No. 7
Fall 1993
The Newsletter of the UNEP IE/PAC network dedicated to promoting cleaner production. The preventive environmental strategy reconciling environmental protection and development.
I have had the honour to be involved with the UNEP Cleaner Production Programme ever since the days in 1989 when we tussled with the phrase "low-and non-waste technology" and ended up with the "Cleaner Production" theme.
The British Government hosted the launch of the Cleaner Production Programme at Canterbury in September 1990, and it was a pleasure to meet many people from all over the world at the two-yearly review meeting held in Paris in 1992. The follow-up meeting in 1994 should in my view be held in a developing country, and in a campus atmosphere more like Canterbury than Paris!! If readers overseas know of suitable settings where 200 to 400 people can live and work together for nearly a week then please let UNEP know: at least we should have a short-list and work on how to finance things after that.
As one of several British Government actions to follow-up Rio the British Prime Minister John Major announced a Technology Partnership Initiative at Rio. A conference to launch this was held in Birmingham close to the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution (Ironbridge in Coalbrookedale) 23-25 March 1993. The Prime Minister himself cam to launch the Initiative and it was a measure of the importance which UK attaches to the Cleaner Production Programme that the IE/PAC Director, Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel was able to give a keynote address emphasizing the lesson learned from the Cleaner Production Programme.
It was also the occasion to launch a new publication - Cleaner Production Worldwide which will be described elsewhere in this issue. The examples given in the publication come from twelve different countries and I am sure that when you read them you will realize that similar, and perhaps even more appropriate examples can be found in every country of the world. Please let UNEP know the simple story about how a production process that you know created less pollution and as a result improved its profitability.
D. L. Pounder
Environmental Protection
Technology Advisor,
United
Kingdom of the Environment, London
See Document Source
Inspecting the black liquor discharge from the Rakta pulp mill, Alexandria, Egypt, John H. Skinner, UNEP and Mohamed A. Tohamy, Managing Director, Rakta
A recent Mission to Egypt is in the process of identifying opportunities for cleaner production at the RAKTA pulp and paper mill, the largest facility in the world making paper out of rice straw. Senegal has issued a report describing the financial requirements for cleaner production at the SOCOCIM cement facility. Zimbabwe and Ghana have identified pulp and paper and cement companies with an interest in cleaner production programs.
These projects were established at the October 1992 Ministerial Meeting on Cleaner Production hosted by UNEP IE/PAC. The purpose is to demonstrate the opportunities for and obstacles to cleaner production in developing countries. Pulp and paper production and cement production were selected because these industries are quite common in developing countries and development often requires expanded production in these sectors.
These demonstrations are intended to be catalytic in effort and bring together government and industry to deal with the technical, social, financial and institutional obstacles and opportunities for cleaner production. The projects are being carried out through a partnership involving representatives from the selected countries, the governments of the Netherlands and France, the Business Council for Sustainable Development, the International Chamber of Commerce and UNEP IE/PAC.
Importance Notice to ICPIC Users: UNEP IE/PAC Has Moved
See Page 2
UNEP
United Nationals Environment
Programme
Industry and Environment
Programme Activity Centre
(IE/PAC)
39-43 Quai Andre Citreon
75739 Paris Cedex 15 - France
TEL: 33(1) 44 37
14 50
TLX: 204997F
FAX: 33 (1) 44 37 14 74
Editor: G. Clark
Editorial Board: J. Aloisi de Larderel, O. El Kholy, K. Oldenburg, R. Glaser, D. Huisingh, D. Pounder, J. Kryger, K. Geiser, J. Salamitou, and A. Aspengren
The editor welcomes all news on cleaner production from readers. Please send to UNEP IE/PAC.
The Programme's newest publication, Cleaner Production Worldwide has been
immensely poplar. Each day brings more requests to IE/PAC for more copies from
organizations all over the world.
Produced with the support of the government of the United Kingdom, the
booklet aims to give concrete examples showing the variety of approaches that
are possible and to stimulate readers to find similar cost-effective solutions.
The applications range from high to low technology. They show examples from
small to medium sized enterprises, large industrial companies, and from plants
in rural locations to those in overcrowded and highly industrialized cities, in
a variety of countries. They show how seriously the concept of cleaner
production is being taken by some governments, industries and individuals. The
case studies are from Singapore, Greece, Denmark, Indonesia, Netherlands,
France, India, Poland, Austria, Sweden, the United States and the United
Kingdom.
After seeing the publication, a number of organizations and firms have
offered to supply their cleaner production success stories. If a sufficient
number of them can be provided and funding secured, a Cleaner Production
Worldwide, Volume II, will be produced. If you have or are aware of cleaner
production success stories, please contact UNEP IE/PAC.
