederations and 22 Regional sections, CFDT wascreated in 1964 and has around 800,000 affiliatedworkers and pensioners. CFDT attended the RioSummit in 1992, and it was one of the key playersin negotiating the "Grenelle de l'environnement"(2007) in France. It also took part in the discussionon the French National Strategy for Biodiversityin 2011 and has participated actively at the RIO+20summit. The 47th confederal congress in 2010 wasan eco-designed congress. CFDT promotes studiesand research on sustainable development issuesand is currently developing a range of initiativesand campaign, including corporate social respon-sibility and decent work: www.cfdt.fr

EKA (ErgaroŸpalliliko kentro Athinas: Athens La-bor Unions Organization) was established in 1910and is active in the greater Athens area, with about450.000 members. Its mission is to support itsmembers towards the improvement of working andliving conditions and promoting initiatives of justtransition in areas of production changing due toenvironmental requirements:http://www.eka.org.gr/

The FGTB (La Fédération Générale des Travailleursde Belgique) is the General Federation of Workersin Belgium. It was born after the second world war(1945) on the basis of the former ConfederationGenerale du Travail de Belgique (CGTB). The FGTBand the CSC (Confederation of Christian TradeUnions) are the two major trade unions in Belgium.The FGTB has now 1.503.000 members. The FGTBis organized in seven sectoral centers, in three in-

CFDT

EKA

FGTB

GERMANY

62

terregional (Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels) and17 regional centers - according to the federal struc-ture of the Belgian state.One of the priorities of FGTB is sustainable devel-opment and environment, both in its claims andin the social dialogue, and also in of delegates’ andworkers’ training: http://www.fgtb.be

The Confederation of Labour PODKREPA (Sup-port) is a national representative body for tradeunions in Bulgaria. Created on 8th February 1989by a group of dissidents as an underground alter-native trade union under the former totalitarianregime, PODKREPA is the second independentunion body set up in Eastern Europe following themodel of the Polish Solidarnosc. PODKREPA hassome 153 000 members, 23 branch Unions and 36regional structures all over the country. It affiliatedto the ITUC in 1991 and the ETUC in 1995Its Pres-ident Dr. Trenchev is actually Vice-president of theETUC. Its last Congress was in February 2011,electing President, Vice-president and 7 ConfederalSecretaries for a mandate of four years:http://dostoentrud.podkrepa.org/portal/page/home.faces

PODKREPA

This project has received funding form the European Union (Budget heading 04 03 03 02 Information and training

measures for workers' organizations, call VP/2011/002. Identification number of the project: VS/2011/0188). Sole

responsibility lies with the author and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information

contained herein.

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