The Sustainable Development agenda is one of the priorities and away how to get international cooperation in solving of international economic, social, cultural or humanitarian issues and promoting the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all regardless of race, gender, language or religion. To have a long-term positive impact on development, it must be sustainable. Sustainable
... [Show full abstract] development says about the effort to ensure for the Earth's resources that we use for economic growth will be available for future generations as well. Attention currently being devoted to the threats of global climate change is an example of how human freedom and human development can be disrupted when the interests of economic growth and development are separated from environmental concerns. Solving of the current environmental problems is not just a matter of a technical solution, that has been developed, either as a response to an environmental problem or in a more progressive approach as a preventive one. It should be a change in the value orientation of man, as an individual, but also of society and of all mankind. Recently, in the field of environmental policy enforcement, the range of pro-environment-oriented voluntary approaches has been significantly expanded. There is a tendency to increase the diversity of instruments based largely on voluntary pro-environment-oriented activities of producers and the growing environmental awareness of all stakeholders. Several procedures have been progressively standardized. Along with their practical expansion, their research began, focusing not only on exploring theoretical aspects but also on generalizing the practical experience gained from individual studies. Environmental Management is a set of voluntary environmental policy instruments that enable a system approach to address environmental problems and to continually improve organizational behaviour. EMS, EMAS, environmental product labelling, and green procurement are some examples of voluntary environmental instruments, it means, they are neither enforced by law nor motivated by any form of stimuli, and their non-application is not punished. These are tools of a preventive strategy implemented in the form of measures aimed at the reducing of environmental pollution. According to the proactive of a pro-sustainable approach strategy promoting, some efforts are gradually being made to move the environmental problems after their creation to solutions that are technically preventive and sustainable throughout the life cycle of technology and products. Environmental protection is evolving dynamically and it is becoming a crucial part of society's life. Gradually, the behaviour of producers and consumers is changing, and by preventive measures, the principle of voluntary and public participation in solving environmental problems is increasingly being applied. Environmental management systems for industrial and manufacturing activities are implemented, and increased attention is paid to the impact of products themselves (such as consumer products, semi-finished products and materials) on the environment. The objective of the "Environmental Policy Tools 2019" conference was to provide a proper platform for informing the technical and scientific community, self-government and government officials, the exchange of experience and the presentation of some new issues of the environment management. ••• Suggested citation: Rusko, M. & Procházková, D. [Eds.] 2019: Environmental policy tools ´2019. [Nástroje environmentálnej politiky 2019]. - Proceedings of the 9th International Scientific Conference, Bratislava, January 30, 2019. Žilina: Strix et SSŽP, Edition ESE-46, First Edition, ISBN 978-80-89753-33-8, 156 pp.