Regardless of anyone's attitude to environmental management systems, every organisation must comply with environmental law. It is not unknown for companies – particularly small and medium ones - to be oblivious of their duties to environmental compliance. Ignorance of the law is no defence, and it is a sensible step to gain the peace-of-mind of knowing that your organisation operates within the law on environmental matters.

From the late 1980’s to the present, legislation specific to the environment has increased dramatically and it is difficult to keep up with new and amended statutory developments. It is therefore not surprising that one of the cornerstones of accredited environmental management standards is the requirement to complete a legal register – a list of acts, regulations and other requirements to which the organisation must comply. The purpose of the legal register is to form the basis upon which the organisation can determine how legislation applies to its activities, services and products.