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

DEVELOPMENT OF CP POLICY
MODULE 1: INTRODUCING CP
(c) Life-cycle analysis, conducted for a whole product rather than specific stages of production. A
complete review is carried out of a product’s impact on the environment, from the extraction of
the raw materials to its final disposition; when this is done using cost as a common denominator,
it is known as life-cycle costing;
(d) Design for environment, which means incorporating environmental considerations into the design
of a new product or facility; and
(e) Sustainable enterprises, based on integrated economic, environmental and socially-responsible
company management.
In summary, it should be underlined that the differences between Cleaner Production, pollution
prevention, waste minimization, waste prevention and eco-efficiency are, for all practical purposes,
minimal. Each concept shares a common emphasis on:
(a) The simultaneous achievement of economic and environmental benefits;
(b) The integration of environmental management into mainstream management practice;
(c) The application of an integrated, preventive environmental strategy to production processes as
well as to products throughout their life cycle;
(d) The minimization of risks to human health and the environment;
(e) The sustainable use of natural resources.
In other words, CP is about achieving the same production output with less inputs (materials and
energy) and consequently with less pollution. The application of Cleaner Production can significantly
improve the resource efficiency and environmental performance of existing production processes, with
no or little investment in the first stages. It does not obviate the need to upgrade or replace old
equipment; similarly, although it reduces the requirement for end-of-pipe treatment facilities, it does
not entirely eliminate it. In contrast to end-of-pipe pollution control, CP and preventive approaches do
not take as a given that pollution must be generated and only then treated. Rather, prevention is the
first step, instead of damage control.
http://www.unido.org/doc/331390.htmls
SLIDE: CP—three common misconceptions
1. CP is not restricted to industry or to production; it has been
successfully applied in the service sector and in municipal programmes;
2. CP is not an exclusively technical concept, i.e. it is not the equivalent
of ‘Clean Technologies’. CP involves a change in attitudes and
management practices, the application of available know-how and the
improvement or modification of technologies.
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