Manual on the Development of Cleaner Production Policies ... - Unido

DEVELOPMENT OF CP POLICY
MODULE 5: POLICY TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS
The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) approach is currently being applied in the
European Union. The 1996 IPPC directive focuses on the integrated control of environmental
emissions, for all environmental media, rather than on regulating individual media problems. It
simultaneously aims to reduce natural resource and energy use, exposure to hazardous substances and
releases of pollutants by economic activities. Perhaps the most important feature of the IPPC approach
is that the emission standards are based on best available techniques, not necessarily originating from
the EU itself. Interestingly, the regulator does not force industry to employ a specific technology;
however, the plant should meet emission limit values based on current best practice. The IPPC
directive therefore stimulates innovation and promotes economic progress with reduced consumption
and pollution. To date, implementation of IPPC has generally been associated with the firm-level
adoption of so-called integrated permits.
EXAMPLE
Information materials on Best Available Techniques (BAT) under the IPPC approach
Under the IPPC directive, specific processes in industry should comply with emission limit values
based on the application of available state-of-the-art equipment and practices. To help industry meet
its obligations, sector-specific documents (known as BREFs) present Best Available Techniques
applicable in the sector, and provide guidance both to industry and to the regulator concerning stateof-the
art environmental measures. The BATs and the BREFs are published by the Institute for
Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) located in Seville, Spain, after being drafted by sectoral
expert working groups.
http://eippcb.jrc.es
Another interesting trend is the current focus on minimizing the environmental impact of products
through supply chain management. In this case, producers of goods and services require suppliers
and subcontractors to document their environmental performance as a prerequisite for continued
business. This is particularly common in the case of the ISO 14001 standard, where certified
companies agree to continue business with their suppliers on the condition that they obtain the
necessary certificate within a specified period of time.
SLIDE: Municipal and local-level CP programmes
• Large number of existing municipal programmes on CP, EMS and Local
Agenda 21;
• Physical proximity of players—regulators, industry and local residents;
• Advantage: easier to develop a programme of interest supported by the
entire local community;
• Overview of benefits from the sound use of municipal resources.
In this slide, demonstrate that there already exist various CP and preventive
environmental programmes that focus on a municipal level. You may want to
note that several international organizations are involved in promoting locallevel
programmes, and that in Latin America some municipalities have already
achieved an impressive success.
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