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United Nations Environment ProgrammeDivision of Technology, Industry and Economics

Sustainable Consumption andCleaner Production

Global Status 2002_Global Status 2002_

UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION

ISBN: 92-807-2073-2

© 2002 UNEPAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetictape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing fromthe copyright holders.

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Sustainable Consumption and Cleaner ProductionGlobal Status 2002

Global Status 2002Global Status 2002

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMMEDivision of Technology, Industry and Economics

Sustainable Consumption and Cleaner Production


AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

The Sustainable Consumption report was written by Professor ChrisRyan, from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, and the Institute forIndustrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University, Sweden. Itwas produced for the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry andEnvironment (UNEP DTIE), under the guidance of Bas de Leeuw, Co-ordinator of the Sustainable Consumption Programme, and AnneSolgaard, Junior Professional Officer, Sustainable Consumption. Theauthor gratefully acknowledges the research assistance of HelenNilsson of the IIIEE.

The initial draft of the Cleaner Production report was prepared by PrasadModak and his colleagues, Rahul Datar, Lavanya Karthik, NagasimhaSwami and Mrinalini Patwardhan at the Environmental ManagementCentre, India. Surya Chandak, Co-ordinator of the Cleaner ProductionProgramme and Garrette Clark under the guidance of Fritz Balkau at theProduction and Consumption Branch, managed the project for UNEP.

The reports were presented for review and comment at the 7thInternational High-level Seminar on Cleaner Production, April 2002 inPrague, Czech Republic, and the Implementing SustainableConsumption and Production Policies expert meeting, held in May,2002, in Paris, France. They were placed on UNEP's website andrequests for feedback were sent to Cleaner Production centres andother stakeholders. All comments were reviewed and incorporated.

Both reports were reviewed and finalized by UNEP DTIE, under thedirection of Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, Assistant Executive Director,UNEP. UNEP DTIE extends its appreciation to all those individuals andorganisations whose contributions have greatly helped in the prepara-tion of the reports.

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Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Acknowledgements 2

Preface 4

Sustainable Consumption: Executive Summary 6

Cleaner Production: Executive Summary 13

Where to go for more information 20


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Fifteen years ago UNEP launched the Cleaner Production Programme. The aim wasto promote more efficient use of raw materials, including water and energy, to reduceemissions and wastes at source, and to reduce risks for people and the environment.Cleaner Production applies to production processes and products as well as services.Agenda 21, adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, clearly referred to CleanerProduction as the way to reconcile economic growth with environmental protection.More broadly, it recognized the need to change our production and consumption pat-terns.

Since Rio, UNEP has been monitoring progress around the world in the implementa-tion of Cleaner Production and similar approaches such as eco-efficiency or greenproductivity.The last ten years have seen significant achievements in CleanerProduction and Sustainable Consumption. In the field of Cleaner Production globalawareness has been raised, various tools have been developed to help implement theCleaner Production approach, demonstration projects have been conducted, NationalCleaner Production Centres - reflective of capacity building - have been established,an International Declaration on Cleaner Production has been launched and RegionalRoundtables are meeting regularly to exchange experience and best practices.

However, it has become increasingly evident that the environmental gains achieved byprogrammes aimed at Cleaner Production and eco-efficiency are being offset bytrends on the demand side -- population growth, an increasing standard of living andindividual desires to consume products and services. This is usually referred to as the"rebound effect". Supply--production and demand--consumption are therefore twosides of the same coin, and the challenge we face today is to establish a frameworkfor action in which producers and consumers can move together along the road tosustainable development. Only by adopting a 'preventive' environmental managementapproach throughout the product life cycle -- product design, manufacture, use anddisposal -- can we move towards the objective of delinking economic growth fromenvironmental impacts.

This is why work has also been initiated in the field of Sustainable Consumption. TheLife Cycle Initiative has been launched in order to promote and facilitate the use ofsound and transparent environmental product criteria, to be used for eco-design andeco-labeling by business and for green procurement by governments. NationalCleaner Production Centres are being trained on how to use these demand side tools.With help from the advertising industry, state-of-the-art market research and communi-cation techniques are being developed through UNEP's Advertising Forum. Youthgroups are being empowered to take action as well, through the "YouthXchange" web-site, and a review of national implementation of sustainable consumption policies hasbeen carried out in co-operation with Consumers International. Even so, for all that


PrefacePreface

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has been achieved, much more remains to be done, and as highlighted at theWorld Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa inSeptember 2002, “Fundamental changes in the way societies produce and con-sume are indespensible for achieving global sustainable development.”

