TOWARDS CLEANER PRODUCTION

Cleaner production is a preventive strategy that aims at promoting the use and development of cleaner processes, products and services. There is increasing evidence that cleaner production can bring both environmental and economic benefits. For four years, UNEP has promoted cleaner production on a worldwide basis with a network of partners, through awareness raising on the available techniques, information exchange, capacity strengthening and support to the establishment of National Cleaner Production Centres.

One example of the diffusion of the concept is the growing awareness in Central and Eastern Europe of the economic and environmental benefits that flow from integrating a cleaner production approach into the process of industrial restructuring, rather than installing the costly end of pipe route to pollution. Several countries already require or plan to introduce waste minimization assessments as part of environmental licensing and permitting procedures.

In Poland, the use of waste minimization assessments has already highlighted a range of low or no investment cost process improvments that bring both economic saving and reductions in pollution of at least 15 - 20 %. Poland is also taking a more strategic approach to integrating industrial and environmental policies through the signature by the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Environment of a joint Cleaner Production Policy Paper and the issue of a Cleaner Production Declaration to stimulate the spread of the cleaner production approach. With joint funding from Norway the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Slovakia are conducting national programmes to disseminate the cleaner production concept in industry.

A range of obstacles continue to exist to the further penetration of the cleaner production approach. Subsidised energy and raw material prices send perverse signals to business about the importance of improving efficiency and minimizing waste. There is also a lack of information and availability of commercial loan facilities for cleaner production investments. High profile leadership is also required within the business community. The establishment of national cleaner production centres, support for training programmes and government assistance with access to loans could help push the process forward.

UNEP, Third High-Level Advisory Seminar on Cleaner Production, October 1994, Warsaw