One argument many industries have against environmental regulation has been that it often ignores a holistic view of a product and instead focuses on only one attribute (e.g., volatile organic compounds, or VOCs). The premise is that lowering VOC levels negatively impacts performance attributes, such as durability or adhesion, and therefore more product is required, essentially negating any environmental benefit achieved through VOC reduction.
Environmentalists and regulators alike have the same concern as manufacturers, but for different reasons. These groups want to know the impacts of products on a holistic scale in order to provide end users, themselves and so forth with the information they need to make knowledgeable decisions about products in the market place.