The NetRegs website and services provide free, easy-to-understand, first port-of-call guidance to businesses on how to comply with environmental legislation, and what environmental best practice to follow to be the best you can be. The services are provided in partnership by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency, and cover both Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Smaller businesses may struggle with time and resources to find out exactly what their legal obligations are; if there isn’t an environmental manager in post, it may be difficult to know which pieces of legislation to look into and understand the legal jargon in them. NetRegs was created to meet these business needs, now providing environmental information, in plain English, to businesses big and small. And in a world where sustainability is ever more important, NetRegs also suggests good practice you should put in place to excel and go beyond compliance.
NetRegs is within reach at a click of a mouse, saving businesses time and money. A survey report indicated that businesses using the NetRegs website could save on average from £500 to £1,000 per year, with larger businesses saving considerably more. The Scottish Council for Development and Industry said: “Whichever business sector you are in, and whatever the environmental topic, NetRegs is a very useful and effective tool to guide any organisation towards achieving cost-effective compliance with environmental legislation.” A waste management company in Scotland said: “We have found that using NetRegs has saved us, and our clients, money, in terms of time and resources and has helped our business be more efficient.”
Go to the NetRegs website
NetRegs at a glance
- Guidance per Environmental Topic – Guidance on 195 different environmental topics. These fall under broad categories: Permits, Licences & Exemptions, Carbon Reduction & Efficiency, Materials, Fuel & Equipment, Air Pollution, Water, Land, Waste, Transport, Nuisances, Emergency Response, and Environmental Management. Find what you are looking for with the NetRegs search tool.
- Guidance per Business Sector – Library covering 36 different business sectors, including Agriculture, Fishing & Aquaculture, Pest Control, Golf, Construction, various different Extraction and Manufacturing sectors, Hospitality & Tourism, Offices, Retail & Wholesale, Transport, Hair & Beauty, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Repairs, and many others.
- Environmental Legislation section – Lists of key pieces environmental legislation, under different themes (Waste, Water, Air, Land, Energy, Chemicals, Conservation, Pesticides & Biocides, Pollution Prevention & Control, Noise & Statutory Nuisances, and Radioactive Substances) with link and summary of each entry.
- E- Courses – Online interactive courses covering the essentials of various environmental topics, and in certain cases providing a certificate of completion. Check out for example the Construction e-courses: Preventing Water Pollution in Construction, Invasive Non-Native Species on Construction Sites, Soils on Construction Sites, Sustainable Urban Drainage, and Waste on Construction Sites.
See the NetRegs E-courses
- Guidance for Pollution Prevention (GPPs) – Popular series of downloadable guides for different activities: from Stables, Kennels & Catteries to Construction & Demolition Sites, to Vehicles’ Washing & Cleaning and Service & Repairs, etc.
See the NetRegs GPPs
- Good Practice Videos – Check out NetRegs on YouTube, for the latest videos on several aspects of Agriculture best practice, Golf operations, and Waste & Recycling management, among others.
- Monthly E-Newsletter – Straight to your mailbox, this free service provides updates on environmental consultations, new and forthcoming legislation, new guidance, events and other items of interest. Go to the website to subscribe.
Join the tens of thousands that make use of the NetRegs website every month!