The Global Status Reports on Sustainable Consumption and Cleaner Productiontake stock of what has been achieved so far, what lessons have been learnt andpropose future courses of action. This publication contains the executive summaryof each Global Status Report. The full reports, which contain regional overviewsand results from global surveys and activities, are available in CD ROM formatfrom UNEP or can be accessed on the web at www.uneptie.org/pc/cp/library.htm. Itis hoped that the information in these reports will be a useful reference for stake-holders engaged in the process of changing the current patterns of production andconsumption to more sustainable ones.

The reports launched at the 7th International High-level Seminar on CleanerProduction in Prague in April 2002, provided input to the World Summit onSustainable Development and will serve as a basis for further follow-up action fortackling global as well as local environmental problems.

UNEP, in co-operation with other UN bodies, is committed to continue to catalyzeand contribute to this world-wide effort which to be successful needs the full andactive engagement of all partners in government, business and civil society.

Jacqueline Aloisi de LarderelAssistant Executive DirectorDirector, Division of Technology, Industry and EconomicsUnited Nations Environment Programme


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Sustainable Consumption: A GlobalSustainable Consumption: A GlobalStatus Report: Executive SummaryStatus Report: Executive Summary

September 2002September 2002

The growing attention to issues of SustainableConsumption is a natural outcome of decades of workon Cleaner Production and eco-efficient industrial sys-tems. It represents the final step in a progressivewidening of the horizons of pollution prevention; awidening which has gone from a focus on productionprocesses (Cleaner Production), to products, (eco-design), then to product-systems (incorporating trans-port logistics, end-of-life collection and componentreuse or materials recycling) and to eco-innovation(new products and product-systems and enterprisesdesigned for win-win solutions for business and theenvironment). Action focused on consumption hashighlighted the need to address the creation of newsystems of production and consumption, systems thatmight be truly sustainable, environmentally, economi-cally, systems that will enhance the quality and equal-ity of cultural, social and physical existence for all peo-ple.

This report is an overview of action and thinking on theissue of Sustainable Consumption since the publica-tion of Agenda 21 in 1992. Its focus is the ten yearsthat have elapsed since that publication. Chapter 4 ofAgenda 21 (Changing Consumption Patterns) becamethe starting point for international work directed toimproving understanding of global consumption pat-terns and their environmental and social impacts. Italso led to work, by a number of United Nations andinternational agencies, on the development of appro-priate policies and programmes of action to changeunsustainable consumption patterns, and to promotethe importance of sustainable and equitable consump-tion for human development. The United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) through its Divisionof Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) hasplayed a key role in supporting and stimulating thatwork through the activities of its SustainableConsumption Programme. Attention to this topic hasalso involved meetings, reports and proposals from theUN Commission for Sustainable Development (UNCSD), the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), Organisation for Economic and CommunityDevelopment (OECD), and from key non-governmen-tal organisations (NGOs) within business, the scientif-ic community and consumer protection and environ-ment. Consumption-related issues have beenaddressed by many governments of both developedand developing countries as part of their own environ-ment and resource policies and in response to theprogrammes of UNEP and the other internationalagencies.

UNEP has initiated a series of international consulta-tions on the issue in four regions - Africa, Asia Pacific,Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbeanand published a report, Consumption Opportunities,which made important contributions to strategic think-ing about Sustainable Consumption. UNEP recognis-es that industrialised countries have a special respon-sibility to promote, facilitate and achieve. However,consuming and producing more efficiently will be fun-damental to any successful strategies for eradicatingpoverty and creating business opportunities in devel-oping countries. UNEP has thus placed great empha-sis on promoting the concept for developing countriesand countries with economies in transition and devel-oping capacity building programmes, designed to raiseawareness, inform and train decision-makers, in gov-ernments and (small- and medium-sized) companies.In addition to carrying out consumer trend studiesfocusing on global consumers and youth, supported bythe advertising and communications industry, UNEPhas also been reviewing the implementation of a set ofConsumer Protection Guidelines specifically related toSustainable Consumption. These were adopted by theUN General Assembly in 1999 as a specific section ofthe general guidelines for consumer protection (1985).

The Global Status Report examines progress and thestatus of the area at the time of the World Summit onSustainable Development (WSSD) - August -September 2002. It examines whether the issues ofconcern in 1992 at Rio are still relevant today.

The history of the Sustainable Consumption debate isconsidered with reference to the key players involved.The outcomes of the UNEP regional consultations andthe nature of actions proposed by UN agencies andgovernments, business, consumers and environmentorganisations and research institutions are reviewedand future action considered. A number of IndustrySector Reports have been prepared by relevant indus-try organisations and UNEP for WSSD. These reportsreview action and development over the last ten yearsand present the result of consultations on future sec-tor-wide goals. These reports have also providedmaterial for the study.

"Achieving sustainable development will require both efficiency in production processes as well as changes in consump-tion patterns… in many instances this will require a re-orientation of existing produc-tion processes and consumption patterns which have predominantly emerged from developed countries."

