With differing views on future developments,companies, especially largeinternationalcompanies, are positioning themselves to take advantage of emerging environmental trends. Among Japanese companies visited, the panel observed an acute interest in using the environmental advantages of their products and processes to enhance their com-petitive position in the market. In the northern European countries visited, the panel saw what could be interpreted as primarily aprotectionist posture; that is, the development of practices and policies to enhance the well-being of EU countries, that could act as barriers to outsiders. In the ., the panel found a high degree of environmental awareness among the.
