Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1997
Third European Roundtable on Cleaner Production
Third European Roundtable on Cleaner
Production
Arbejdsrapport nr. 58, 1997, Miljøstyrelsen
The object of The European Roundtable on Cleaner Production (ERCP) is to secure that round tables are held with regular intervals in different countries to promote cleaner production. This report consists of summaries from all technical ERCP 96 events, including statements and considerations for future ERCPs. The report also presents ERCP working groups, governing bodies and networks. Finally a summary of the participants’ evaluations is presented.
The most essential ERCP 96 conclusions regarding technical issues can be summarised as follows:
 | Cleaner Production promotion must, to a higher degree, be a demand-driven effort. |
| Cleaner Production elevation depends very much on networking between actors and stakeholders and the existence of an innovative culture in industry and other sectors. |
| Cleaner Production progress and results must be made more transparent through reporting, communication and development of adequate environmental performance indicators. |
| Cleaner Production must be an integrated aspect of technology innovations, market efforts, developing policies and financial consideration. |
Relocating initiative from suppliers (consultants and the academia) to the demand side highlights firstly the role of industry, agriculture, transportation and other sectors and secondly stakeholders like financial institutions, NGOs, consumers and authorities. In the future, action taken directly by these polluters and decisive actors will become necessary.
However, industry and the sectors are responsible for a commitment to sustainability and to realise high levels of environmental performance. This, of course, is possible only when supply and demand efforts are conveniently balanced. Environmental groups have an important role to play by constantly bringing awareness and new issues to the agenda. This is paving the way for constant challenges for industry and pushing forward commitments from industry to a Cleaner Production strategy. Green groups should perform a role as "watchdogs" and - parallel to this - go into more "constructive" and proactive initiatives even if this would call upon responsibilities and narrow down the space for the watchdog role.
The importance of financial institutions in creating a demand for Cleaner Production is also urgent. It should be ensured that the financial sector is being equipped to ask relevant questions regarding Cleaner Production. Financial analysts need to clarify relationships between environmental and economic performance criteria and understand the financial benefits of Cleaner Production. Finance personnel have to be trained to understand Cleaner Production. Also training of environmental experts in financial competencies is needed.
ERCP has an important role to play with regard to networking and the development of an innovative culture. As this fact is often underestimated in practice especially by industry and authorities, a dissemination of experiences is highly wanted. Experiences from industrial symbiosis in Kalundborg are an example of a productive business-to-business network. But networking should also be broader and include other stakeholders. Industry must perceive green groups and green consumers as partners and not solely as opponents of innovation. Green groups have credibility in the public because they are independent of government and industry. They are often represented by individuals committed to social action and are gifted to reach many constituencies with their messages. Furthermore, business opportunities gained in the process of networking with them are often underestimated by authorities and industries. A well-known example is Greenpeace’s Brent Spar campaign. The lessons for industry as well as authorities were that it is no longer enough to ensure social approval for environmental decisions from official governmental authorities alone. It is necessary to consult a growing range of environmental "stakeholders".
Accounting for the lack of transparency and the need for indicators and communication of the results of Cleaner Production, it is first and foremost important to communicate results internally in a company. At the operational level pollution control measures could supply operators with direct environmental performance feedback to floor personnel in different working processes. At organisational level aggregated data could be utilised to measure current performance against defined goals. Furthermore it is important to give stakeholders adequate information. This is a new and difficult task in, for example, the financial sector.
Finally, regarding the integration of Cleaner Production in other efforts, the need for integrated Cleaner Production solutions in developing countries was underlined. The environmental problems faced by the developing countries should not be seen merely as those traditionally associated with industrialisation and urbanisation. They embrace those related to issues such as deforestation, land degradation, water availability and quality, bio-diversity, energy utilisation, air pollution and green house gas emissions. These elements of the environmental challenge are clearly related to overpopulation, widespread poverty, institutional weakness and a shortage of financial resources. Therefore general policies, not exclusively environmental policy, but also policies for industrial innovations, development of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and agriculture market policies, must take Cleaner Production aspects into account alongside with poverty reduction, population planning and development of human resources.
Another important issue is the market effects on the development of Cleaner Production. EU market policies and subsidies have a huge influence on products and processes being promoted. Consequently, the influence of existing market policies on environmental improvements should first be evaluated. Then it should be evaluated if it is possible, proactively, to let market policies work in favour of environmental progress.
Author/ institution
Nils Thorsen og Mette Lücke Pedersen, Ernst & Young
This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Technology
ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-602-8