Irish industry believes that the present systems of planning and pollution control need to be "streamlined" to cut costs and make Ireland more competitive as an industrial location.
In its first environmental policy document, published yesterday, IBEC calls for the designation of special industrial zones where electronics and pharmaceutical manufacturers could be offered sites and "fast-track" planning approval, possibly within a month.
It also criticises the IPC (integrated pollution control) licensing system operated by the Environmental Protection Agency as "overly costly, bureaucratic and prescriptive", saying it could threaten the viability of some firms as well as putting off foreign investors.
Noting that more than 700 companies operating in Ireland would need to obtain IPC licences by the end of this decade, it cites a 1996 survey by IBEC which showed that the cost of compliance for the 79 companies which responded came to a total of £35.5 million.
The document states: "IBEC wishes to see a review of the IPC licensing system carried out, with a view to driving down costs and reducing the amount of paperwork required from companies, without compromising environmental protection."
Complaining about delays, the document says it is "essential" that licence applications are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner and that the EPA monitors and publishes its performance in this respect - as An Bord Pleanala does every year in its annual report.
It also calls for a more equitable and transparent procedure for dealing with appeals against conditions imposed in IPC licences, suggesting that the present procedure, whereby the EPA adjudicates on the terms of its own licences, may even be unconstitutional.
"Significant derogations from the current level of reporting, monitoring and auditing by the EPA should be given to those companies which operate to a certified environmental management standard", it says, adding that smaller firms should receive financial support in this area.
The policy document also suggests using incentives to encourage the adoption of clean technology and waste-reduction programmes by Irish industry. It says that waste-reduction targets "should only be set where clear environmental benefits have been identified".
IBEC supports equitable use-related charges for waste disposal, "with charges kept to a minimum", and says that the potential for private-sector involvement in providing disposal facilities - such as an incinerator to recover energy from waste - should be explored.
The document calls for a "full and open debate" about incineration with energy recovery, which it sees as a "valid option" to help solve the waste crisis in urban areas, especially because of growing public opposition to landfill dumps.
It says that the disposal of some 250,000 tonnes of hazardous waste has become "one of the most intractable problems for Irish industry" and suggests that the provision of facilities to deal with this waste is as critical to some industries as are roads and telecommunications.
Although it insists that Irish business is "committed to the principles of sustainable development", the document defines this as implying a "balanced approach to environmental protection and economic growth" to ensure continuing prosperity.
IBEC sees the environment as "a key issue for industry and one which needs to be integrated fully into the management of individual firms". But it also insists that Irish industry should not be "unfairly penalised relative to industries in competitor countries".
At European level, IBEC would like to see existing environmental legislation simplified and streamlined "before any new legislative measures are introduced". Ireland's own planning legislation also needed to be streamlined to "iron out unnecessary delays".
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, welcomed the IBEC document. However, he made it clear that his "primary concern" in framing new legislation would be to "maintain the highest possible standards of environmental protection".
Mr Dempsey warned that companies which failed to participate in the REPAK recycling initiative for packaging waste, sponsored by IBEC, would face the "full rigour" of mandatory targets under the Waste Management Act.
