• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Schedule a Demo     Customer Login
RegScan - an enhesa company

RegScan

EHS Compliance & Sustainability

  • Solutions
    • EHS Alerts
      • LookOut™
      • WatchList
      • RegTracker
      • Country Monitor Newsletter Service
      • Strikethrough
    • EHS Research
      • Regulatory Baseline
      • Legal Registers
      • State Registers & Canadian Gazettes
    • Audit Solutions
      • FLEX Audit
      • Legal Registers & Audit Protocols
      • U.S. Team Guides
      • Applicability Tools
    • HTEGo!
  • Partners
  • Resources
    • News & Press Releases
    • Blogs
    • Case Studies
    • Customer Support
  • About Us
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • Schedule A Demo
  • English
    • English
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch

Five EHS Trends to Watch in 2021

March 12, 2021 by Ryan Donahue

For EH&S professionals, 2020 was a challenging year, but 2021 is certain to have more of the same with some additional obstacles to manage. COVID-19 is still with us, the US has a new administration in the White House, global regulatory changes continue to march onward, and companies are now looking at sustainability with more seriousness than ever before.

What’s in store for this year? Our team of EHS experts weighed in as part of our Top EHS Trends for 2021 webinar. Five EHS trends to watch in 2021:

Trend #1: Work from home is here to stay

Large companies announcing employees can work-from-home long term, “The 9-5 Workday is Dead”, and up to 30% of workers say they would quit if they had to return to the office when the pandemic is over. It sure doesn’t sound like work from home is changing anytime soon, much less in 2021.

Uneven restrictions across the globe because of COVID-19 haven’t made things any easier for businesses. In the EU, lockdowns and travel limitations remain. In the US, some states have begun to eliminate mask mandates and capacity limits at public gathering places, but companies continue to toe the line to keep their employees safe. If you work for one of those businesses, RegScan’s i-Comply Home Office Rules can help you given that in many countries, employers are responsible for the health and safety aspects of home offices.

Trend #2: Technology Investments

In 2020, we thought high tech tools and methods would take over the world of not only EHS, but also the work environment in general. COVID-19 made sure of that and then some. Reliance on web conferencing platforms, new communication tools for auditors and regulators, and even use of drones became the norm for many businesses in 2021. EHS professionals continue to align information awareness and compliance management, and with renewed emphasis given the volume of emergency regulatory activity in 2020. Investments in technology have and will continue to make that easier.

Trend #3: Environmental Policy Impacts

Environmental policy should be at the forefront of regulatory actions for plenty of regions around the world, with renewed focus in the US because of a new Biden Administration. Climate change remains top of mind. In the EU and UK, the goal of a circular economy stays a point of emphasis. In the US, a series of executive orders appears aimed at reversing policy decisions of the prior administration, including revoking the Keystone Pipeline permit, pausing new oil and natural gas leases, and the creation of a Climate Change Task Force.

Trend #4: Global Regulatory Challenges

It is difficult to underestimate how much COVID-19 has impacted businesses and their Health and Safety teams. Ensuring safety in the workplace grew in complexity as a result of the pandemic, particularly in the area of injury and illness prevention and reporting. As a result, it is no wonder Respiratory Protection was #3 in OSHA’s Top 10 most frequently cited standards in 2020. In addition, training and retraining of health and safety measures will be something to watch as workforces are reintegrated into the workplace.

Beyond COVID-19, there were plenty of air, water, and waste regulatory changes across the globe. China and Italy, along with several other countries, enacted new emissions standards and limitations. The EU led the way in new standards designed to increase water reuse as part of a circular economy. Other countries, including the UK, China, Thailand, and Switzerland, updated their waste management regulations to support circular economy goals as well. Altogether, air, water, and waste regulations made up over 50% of regulatory activity across the 200+ jurisdictions RegScan covers, as determined by our new RegTracker product.

Trend #5: Sustainability

If you have been watching business news, your social media feeds, or press releases, you know companies continue to make statements and set goals regarding sustainability, i.e., how their business operations can reduce the impact on the environment. Just in the last few months: Eastman’s commitment to recycle more than 500 million pounds of plastic waste annually by 2030, Schneider’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent per mile by 2035, and Bridgestone announced the issue of a $1.1 billion sustainability-linked credit facility, one of the first of its kind in the U.S. tire industry.

In response to what we hear from clients and the changing landscape for ESG, RegScan will be providing a Sustainability product in the coming months. Initially, it will cover changes in sustainability regulations and checklists on sustainability frameworks. More to come!

Category iconCOVID-19 Updates,  News,  Sustainability

Primary Sidebar

Track EHS Regulations Across Jurisdictions

RegTracker

Want To Track It All?

RegScan Country Monitors

Related posts

No related posts.

Recent Posts

  • Webinar: RegScan Solutions Demo
  • Top EHS Trends for 2023: Upcoming OSHA Changes
  • Top EHS Trends of 2023: ESG Developments
  • Top EHS Trends for 2023: More PFAS Regulations
  • Top EHS Trends for 2023: Webinar Recording

Archives

  • March 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016

Categories

  • Case Studies
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • EHS Alerts
  • News
  • Partners
  • Press Releases
  • Six Pillars of Compliance
  • Sustainability
  • Video
  • Webinars

Contact Us

Address: 800 West Fourth Street - Suite 202, Williamsport, PA, United States

Phone: +1(800) 734-7226
+1(570) 323-1010
Fax: +1(570) 323-8082

Email: info@regscan.com
Ready to see a live demonstration?

Schedule a free demo with our team today.

Contact us

Footer

Contact RegScan

Address: 800 West Fourth Street - Suite 202, Williamsport, PA, United States

Phone: +1(800) 734-7226
+1(570) 323-1010
Fax: +1(570) 323-8082

Email: info@regscan.com

Sections

  • Solutions
    • EHS Alerts
      • LookOut™
      • WatchList
      • RegTracker
      • Country Monitor Newsletter Service
      • Strikethrough
    • EHS Research
      • Regulatory Baseline
      • Legal Registers
      • State Registers & Canadian Gazettes
    • Audit Solutions
      • FLEX Audit
      • Legal Registers & Audit Protocols
      • U.S. Team Guides
      • Applicability Tools
    • HTEGo!
  • Partners
  • Resources
    • News & Press Releases
    • Blogs
    • Case Studies
    • Customer Support
  • About Us
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • Schedule A Demo
  • English
    • English
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch

Customer Tools

  • Customer Login
  • Support
  • Schedule a Demo

More Resources

  • Site map
  • Policies & Terms
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Regscan - Compliance Specialists. All rights reserved. Return to top

RegScan - an enhesa company
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}