- Agenda 21

Development, prosperity, wealth - the economic,social, cultural and environmental factors that underpinour sense of quality of life - are dependent, ultimately,on structure of our systems of production and con-


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sumption. However, in the lead-up to the first globalconference on the human environment (Stockholm1972), community, and scientific and political, debatestargeted those systems of production and consump-tion as a potential threat to human survival. The 20-year period from Stockholm to Rio saw huge changesto global understanding of the relationship betweeneconomic activity and ecological systems. By the RioSummit in 1992, there was a sense of optimism thatpreventative strategies heralded the potential of a'change of course', in which industrial and economicdevelopment would become compatible with sustain-ing the global environment.

Unsustainable consumption patterns - the inverUnsustainable consumption patterns - the inver --sion of developmentsion of development

A critical review of achievements in pollution preven-tion, Cleaner Production and eco-efficiency can pointto some real progress since Rio. However, whilst somegains are observable in production, consumption pat-terns appear to be moving in ways that continue tothreaten sustainable development. Globally, unsus-tainable patterns of production and consumptiondemand attention and action, just as they did in 1992.In particular, there is:

Growing disparities in levels of consumption betweenrich and poor counties.- Growing disparities in levels of consumption within

developing countries.- Total growth in consumption of resources (particular-ly water, food and energy) in developed countries suchthat technical (eco-) efficiency improvements are beingoverwhelmed.

Clarifying terms: 'consumption' and 'patterns of con-sumption'

Discussions of consumption, over-consumption andsustainability are prone to a confusion in terminologybetween consumption of goods and services (demandand volume) and consumption of resources (ecologicalimpact). The term 'patterns of consumption' has grownin usage as a way of expressing the linkage betweenthese two aspects of consumption and the impact thatarises from the consumption of goods and servicesand the particular ways such goods and services areproduced.

The distorted geography of consumption

The inequalities in consumption between countries(and within countries) are so significant that it is ofwide concern, representing a fundamental distortion inprogress towards sustainable development. The over-all consumption of the richest fifth of the world's popu-lation is 9 times that of the poorest fifth. There are crit-ical resource areas where consumption levels withincountries are threatening future development becausedemand is exceeding supply. These problems reflectpoverty, poor technology, inefficient supply systems,inadequate infrastructure and lack of demand man-agement.

Measuring consumption impacts

Various attempts have been made to translate globalconsumption and the consumption of populations liv-ing in different regions, countries, and cities, into ameasure of their environmental impacts. This requiresdeveloping sets of appropriate indicators and themeasurement and analysis of data.

The distorted demography of con-sumption

Affluent-society consumption patternsare becoming an observable featureof life within many countries ofEastern Europe and the former SovietUnion, Asia, Africa and Latin Americaand the Caribbean. These affluent consumers reflectthe reality of growing contrasts within developing coun-tries and a distortion in the demography of consump-tion, a widening gap between rich and poor.

The distortion of improvements in production andproducts

Preventative approaches to improving production andthe performance of products (Cleaner Production,product eco-design, environmental technology, eco-innovation and environmental management) havedemonstrated significant environmental gains.Increasing eco-efficiency remains the most optimisticstrategy for sustainable production, with strong sup-port from industry. However, there is evidence thatGDP is growing at a faster rate than improvements inresource or energy efficiency - consumption is outpac-ing the gains from improvements in production andproducts. There is also increasing evidence of reboundeffects, in which improvements in efficiency actuallybecome a stimulus for increased consumption.

Over-consumption, trade, and competing for 'part ofthe pie'

Conspicuous consumption in affluent countries is eas-ily attacked for 'taking an unfair share of the pie'. Therole of trade, in commodities and resources fromdeveloping countries, to support affluent consumptionin developed countries, is more complex and nuancedthan some of the current debate over globalisationallows for. Consumption in the developed world is avital source of income and wealth for developing coun-tries. However, it is the case that trade can depletelocal resources, removing them from potential con-sumption, or pricing them out of the market and block-ing development.

The global diffusion of affluent 'Western' patterns ofconsumption

'Scaling-up' current western patterns of consumptionas the basis of development for, say, China of India -adding another 2 billion 'western style' consumers - issimply not a realistic option unless the risk of cata-strophic collapse of the global ecosystem is consid-ered acceptable.

Western economies have been supported by anentrenched social and cultural commitment to the linkbetween prosperity and per-capita consumption of


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goods and services. Through global business, trade,advertising and communications, concepts of quality oflife in developing countries are strongly affected by theaspirations and goals of consumers and business indeveloped countries. The impacts of this 'global aspi-ration system' are acutely evident in the concernsexpressed in regional consultations on consumptionand from the UNEP work on the emergence of aGlobal Consumer Class.

