Innovative Public-Private Partnerships: Environmental Initiatives

Until very recently, the notion of partnering with a regulatory body to achieve environmental goals was unimaginable; a climate of mutual distrust immediately dampened any attempt at the openness necessary to cooperation. However, a range of initiatives designed to promote collaboration between business and government on environmental issues has been introduced, offering an opportunity to change the environmental regulatory landscape. The comments from the business community in this report describe the experience and illustrate the learnings of companies who have chosen to participate in voluntary partnerships with a state government or federal agency. Three partnership profiles describe the parameters of individual endeavors. A final section on keys to successful business/government partnerships provides insight into building new alliances.