We believe our work has substantially increased the industrial community's awareness of the Strategy. When talking to companies we emphasize that the BNTS is truly voluntary, but we all know perfectly well that the only aspect of the Strategy that is voluntary is how to get it done, not whether or not to do so. The result is that the region's industries are now making new commitments to address Level 1 substances. Smaller industries are clearly less aware of the Strategy and remain so. We are seeking effective ways to communicate with smaller firms, but it is extremely difficult.
Suggestions are more than welcome.
I must also point out that overlaps between what we are doing under the Strategy and other regulatory programs in both countries, are of concern to industry. One example is the Strategy's chemical release targets that do not necessarily match those set by other regulatory programs. As you might expect companies, like all organizations including governments, have limited resources available to meet a wide range of regulatory mandates and pre-existing voluntary commitments. And these demands may have a higher priority than volunteering for Strategy implementation efforts. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with the voluntary approach nor that the BNTS should become a regulatory program.