Action on Sustainable ConsumptionAction on Sustainable Consumption

Since Agenda 21 these issues of unsustainable con-sumption have been addressed through a series ofmeetings, dialogues, research and publications fromUN CSD, UNEP, OECD, UNDP and other business,consumer and research organisations. The idea ofSustainable Consumption has been developed andclarified through that process, emerging as an umbrel-la term that brings together a number of key issues,such as meeting needs, enhancing quality of life,improving resource efficiency, minimising waste, tak-ing a life-cycle perspective and taking into account theequity dimension; integrating these component parts inthe central question of how to provide the same or bet-ter services to meet the basic requirements of life andthe aspiration for improvement, for both current andfuture generations, while continually reducing environ-mental damage and risks to human health. (UN CSD,1995)

International Agencies

In defining targets for action and policy implementa-tion, towards Sustainable Consumption there is broadagreement that it must embrace:- Poverty eradication. - Change pursued by all countries, with the developedcountries taking the lead.- A mix of policies including regulations; economic andsocial instruments targeted to land use, transport,energy and housing; information; products and servic-es.- Partnership between governments, relevant interna-tional organisations, the private sector and consumergroups.- Special attention to unsustainable consumption pat-terns among the richer segments in all countries.

Industry

Industry (e.g. through the World Business Council forSustainable Development (WBCSD)) has approachedSustainable Consumption as an extension of eco-effi-ciency approaches to include a) technological andsocial innovations to improve quality of life b) provideand inform consumer choice and c) improved marketconditions through appropriate legislation and regula-tion

UNEP's Industry Sector Reports to WSSD demon-strate awareness and attention to the need to reduceresource consumption in production and products andto provide information to consumers, to improve theeffectiveness and quality of product use. Reducingend-of-life waste (usually through recycling) is also acommon feature of product stewardship programmesacross most industry sectors.

Regional concerns

A series of consultations initiated by UNEP in Africa,Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean andEastern Europe have confirmed concerns about theimpacts of particular features of global development:

- Poverty and consumption scarcity;- Population growth;- Globalisation of information;- Globalisation of trade;- Trans-national corporations;- Intellectual property rights;- Urbanisation;- Tourism and- Consumer Protection.

Towards a more integrated approach toTowards a more integrated approach toSustainable Consumption and CleanerSustainable Consumption and CleanerProduction: a strategic focus for the futureProduction: a strategic focus for the future

Thinking about consumption has provided a valuableapproach to the analysis of current conditions and animportant way to structure strategies for future devel-opment. There is considerable agreement aboutactions and policies that must be pursued to bringconsumption back from its unsustainable precipice. Acritical task is to focus such action in a way that doesnot lead to a simplistic division into separate spheresof action: production-focused (producers, processes,technology facilities) and consumer-focused (needs,awareness, behaviour). Thinking about SustainableConsumption has exposed the limitations of produc-tion-focused strategies. Consumption does not providean alternative approach, just 'the other side of thecoin'. It is systems of production and consumptionwhich need to change - urgently - and changing pat-terns of consumption requires an understanding of thecomplex features of such systems which shape partic-ular modes of living, the markets for goods and servic-es and the means by which they are produced. Anyaction in developed countries has to be relevant to theconditions and the needs of developing countries andopen to solutions and approaches derived from theexperience and practice of developing economies.Change will occur only through North-South and East-West dialogue and collaborative projects.

Clarifying the meanings of 'consumption'Clarifying the meanings of 'consumption'

Interest in Sustainable Consumption partly reflects atradition of using consumption as a measure of activi-ty both within economics and environment. A focus onconsumption as a measure of systems of productionand consumption is obviously both appropriate andvaluable. However, another meaning of consumptionderives from the substantial literature on consumerismand consumer culture, which tends to portray con-sumption as the most significant driving force of theeconomy and production. In the context of this volumi-nous literature, the label 'consumption' can easily beinterpreted as singling out the consumer and theirbehaviour/need/wants as the focus and the target foraction and change.

Thus, to the confusion already discussed (economicmeasure - goods and services; environment measure- resources and waste) there is also confusion over


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whether 'consumption' is a system measure, or short-hand for 'consumer behaviour'. These different mean-ings are evident, for example, in the four strategies forapproaching changing 'consumption' proposed in theUNEP Consumption Opportunities report - efficientconsumption; different consumption; conscious con-sumption; appropriate consumption. The first two, 'effi-cient' and 'different' apply to the total system (out-come) of production and consumption; 'conscious'refers to changing consumer attitudes and behaviourwhilst 'appropriate' focuses on using consumption as ameasure of system performance.

