Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPCC) is a regulatory system that employs an integrated approach to control the environmental impacts of certain industrial activities. It applies to industry sectors for energy, metals, minerals, chemicals, waste management and a group of other activities such as textile treatment and food production.
It involves determining the appropriate controls for industry to protect the environment through a permitting process.
To gain a permit, Operators will have to show that they have systematically developed proposals to apply the "Best Available Techniques" (BAT) and meet certain other requirements, taking account of relevant local factors.
The essence of BAT is that the selection of techniques to protect the environment should achieve an appropriate balance between realising environmental benefits and costs incurred by Operators.
Through IPPC, the Agency will ensure to:
- Protect the environment as a whole;
- Promote the use of "clean technology" to minimize waste at source;
- Encourage innovation, by leaving significant responsibility for developing satisfactory solutions to environmental issues with industrial Operators.
Once a permit has been issued, other parts of IPPC come into play.
These include compliance monitoring, periodic permit reviews and variations of permit conditions. IPPC also requires the restoration of sites when the permitted activities cease to operate.
IPPC operates under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2013. This Act implements the EC Directive 2010/75 on IPPC.
In assessing applications for permits under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, the Agency works in close consultation with the UK’s Environment Agency who provide expertise in different areas of pollution prevention and assist in the preparation of permits.
