By David Okul
July 24, 2019
Cleaner production encompasses a proactive environmental management strategy. Born in the 1990s, the concept is gaining momentum in both developing and developed countries. It is being supported by various international organization though research and dissemination of information. These organizations include;
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
- Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)
Currently, the collection and dissemination of the technology information are regarded as one of the important international subjects and countries are making efforts to tackling the issue (GCEF, 2011). In Japan, the technologies of energy saving and waste reduction have been accumulated a great deal. Global Environment Center (GEC) also has collected and offered some inexpensive ways to improve on site productivity. In fact, however, these concepts of CP Technology are not prevalent enough in themselves. Currently UNEP/DTIE is conducting National Cleaner Production Programme (NCPC), in which UNEP and United Nations Industrial Development Organization have joined forces to help introduce Cleaner Production in developing countries and countries in transition by establishing NCPCs. The purpose of NCPCs programme is to promote capacity development to help achieve adoption and further development of the Cleaner Production concept at the national level through disseminating technical information and other activities.
According to International Declaration on Cleaner Production, which was adopted at the fifth International High Level Seminar held in South Korea in September, 1998, CP was defined per the UNEP definition that showed CP includes not only the improvement in the producing process, but also various categories in a wide range. UNEP is attempting to disseminate the concepts and concrete technologies of CP much further by urging governments, companies and other entities concerned to sign the International Declaration. According to a report “Cleaner Production and Eco-efficiency” published by UNEP/WBSCD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) in 1998, governments need to carry out a review of legislation while stakeholders need to cooperate and coordinate in order to promote cleaner production, the result of which would be less resource usage and waste by a society as a whole and greater creation of value.
Read about the publication of the National Cleaner Production Centres Here
Links to References and Resources
APINI, (2011). Introduction to Cleaner Production, Concepts and Practice. Institute of Environmental Engineering. Lithuania.
David Okul is a freelance writer, and a PhD student at a Kenyan university
