Article 6 - Tackling environmental crime and harm by large industrial facilities: lessons learned based on two Dutch case studies

Abstract

How is it possible that some large industrial facilities cause pollution for decades while enforcement of environmental laws and regulations stays largely ineffective? In this contribution, this question is answered by analysing the historical development of environmental law enforcement in the Netherlands, drawing on evaluation reports and an explorative case study of two industrial facilities in the Netherlands that are currently in the public eye because of their impact on the environment and public health: Hoogovens/Tata Steel in IJmuiden and Chemours in Dordrecht. Three elements emerge as key challenges in tackling environmental crime by large industrial facilities: fragmented enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, the information asymmetry between businesses 
and government, and the interconnectedness of legitimate and illegitimate business activities. Although these conclusions are drawn based on Dutch evaluations of environmental law enforcement practice and illustrated using Dutch cases, they are more broadly relevant to how Europe deals with industrial pollution.