A review of current industry guidelines suggests that the commitments to self-regulation that were made in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 have been strengthened by the major industry associations in some areas, but that other areas have not been addressed.
In 1996, there were isolated policy areas among a handful of industry associations relating to issues such as transparency, stakeholder involvement, reporting and verification. By 2002, environmental management had become mainstreamed into industry association policy and activities.
In some cases, international industry associations have exceeded the policy recommendations of Agenda 21, especially in the area of global environmental management, where the policy focus is now on sustainable development. Engaging stakeholders in decision-making processes has emerged as an important concern within industry associations. Nevertheless, there are still divergent interests with regard to environmentally sound production and consumption patterns.
