If the fee becomes high enough by 5 to 10 years after patent issuance, the owner might let an uncommercialised patent lapse. IPR regimes could be extended more widely to support innovation and dissemination of ESTs. Multinational companies' leadership in using the same standards for environmental performance wherever they operate. Two key ways by which private sector firms can stimulate the more rapid adoption of ESTs are leadership and participation. An example of leadership has been the recent clear announcement of multinational companies to initiate ambitious GHG reduction programmes including innovative mechanisms such as internal trading systems.
Voluntary agreements can be a useful ways of obtaining high level commitment.
A number of companies have successfully used participatory approaches to address environmental problems. Consumer awareness, and product standards, industry codes and certification Governments can work with the private sector and NGOs to establish codes, standards and labels. This provides a framework which can work to the benefit of industry and consumers. This route can help build markets for dispersed, small-scale technologies where technologies are diverse, vendors are many, and consumers face high risks in evaluating and selecting technologies and suppliers. Codes and standards also provide a means for representing the interests of end-users who are absent from purchase or construction decisions.