Important Notice to Icpic Users New ICPIC (and OzonAction) Number: +33 (1) 45 79 40 59
The access number via SprintNet Packet Switching Network remains unchanged:
(3310) 7620 0604
The mailing address remains:
Industry and Environment The new telephone numbers are as follows:
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given IE/PAC a grant of US$350,000
for the development of five industrial sector cleaner production booklets and
two videos.
Due to the success of Cleaner Production Worldwide, it will be used as a
model for these booklets. However, each will have more in-dept information on
techniques pertinent to the industrial sector and an overview of how to operate
equipment.
Covered in the series will be metal finishing, metal manufacturing, textile,
food, and leather tanning. The estimated publication date of the guides is
mid-1994.
Twenty-five proposals were received by UNIDO and IE/PAC from organizations
around the world wishing to establish Centres during Phase I of this new
project. The proposals will now undergo review. The selection of up to six
Centres will be completed by the end of 1993. The Centres will begin operation
in 1994.
Ten national experts whose collective goal is to find out how best to promote
cleaner production among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia, met
in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in June 1993. They were there at the invitation of
the Asia Productivity Organization (APO), who is sponsoring this CP research
project on "Productivity and Environment."
The purpose of the project's First Coordination Meeting was to learn about
each expert's initial research and to provide guidance for the second phase of
research. Each national expert made a presentation and the group provided
feedback during discussion sessions. The countries participating in the study
are India, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong,
and the Republics of Korea and China.
This summer was the mid-point of the Preparation Phase of the Chinese
National Environmental Protection Agency's Cleaner Production project which is
being funded by a World Bank loan. The IE/PAC Cleaner Production Programme has
had a substantial advisory role (to both the World Bank and NEPA) in the design
and preparation of the project.
During the first two months of the preparation phase of the project, seven
participating companies have identified a total number of 90 CP options.
Fifty-four of these were estimated at costing less than $5000 to implement. The
opportunities vary from small changes in operational procedures to replacement
of process equipment. Early implementation of low- (or no-) cost options may
significantly improve company profitability. Two companies have already
documented economic benefits from implementing the low- and no-cost options
since March 1993. The benefits at Beijing Brewery, for example, have been
quantified at 530,000 RMB (approximately 95,000 US$) per month, while those at a
Chemical Plant mount up to 20,000 RMB (approximately 5,500 US$) per month. The
preparation phase of the Chinese CP project has already proven that implementing
cleaner production in China will be a big commercial success.
Improper storage of raw materials. Proper storage and handling of raw
materials improves efficiency and generates less waste.
A NEPA document "Using World Bank Loan Promoting Cleaner Production in China"
provides background on the entire project and is available from IE/PAC.
The project concept came from Mr. Yoshikuni Ohnishi, Senior Research &
Planning Officer, APO, Japan, after he participated in IE/PAC's October 1992
Ministerial Meeting and Second Senior Level Seminar on Cleaner Production.
Professor Kunitoshi Sakurai, University of Tokyo and international Environmental
Planning Center, then prepared a draft proposal. The Cleaner Production
Programme provided comments on the draft and was invited to participate in the
June coordination meeting in Seoul.
The Cleaner Production Programme has been invited to participate in the
project's next meeting (late summer 1994) and will help disseminate the results
of this important research project.
Proceedings are available from the October 1992 seminar "Profitability of
Clean Technologies in the Leather Tanning Industry" organized by AIT under the
auspices of the Project on Industrial Pollution Control Applications for Small
and Medium Scale Industries (IPCA). The seminar's objectives were to disseminate
to tannery owners and managers the results of the research that was carried out
the previous year on process modification and resource recovery in the tanning
industry.
The three-year IPCA project was launched in coordination with Chulalongkorn
University, the Industrial Works Department of the Thai Ministry of Industry,
and Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft's South East Asia Programme Office to promote and
implement sound environmental management through an innovative
industry/academia/ government relationship. Each partner in the project focused
on different industry services.
Chulalongkorn University selected the electroplating industry and held a
seminar "Pollution Management Strategies for the Electroplating Industry" in
June 1993 in Bangkok, Thailand. The proceedings are being prepared. Two videos
are currently available about cleaner production in the electroplating field,
"Application of Clean Technology in Small Electroplating Shop in Bangkok" and
"Practical Pollution Prevention and Control Options for the Electroplating
Industry."
