An organisations environmental policy will vary from industry to industry, and vary in accordance with the nature of an organisations activities. However, there are a number of general principles which should be considered when producing an environmental policy.

In general policy statements are arranged in three parts.

1. A introductory declaration of the organisations commitment to environmental protection is given first, for e.g.

   "ABC is committed to reducing the impact of its products and services on the environment by means of a programme of continuous improvement. In line with our commitment, ABC will..."

   "XYZ recognises that environmental issues are important elements in a successful and responsible business strategy. We are therefore committed to minimising the environmental impact of our operations wherever possible. In particular, XYZ are committed to..."

2. Next state commitments and requirements which meet with ISO 14001/EMAS, and aims and objectives which are relevant to the organisations significant environmental impacts are given. For e.g.

   "complying with relevant environmental legislation and regulations, and other requirements to which the company subscribes to"

   "measuring and monitoring its significant environmental impacts to continually improve environmental performance"

   "developing processes and procedures to prevent pollution"

   "minimising the generation of waste by promoting efficient use of resources, re-use and recycling wherever possible"

   "investigating opportunities to improve energy efficiency"

   "reducing the risk of environmental incidents by developing safe systems of work"

   "training personnel to behave in an environmentally responsible manner"

   "providing interested parties including employees with a copy of the companys environmental policy"

3. Finally, the signature of a senior executive should appear at the bottom of the policy, and an issue number and the date should be added for document control purposes.