Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy: Regulations and standards

This briefing note from the International Institute for Sustainable Development discusses the role of regulations and standards as policy tools to facilitate the transition to a green economy, using a case study from Vancouver to illustrate the effectiveness of removing regulatory barriers, known as 'green tape'.

• Regulations and standards serve to formalize policy shifts by either reforming existing barriers to transition or implementing rules that mandate it. Their primary advantage is the integration of the desired shift into a legal framework that includes penalties for non-compliance.
• Vancouver implemented a 'Green Tape Review' to identify and remove regulatory obstacles for green technologies, including urban agriculture, composting toilets, greywater use, rainwater harvesting, and green roofs. This resulted in zoning bylaw amendments that provided exemptions for wall thickness to increase insulation, height relaxations for solar, wind power, and green roof access, and yard relaxations for fixed external shading devices.
• The success of Vancouver's 'green tape' review was attributed to the fact that it removed barriers rather than imposing new requirements, which minimized opposition from businesses and allowed for faster implementation. In contrast, rules that mandate transition, such as changes to the Vancouver Building Code for energy efficiency in new housing, have faced longer discussion periods and have not yet passed.
• Vancouver's process was accelerated by prior groundwork, including an internal review by the City of Vancouver in 2008 and a 2001–2002 process by West Coast Environmental Law to develop an Action Plan for Removing Regulatory Barriers to Green Innovations, which included stakeholder consultations.
• In Manitoba, 'green tape' has received little media attention and was not a focus of the City of Winnipeg’s Red Tape Commission. The document suggests that a proactive review of policies to identify sustainability barriers in Manitoba could remove obstacles before they become issues and would likely face less opposition than regulations mandating higher standards.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy: Regulations and standards. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/policy-tools-transition-green-economy-regulations-standards.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy: Regulations and standards. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/policy-tools-transition-green-economy-regulations-standards.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy: Regulations and standards |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/policy-tools-transition-green-economy-regulations-standards.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndpolicy, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy: Regulations and standards}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/policy-tools-transition-green-economy-regulations-standards.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }