Implementation best practice
As the Environmental Policy Implementation Community, EPIC’s central workstream focuses on improving how environmental policy is implemented, drawing on the evidence, science and practical experience of what helps policy deliver effectively in practice. This includes research into environmental policy implementation, practical guidance for those responsible for delivery, and advocating for policy that is designed with implementation in mind.
EPIC’s work in this area began in 2024 with a groundbreaking implementation science workstream, which explored how principles from implementation science – a field with a strong evidence base in areas such as healthcare and education – could be applied to environmental policy. This work culminated in the publication of Environmental Implementation: A Guide for Local Authorities in October 2025, providing a practical framework to help local teams understand and address the barriers and enablers that shape successful implementation.
In 2026, EPIC began a new workstream running through to 2027, building on this foundation and expanding its focus beyond implementation at the local authority level. This includes work exploring how environmental policy can be made more implementation-minded throughout the policy cycle, bringing together evidence from implementation science, policy studies and environmental governance to identify what policymakers can do to improve the prospects of successful implementation.
Image credit: JUAN CARLOS MUNOZ via Adobe Stock