The need for indicators and meaningful feedbackThe need for indicators and meaningful feedback

There is a need to develop a better set of measures(such as those proposed by the UN CSD) and to col-lect data and track aggregate change. There arenumerous proposals and publications of alternativemeasures to GDP which attempt to capture somemore complex sense of prosperity and quality of life.Measuring and reporting on quality of life is directly orimplicitly called for in many of the strategic actions forSustainable Consumption. Explicit and comprehensi-ble feedback on quality-of-life conditions would seem(along with consumption-environment-impact data) tobe an essential platform for sustainable development.None of the alternative 'green accounting' measureshave managed to achieve the status and institutionalcommitment of GDP.

Industry sectors recognise the need for effectivemeasurement, reporting and data exchange. From thesector reports it is clear that some measures of con-sumption (energy, water etc) are seen as necessaryfor effective management and strategic planning forsustainable development.

Feedback can also play a role at the individual or smallgroup (e.g. household) level, where the availability ofinformation (or lack of it) can become a critical factor inchanging motivations. There is, for example, simplesoftware that gives individual computer users feed-back on the implications of their printing decisions, asa measure of cumulative paper used, which appearsas desk-top icons of (percentage of) trees consumed.

An alternative conceptual approach for describAn alternative conceptual approach for describ--ing systems of production and consumptioning systems of production and consumption

The UN CSD definition of Sustainable Consumption asan 'umbrella term' talks of addressing needs, quality oflife, equity, resource efficiency, waste, (environmental-ly-improved) goods and services. It emphasiseschanges in patterns of consumption, referring to boththe levels of utilisation of goods and services and theway those goods and services are produced and deliv-ered.

An alternative approach is needed which provides apractical way of describing the system (to guide inter-vention) but allows for more complex modelling of thereal world. The Sustainable Consumption literature,examination of various case studies of multi-stake-holder action to shift patterns of consumption, and therange of actions discussed in the report, suggests analternative approach to describing systems of produc-tion and consumption. In this model, the system is

described from three perspectives - provision (the waythat goods and services are produced and their sys-tems of delivery and function); motivation (the incen-tives and disincentives which shape the market forgoods and services) and access (factors which includeor exclude consumers from participating in the mar-ket). These three viewpoints reflect an aggregation offorces, which affect patterns of consumption into threelogical areas for analysis and action. They are brieflydiscussed below.

Systems of provision

This refers to all those processes and infrastructuresthrough which goods and services are made availablefor consumption. Provision is more than production. Itis used to describe the combination of establishedindustry processes and business practices, the accu-mulated physical production and delivery infrastructureand the corresponding social and cultural practices,which together define the ways in which life-styles andparticular sets of products and services become mutu-ally supporting structures. This includes not just all theprocesses involved in the design, production, distribu-tion and disposal of products and services (along withthe necessary technical and organisational infrastruc-ture), but also the shared set of expectations andestablished practices of consumption that affirm partic-ular categories of products and services as 'necessary'for daily lifestyles to function.

Considering systems of provision means examiningthe various ways in which the consumption of productsand services and the use of resources (and productionof waste) associated with that consumption, are deter-mined by structures of creation, delivery, utility, dis-posal and information. Systems of provision alsoincludes the collective and non-material goods andinfrastructure which are not traditionally part of themarket but essential to quality of life - such as clean airand fresh water, natural capital, etc. There is a pro-gressive trend, in most developed economies, formany of these previously public, community-held, non-material goods and systems of infrastructure to betransferred to private ownership and control (into themarket place). This shift is widely identified as a criticalchange in systems of provision that affect both con-sumer motivation and systems of access (increasingindividual consumption of private goods and services).

Systems of motivation

Actions and behaviours of people, as citizens, as con-sumers, as workers and managers, can be attributedto motivations that arise from needs and desires (indi-vidual, social and cultural). Traditionally needs/desiresare described in general terms as: - survival (biophysical needs and safety, safety and

risk), - acceptance (belonging, love esteem, status and

power), - cognition (understanding, exploration), - aesthetic appreciation, (appreciation of form and

beauty, comfort)- self-fulfilment (personal improvement, stimulation,

excitement) - transcendent ideals (concern for others; political

spiritual and moral beliefs)


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From the Sustainable Consumption literature there isbroad agreement on the following aspects of con-sumer motivation:

- Ultimately all motivations are dependent on informa-tion and understanding (of options and implications ofaction). Information is a key aspect of systems of pro-vision, which affects motivation. (It is also a funda-mental determinant of access.) However, as sociolog-ical studies show and marketing people know, there isno simple, direct, relationship between information andawareness, and behaviour, which is influenced andmodified by other factors.

