The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
directly, or after processing, as an input for another production process;
• every product is optimized regarding reparability and recyclability;
• production is based on renewable sources of energy and substances that, as far as possible, are based on recycled
(secondary) materials;
• the producer is responsible for the whole life cycle of his product, including energy consumption and emissions
during the use of the products, its reparability, and ability to be recycled or disposed of;
• the producer chooses materials from renewable resources and releases wastes in a way that does not diminish
nature; and
• the producer minimizes the energy demand to a level that can be provided by renewable energy sources.
Project managers recognize that these guidelines are general and can be transferred from one company to another in their principle
ideas and strategies, but not in their details. According to the project, it is extremely important that the solutions be worked out
within each company by the employees of that company, as part of its own particular internal structure. The support from external
experts was limited to training in the implementation of the approach.
In order to integrate waste minimization into the production process the companies were required to:
• avoid all substances that cannot be kept in closed cycles;
• reduce all substances outside closed cycles to an amount that can be borne by ecosystems; and
• reduce the demand for non-renewable resources to a level that does not compromise following generations.
ECOPROFIT uses emissions standards contained in legislation enacted as part of the Austrian National Clean Air and Clean Water
Acts. These emissions standards are relatively stringent compared to those in many other countries.
Each company was required to form a project team made up of members of different disciplines. Business, technical, legal, and
maintenance personnel were all considered equally important. The basis for a cleaner production program is the fostering of an
understanding of flows from inputs to outputs. Therefore the first phase of the project concentrated on the awareness of personnel to
flows of mass—materials and energy—to wastes. Company operations and maintenance procedures were assessed with regard to
these flows. For each company, an input/output analysis was carried out and was displayed in flowsheets. These analyses examined
manufacturing techniques and processes, organizational structures, and the raw and processed materials used.
Each company was classified according to the characteristics of its waste stream. There were three classifications: dangerous or
hazardous waste stream (requiring some form of security); waste streams that entail high costs; and waste streams that could be
minimized or prevented. Waste minimization measures that could be carried out without investments were introduced during this
phase of the project.
In the next phase of the project, the company’s existing internal materials and energy flows were compared with those attainable
with the application of state-of-the-art low- and non-waste technologies. The possibilities for incorporating low- and non-waste
technologies into each company’s production processes were assessed. A list of proposed measures that could improve the situation
of the company was compiled. This list included actions aimed at all levels of the organization. For example, it included:
• organization of responsibilities regarding environment, material handling, and waste treatment;
• reorganization of the accounting system in order to improve knowledge about costs of generation and treatment of
wastes;
• training and education of personnel at all levels (from top management to cleaning personnel) to increase levels of
awareness about waste issues;
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