For more information contact:
Ramon C. de Mesa
PREPARE, a working group under the umbrella EUREKA project, was established
to identify new projects in the areas of preventive production technologies and
cleaner products. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding PREPARE
activities for 1992-1994. The working group is composed of representatives from
the participating countries. As of August 1993, these countries included:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
PREPARE's primary activities are to foster and oversee cleaner production
demonstration projects in participating countries and to exchange information on
the results. Since 1992 PREPARE has sponsored and organized various workshops
with industry leaders, environmental specialists and researchers to share
cleaner production experience.
In March 1993, a workshop was held in Germany on cleaner product development
of electronic consumer goods. Future 1993 workshops will cover cleaner
production in the fields of pharmaceutical/ fine chemicals, pulp and paper, and
telecommunications. In 1994, workshops are being considered for the specific
product groups in food processing, building materials, wood conservation, and
textiles.
For more information contact:
PREPARE Secretary
The Metsa Botnia pulp plant in Kaskinen (western Finland) produces up to
420,000 tons of pulp annually. The plant has reduced waste significantly over
the past few years by phasing out bleached sulphite pulp. The last such pulp was
produced at the end of 1991. Chlorine bleaching is supplanting sulfate bleaching
at MB Kaskinen and efforts to eliminate both elemental chlorine and chlorine
compounds are under way. Oxygen bleaching has started to replace chlorine
bleaching.
Efforts focus on not wasting anything at the facility. Eventually the company
envisions a closed water system. Currently, a number of pulping chemicals,
including sodium hydroxide are completely recycled at the facility.
The company culture has truly adopted the cleaner production philosophy. As
innovations are constantly being made in the facility, the company slogan "There
is only one constant in the world: change" was adopted.
For more information contact:
MB Kaskinen Mill
The Aire and Calder Project is showing that simple cleaner production
techniques can result in considerable savings across a spectrum of companies.
The project, established in the catchment of the Aire and Calder rivers in the
United Kingdom, was initiated by the Centre for Exploitation of Science and
Technology (CEST). It has been financially supported by the UK government and by
contributions made by the companies taking part.
An earlier CEST project revealed that companies' first efforts to address
environmental concerns are to treat their effluents rather than minimize volume
or strength. Companies were unconvinced that simple "housekeeping" measures
could dramatically reduce their effluent problems. They also failed to
appreciate that cleaner processes often provide other benefits in terms of
improved product quality or greater efficiency.
Eleven companies were recruited for the new project and are contributing 50%
of the consultancy costs themselves as well as considerable staff time
resources. Over 200 options for improvement have been identified and many
already implemented. As expected, many options are extremely simple and can be
implemented almost immediately. "Tens of thousands" according to one
participant, "simply by the turn of a valve." Another company identified 2.5%
savings in water usage on the first day.
A year after the project began, participating companies are already reaping
benefits. Most have identified savings worth tens of thousands of pounds
annually. Coca-Cola, for example, believes it can save at least 1.6 million
pounds (British sterling). Companies note that for every savings in cost there
are reductions in emissions and raw material usage, which demonstrates that
reducing environmental impacts saves money. Similar reductions in emissions by
other firms in time will reduce pollution of the Aire and Calder and other
rivers throughout the UK.
The project demonstrates the benefits of a systematic approach to cleaner
production and waste minimization. Hopefully, given that many of the
participating companies are subsidiaries of larger concerns, there is the
potential for replication the cleaner production approach throughout these
organizations.
For further information contact:
Dr Neil Johnson or Dr R. C. Whelan
A new product, ECOPAINT, from a line of water-based recyclable industrial
coatings, has been developed. This product addresses the three major
environmental concerns of the industrial paint user: volatile organic compound
emissions, offensive ordours, and waste disposal. The new line of formulated
with new resin technology, is water based, and contains low levels of organic
solvents. The current maximum solvent content is less than 5%. Many formulations
are available with solvent levels below 3% and materials completely free of
solvent are being produced. The paint can be used with a variety of application
techniques including conventional air spray and electrostatic methods.
The paint has been used in continental Europe for the past few years. A
typical example is the Lista company, one of the largest office furniture
manufacturers in Switzerland, painting over 1 million square meters of steel a
year. Traditionally, Lista used conventional paint in addition to
electrodeposition and powder methods.
The new water-based system was installed in 1989 with dramatic effects.
Solvent emissions were reduced from 50,000 kilos per year to less than 2,000
kilos - a reduction of 96%! Paint waste disposal was reduced from 80 tons per
year to 0. Denaturing and coagulation chemicals were reduced from 20 tons a year
to 0. Paint savings of 35% were achieved. Total annual application costs were
halved. In addition, the quality of the finished work was improved; corrosion
resistance and all other physical properties were maintained, and operators were
delighted with the cleanliness and lack of smell.