- Motivations are both individual and socially contin-gent; they reflect personal concerns and social andcultural influences which are often weighed up in aconscious process. (For example, in deciding whetherto use a car or public transport - personal comfort andconvenience is weighed against pollution etc.). Socialand cultural influences on motivations emphasise that

consumers 'belong' to more than onegroup (based on kinship, class, age,religion etc) with sets of expressedneeds which can be very different.(The UNEP Global Consumer Classsurvey highlights aspects of the multi-ple nature of group 'belonging'.)

- Motivations also reflect habits andrepeated sets of practices that relateto past experience and establishedroutines. These are often re-enforcedby the development of infrastructures.This is one way that motivations are

connected to systems of provision ; motivations reflectpatterns of behaviours related to patterns of provision.(For example, travelling by car in cities designed with-out effective public transport).

- Consumer motivations and behaviour are not con-sistent and stable over time; change can be suddenand rapid. (Use of the Internet is one example.)

Various organisations and reports on SustainableConsumption have focused on analysing the driverswho lead to 'over-consumption', or the desire to active-ly acquire and accumulate goods. These are sum-marised in the appendix. However, it is very importantto recognise that (some) consumers do see the con-nection between consumption and pollution/waste andare concerned about the 'life behind the product'. Inparticular circumstances, consumers can be motivatedby longer-term interests rather than short-term, by col-lective and social goals rather than individual, and doact to consume responsibly. As the UNEP surveys onGlobal Consumers and Youth have shown, suchbehaviour is not limited by region or country.

Analysing the motivations for business to improveenvironmental outcomes has identified factors suchas:- market competition and 'recognition' of a 'green mar-ket';

- long range planning (recognition of trends andpotential future risks);- regulation or potential of future regulation;

- improved relationship with customers;- individual company personnel desires (to contribute,

through work, to socially positive outcomes); and- protecting "brand" image.

Systems of access

Patterns of consumption reflect systems and struc-tures that control access to the existing market and toprocesses of influence in shaping the market. Criticalfactors affecting access include:

- Income. Levels of income either widen of restrictaccess to the market. This is obviously most critical inconditions of scarcity where poverty is the major barri-er. The increasing dependence of consumption on pri-vate income (with the reduction in public infrastruc-ture), in all markets, has important implications foraccess.

- Time. Along with income, conditions of life can maketime a critical commodity and an important factor inaccess - to the market, to information, to political andsocial process which affect the market - consumeraction.

- Availability and ownership of infrastructure of essen-tial goods and services. Provision affects access.

- Availability and choice of products and services (noeco-lifestyles without eco-products and services-WBCSD).

- Information. An absolute determinant of access in allmarket conditions. Knowledge of goods and services,Knowledge of 'life behind the product'.

- Awareness of quality of life issues with choices.

- Awareness of best practice possibilities.

- Education and training. Along with information, thisaffects abilities to participate in shaping markets, in theutilisation of opportunities.

Enhancing the potential of limited, localisedEnhancing the potential of limited, localisedactionsactions

The complexity of production and consumption sys-tems - provision, motivation and access - can be sig-nificant barrier to taking action, with only large globalor regional organisations and governments appearingto have the power and resources to tackle the prob-lem. However, there are campaigns of action directedto reducing consumption of particular sensitiveresources, or changing the patterns of consumption ofspecific goods or services, which offer anotherapproach. These campaigns are not well recorded oranalysed within the Sustainable Consumption litera-ture, yet they represent a level of action that may havegreat advantages in terms of involvement and achiev-able outcomes. Unlike actions and policies intended toshift consumption patterns in whole economies, orwhich aim to change global conditions, these cam-paigns of action are often conducted in localised areas- regions, cities, towns, communities. They includesuch things as: Shifting modes of transport from carsto public transport, creating car free areas, reducing


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water consumption, reducing energy consumption,shifting energy consumption towards renewable ener-gy; reducing household waste.

Of course such campaigns are usually limited to deal-ing with one particular resource, or impact area, andthere is always the possibility that proposed solutionswill exacerbate consumption problems in another area.They do, however, reflect an awareness of the need toaddress consumption-related impacts and they havethe advantage of local(-ised) action that makes theengagement of multiple stakeholders more realistic.With the development of indices such as eco-footprintsand improved monitoring of consumption patterns andimpacts, there is the potential for such action to widento a more-holistic approach . Case studies of localisedcampaigns could be the basis of research to examinetotal life-cycle changes resulting from campaigns forspecific reductions in consumption, as well as provid-ing an opportunity to test the appropriateness ofindices for use at the community and regional level.

Improving products and services - the logicalImproving products and services - the logicalfocus for production and consumptionfocus for production and consumption

Products and services form the link between produc-tion and consumption. Production systems deliverproducts and services to the market; it is these prod-ucts and services that are consumed; it is the volumeof their consumption, and the efficiency (in environ-mental terms) with which they are produced and used,that is the critical issue. Products and services definesystems of provision; they play a major role in systemsof motivation; the range of products available affectssystems of access.

