Environmental and Social Impact Assessment with Public Participation - A company's view

Environmental and Social Impact Assessments are implemented to examine the consequences of planned actions on the physical-chemical, biological, socioeconomic, social, cultural and biophysical surroundings of individuals and communities. The Assessment process is thereby split into different stages, ending in a written Environmental Impact Statement. Bound by legal obligations, many companies face Impact Assessments for their planned projects. However, there is a considerable lack of empirical investigations on how businesses are affected by Environmental and Social Impact Assessments. Additionally, it must be considered that these processes can have a great influence on single companies concerning the development of business or project plans or on a company’s investments. The key findings show that EIA and SIA play a significant role in the development and design of a project, not only because of legal obligations but also because of the influence of the affected public. The analysis confirms that EIA and SIA have impacts on a company’s work load, strategies and project plans. Public participation is considered to be an important part in their Environmental and Social Impact Assessment processes.