Mar 10 2021 Read 147 Times With climate change and air pollution growing concerns around the world, the EU has introduced regulations aimed at curbing harmful emissions in recent years. With regard to large combustion plants, there are two pieces of legislation in particular which stand out: Best available techniques REFerence documents (BREF) and the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). Despite the fact that the UK has now left the EU, both pieces of legislation are still applicable in Britain. While both of these documents share the common goal of reducing emissions from the industrial sector, they’re actually very different concepts with different roles to play. Despite this, they have been sometimes used interchangeably in the mainstream media and by external commentators unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the legislation. This has created some confusion in the industry over what the terms mean and how they differ from each other. With that in mind, this guide has been created in an attempt to clarify the state of play and make plant owners’ obligations clear to them.