Promoting Resource Efficiency in Small & Medium size ... - UNEP

Each of the following activities adds 1 kg of CO 2
to the carbon footprint
of a British person (calculated using the current UK mix of electricity
and public transport):
• Travel by public transportation (train or bus) a distance of 10 to 12
km (6.5 to 7 miles)
• Travel by car a distance of 6 km or 3.75 miles (assuming 7.3
litres petrol per 100 km or 39 mpg)
• Fly on an aeroplane a distance of 2.2 km or 1.375 miles.
• Operate your computer for 32 hours (60 Watt consumption
assumed)
• Production of 5 plastic bags
• Production of 2 plastic bottles
• Production of 1/3 of a cheeseburger
2.5 Cleaner Production
The term ‘Cleaner Production’ was first coined in September 1990 by
UNEP and is defined as “the continuous application of an integrated
environmental strategy to processes, products and services to increase
efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment.” 21
Cleaner Production can be applied to the processes used in any
industry, to products themselves and to various services provided in
society.
For production processes, Cleaner Production is the result of one or
a combination of the following: conserving raw materials, water and
energy, eliminating toxic and dangerous raw materials, and reducing all
emissions and wastes at the source.
For products, Cleaner Production strategy focuses on reducing the
environmental, health and safety impacts of the product over its entire
life cycle from raw materials extraction to the ultimate disposal of the
product.
For services, Cleaner Production reduces the environmental impacts
of the service provided over its entire life cycle: from designing the
system, its use, to the entire uptake of resources required to deliver the
specific service.
Thus, Cleaner Production is an approach to environmental management
that aims to improve environmental performance by focusing on the
cause of environmental problems rather than the results. In this way, it
is different from traditional ‘pollution treatment and control’ approaches.
Cleaner Production is a pro-active, ‘anticipate and prevent’ philosophy.
Cleaner Production is a ‘win-win’ strategy; it protects the environment,
the consumer and the worker while improving industrial efficiency,
profitability and competitiveness.
Cleaner Production can therefore not only be applied to production
processes, but it can also be applied throughout the life cycle of a
product, from the initial design phase, through to the consumption
and disposal phase. It aims to ensure conservation of resources, the
elimination of toxic raw materials, and the reduction of wastes and
emissions.
Five common generic techniques for implementing Cleaner Production
include:
• Improved housekeeping practices
• Process optimisation
• Raw material substitution
• New technology
• New product design
Cleaner Production is an all-embracing strategy, which is directed
towards reducing environmental impacts and risks by considering
minimisation of pollution at source by a diverse range of activities.
Besides preserving environmental value, an important feature of
Cleaner Production is that by preventing inefficient use of resources
and avoiding unnecessary generation of waste, companies benefit
from reduced operating costs, reduced waste treatment and disposal
costs and reduced liability. Investing in Cleaner Production to prevent
pollution and reduce resource consumption is usually more costeffective
than continuing to rely on increasingly expensive ‘end-of-pipe’
solutions.
There are a number of analogous terms for Cleaner Production, such
as eco-efficiency, green productivity and pollution prevention, among
others, with slightly different focuses.
For several sectors, strategies to approach the vision of zero waste
appear feasible: in metal manufacturing, steel or aluminium scrap can
be collected and reprocessed, oils can be collected and reprocessed or
used as fuel to generate energy. In the paper industry, black liquor is
recycled generating energy, waste paper is collected and the fibres can
be reused for hygienic paper or kraft paper. In the food industry, waste
can be collected and used as animal food; wastewater can be treated
anaerobically to give methane, which then is used to generate electricity
and heat.
2.6 Safer Production for Hazardous Materials
In the industrial environment a variety of hazardous substances,
dangerous goods, and combustible liquids are used. Depending on
their properties, hazardous materials can cause adverse health effects
such as severe poisoning, skin rashes, allergic reactions, cancer, as
well as physical effects such as fire, explosion, release of hazardous
gases and corrosion. When hazardous materials are not stored
or handled correctly, they can cause harm to workers, neighbours
and the environment due to their physical, chemical and biological
properties. 22
Examples of some hazardous materials include:
• solvents
• degreasers
• cleaning chemicals
• paints
• drugs
• cosmetics
• detergents
• acids and caustics
• refrigerant gases
• metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium
• gas cylinders
• pesticides
• herbicides
• diesel fuel
• petrol
• liquefied petroleum gas
21) UNEP, Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch, Cleaner Production, undated
22) The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2009, available from www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace
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