In the decade since Agenda 21, products (and servic-es) have become an increasingly important area forgovernment policy, as analysis and practical experi-ence in industry has demonstrated that:

- Environmental impacts from products has continuedto rise (in gross terms) relative to impacts from pro-duction processes.- A life-cycle perspective on the environmental impactsof a product 'captures' the whole production-consump-tion chain.- 60-80% of the (life-cycle) environmental impacts

from products are determined at the design stage.- When product-related environmental-impacts are

made explicit in the design process, there are well trieddesign strategies for reducing them.- A focus on products is a good way to engage com-

pany interest and action because it focuses on theircore business.

- The existence of new eco-designed productschanges the market, projecting a new 'demand space'for product competition.

A focus on the creation of sustainable products andservices, if considered from a life-cycle perspective,results in changes to both systems of production andpatterns of consumption. 'Well tried' eco-design strate-gies, developed for managers and designers in com-panies, tend to stress the technical and engineeringaspects of such work (the use quantitative life-cycleanalysis, the optimisation of material use, the develop-ment of simple and reversible fasteners, the selection

of recycled materials, the selection of technically effi-cient components, etc). However, in practice, thesetechnical production issues only partly shape the out-come. Other factors enter the process, factors whichplay an increasingly important role in the creation ofvalue and which reflect the complex forces that shapepatterns of consumption.

Products are not just enablers of change, as theWBCSD argument would suggest. The history of prod-uct design in industry since the Second World Wardemonstrates that designed products have played anincreasingly central role in the shaping of consumption.Through the design process and with the increasingtechnical sophistication of the manipulation of materi-als, consumer products have become symbols of pos-sibilities and potentialities as much as objects of func-tion and utility. They are designed to motivate con-sumers, to create desire for ownership and posses-sion, to communicate value, identity, status, enjoymentand fulfilment.

The availability of new eco - products and services inthe market affects the structures of provision andaccess and, as a result of the increasing sophisticationof design; they also become an important motivationalforce for change. Any recyclable, water-saving, solarenergy, package-free products that exist in a competi-tive market must have been designed to attract con-sumers, to create desire (to consume these objectsrather than competing ones). Such products have thepotential to re-shape consumer desires, behavioursand ideas of satisfaction and quality .

Production-focused strategies (Cleaner Production,process redesign) have a solid history of achievementand established infrastructure. Consumption issueshave drawn attention to the limits of such strategiesand there are clear calls for the integration of action onCleaner Production and Sustainable Consumption.The development of new eco-products and services indeveloping countries is seen as a way of eradicatingpoverty and advancing sustainable development. Theimprovement of products and services through eco-design and the creation of a policy framework con-ducive to such development (e.g. the EU's IntegratedProduct Policy) is a logical and easily communicatedfocus for integrating Cleaner Production andSustainable Consumption.

The overall strategic goal: leapfrog to new sysThe overall strategic goal: leapfrog to new sys --tems of products and servicestems of products and services

The creation of sustainable systems of production andconsumption is increasingly viewed as a process thatwill depend more on a radical restructuring of exiting


"The process by which design incorporates ideas isby no means direct… [M]anufacturers filter and distilideas and add some of their own, all with the inten-tion of making their products seem more desir-able…, successful design is like alchemy: it fusestogether disparate ideas from different origins, sothat the form of the completed product seems toembody... a single idea…" Adrian Forty, Objects of Desire - design and society since1750

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systems (including products, services, lifestyles, busi-ness and measures of economic value) than on incre-mental improvement. In the desire to communicate theidea of change as a real discontinuity another term hascome into use - Leapfrog change.

For developing countries, leapfrog changes in systemsof production and consumption, products and services,in developed economies, offer the possibility of a'development path' which will link economic develop-ment with Sustainable Consumption. Leapfrog trans-formations of production and consumption systems willrequire changes in all aspects of systems of provision,motivation and access. This is therefore not only atechnological change in the narrow sense, it will haveto encompass changes to patterns of living, the bal-ance between private and collective-community own-ership of resources and infrastructure, shifts in valuesand behaviours.

Summary - future strategies and actionSummary - future strategies and action

A number of things stand out from a review of the pastten years' work on Sustainable Consumption:

- Progress towards Sustainable Consumption has toemerge from industrialised countries, where the domi-nant models and aspirations for patterns of consump-tion are generated. New aspirations for sustainableprosperity need to be widely and visibly embracedwithin developed countries if they are to become aglobal pattern.