For more information contact:
Mr D F Webber
Reviews for these and other new cleaner production publications appear in the
ICPIC Bulletin section.
Contact: UNEP IE/PAC
Volume 28, Number 4, 1992
Volume 5, Number 3 1993
Contact: Department of Toxic Substances Control
Contact: The Metal Finishing Association Federation House
Contact: US Environmental Protection Agency
Contact: Mr Lars Silijebratt
Contact: Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Contact: Institut Bruxellois pour la
Contact: Lisa Camilleri
Cleaner Production is printed on recycled paper.
Activities and programmes reported in this newsletter are provided for
information and do not necessarily represent the policy of UNEP.
Cleaner Production - No. 7 Fall 1993
UNEP IE/PAC Has Moved
Programme Activity Centre
Tour
Mirabeau
39-43 Quai Andre Citreon
75739 Paris CEDEX 15 France
Danish Government Funds Technical Publications
NCPC Project Underway
Asia Productivity Organization Studies CP
China's Cleaner Production Project Continues
See Document Source
See Document Source
Energy savings is also a part of cleaner production
More CP Activities in Asia
IPCA Project coordinator
Asian Institute of
Technology
G.P.O. Box 2745, Bangkok, Thailand
TEL: +662 524 5388
FAX:
+662 524 5390
PREPARE: Preventive Environmental Protection Approaches in Europe
Mr. M.R.M. Crul
TME/Institute for Applied
Environmental Economics
Grote Marktstraat 24
2511 BJ Den Haag,
Netherlands
TEL: +31 (70) 3464422
FAX: +31 (70) 3623469
News from Industries
Cleaner Production in the Pulp and Paper Industry
SF-64260 Kaskinen, Finland
TEL: +358 (62)
19111
FAX: +358 (62) 19214
Aire And Calder Show the Way
NOTICE: Most of the articles in each issue of Cleaner
Production are also in the Bulletin Section of the International Cleaner
Production Clearinghouse (ICPIC). There you will find many more articles that,
due to space limitations, we are unable to print in the newsletter. For more
information on how to access ICPIC, contact UNEP IE/PAC.
CEST
5 Berners Road
London, N1
OPW
TEL: +71 (354) 9942
FAX: + 71 (354) 4301
Cleaner Products
A New Line of Cleaner Paints
Marketing Manager
Kemira Coatings Limited
Argall
Avenue
Leyton E10 7QA, United Kingdom
Publications
Cleaner Production Worldwide
39-43 Quai Andre Citroen
75739 Paris CEDEX
15, France
TEL: +33 (1) 44 37 14 50
FAX: +33 (1) 44 37 14 74
UNESCO Nature and Resources: Towards Cleaner Production Methods
ISSN 0028-0844
Parthenon
Publishers
Casteron Hall, Carnforth
Lancs LA6 2LA, United Kingdom
Our Planet: Cleaner Production Makes Money
ISSN 1013-7394
United Nations Environment
Programme
PO Box 30552
Nairobi Kenya
TEL: +2542 230 800 or +2542 230
600
FAX: +2542 226 831
Telex: 22068 UNEP KE
See Document Source
Publication List
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Technology Development
Technology Clearinghouse
P.O. Box
806
Sacramento, California 95812-0806
United States
TEL: +1 (916) 322
3670
Waste Minimization: A Check List and Assessment Manual for the Metal
Finishing Industry
10 Vyse
Street
Birmingham B18 61t, United Kingdom
TEL: +44 (21) 236 2657
FAX:
+44 (21) 236 3921
Total Cost Assessment: Accelerating Industrial Pollution Prevention Through
Innovative Project Financial Analysis
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics
Pollution Prevention Division
401 M Street,
SW
Washington, DC 20460, United States
"Pollution Prevention: Swedish Experiences" (video)
University of Lund
Asumsgatan
38
S-275 22 Sjobo, Sweden
"Cleaner Technology - the way to a better environment" (video)
Cleaner Technology
Department
Strandgade 14
DK-1401 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Phone: +45 3266
0100
Eco-Labeling: Sources of Information (in French)
Gestion de
l'Environnement
Division Information
Gulledelle 100
1200 -
Bruxelles
TEL: +32 (2) 775 75 11
The Environment Management Handbook for Small Industry
Australian Chamber of Manufacturers
PO
Box 1469N
Melbourne Victoria 3002, Australia
TEL: +61 (3) 628 5423
FAX:
+61 (3) 628 5426
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This publication was designed and produced by Thalia Stanley.