The Best Technique is the one that is best for the environment as a whole. A technique is not just a technology, but the combination of technologies, how the installation is designed, built, maintained and operated, and also how it can be decommissioned. In the IPPC Directive, there is a list of considerations to be taken into account regarding what is best for the environment as a whole, in essence focusing on:

• consumption and recovery of raw material, water and energy,
• pollution or emissions used at or resulting from the installation,
• the risks and hazards involved.