- Action in developed countries has to be relevant tothe conditions and needs of developing countries andopen to solutions and approaches derived from theexperience and practice of developing economies.

- Thinking about consumption has provided a valuableapproach to the analysis of current conditions and animportant way to structure strategies for future devel-opment. This has exposed the limitations of produc-tion-focused strategies. Consumption does not providean alternative approach, just 'the other side of the coin'.It is systems of production and consumption that needto change - urgently.

- 'Production' and 'Consumption' is a limited way ofthinking about systems of production and consump-tion. Other approaches are needed. Strategies forchange will succeed or fail on the way that these com-plex systems can be focused into action that can becommunicated, understood and embraced by all stake-holders.

Six strategic areas are discussed which address vari-ous problems in current work on SustainableConsumption. Taken together, they aim to bring abouta greater integration of Sustainable Consumption and

Cleaner Production. They are:

- Clarifying the various (and often confused) meaningsof the term consumption.

- Developing better feedback - indices to measureconsumption pressure and quality of life, and puttingthem to use.

- Finding a more appropriate conceptual schema fordescribing systems of production and consumption, toallow for more complexity of elements and interactionsbut still simple enough to assist analysis and interven-tion.

- Supporting and enhancing localised campaigns ofaction to transform consumption of targeted resourcesor goods and services.

- Focusing production and consumption-orientedaction on the transformation of products and services.

- Developing and promoting the idea of 'leap-frog'change as a radical shift in existing product, servicesand business sectors.


“For developing countries, SustainableConsumption does not mean not consum-ing, It means quite the contrary, namelyleap-frogging. Sustainable Consumption willbring new business opportunities.”Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, AssistantExecutive Director, UNEP

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Cleaner ProductionCleaner ProductionA Global Status Report,A Global Status Report,September 2002September 2002

Evolution of Cleaner ProductionEvolution of Cleaner Production

In 1987, the concept of sustainable development wasproposed to steer Our Common Future. In theory, sus-tainable development implies meeting the needs of thepresent generation, without compromising the needs offuture generations. The true challenge of sustainabledevelopment was how to put the theory into practice.Cleaner Production provided a practical way to takeclues from the conceptual framework of sustainabledevelopment towards action. It was more of a preven-tative strategy and not a curative or reactive approachto address the global pollution problem.

Cleaner Production is not a new concept. It is a logicalextension of the desire to conserve materials andreduce waste. It requires people to examine ways thatresult in increased productivity, reduced resourceinputs and waste and, most importantly, reduced risk tothe environment. Cleaner Production is not just anenvironmental initiative; it supports other productivity-oriented programmes and strategies.

In 1992, Cleaner Production found mention at the RioSummit as an important strategy to take forward theconcept of sustainable development. Agenda 21 madesignificant references to Cleaner Production and has infact served as a guiding framework for the implemen-tation of Cleaner Production. It also provided a direc-tion and focus to the adoption of Cleaner Production ona multi-stakeholder and multi-partnership basis.

The UNEP DTIE's Cleaner Production Programmewas launched in 1989. The immediate task then was tocreate awareness of the concept, build institutionalcapacities and demonstrate its benefits to foster sus-tainable development. Today, Cleaner Production is aflagship programme of not just UNEP DTIE, but also ofseveral organisations in the world that have adoptedand adapted it. It has truly become a global movement.

The emphasis on Cleaner Production today is more onaction and the establishment of an enabling frameworkembodying the spirit of partnership.

What has been accomplished?What has been accomplished?

In the last ten years, Cleaner Production has attempt-ed a paradigm shift in environmental management atthe level of governments, business and financing insti-tutions, as well as local governments and communities.

However, there have been a number of barriers in thepromotion and adoption of Cleaner Production,encompassing various issues such as problems in

communication, resistance to change, lack of appropri-ate demonstrations of Cleaner Production to prove itsbenefits, inadequate training, and a lack of CleanerProduction-related information and problems inaccessing cleaner technologies. Other critical barriersinclude the lack of financing and, more significantly, alack of Cleaner Production orientation in the nationalpolicy and regulatory framework.

Typically, the progression of Cleaner Production main-streaming in a country has followed a strategy of mov-ing from awareness creation to capacity building ofinstitutions, and to implementation throughout manu-facturing and service organisations. As a next logicalstep, with the help of the key institutions, and by work-ing in partnership, Cleaner Production is implementedwithin all other sectors to increase its acceptance. Fora multiplier effect, information-sharing mechanisms arethen instituted by holding seminars, publishing manu-als, conducting training and operating websites. Todevelop an enabling framework, suitable financingmechanisms and policy instruments are devised.Based on in-organisation experiences and consulta-tions with important stakeholders, reforms are thenundertaken to mainstream Cleaner Production in thenational policy and regulatory framework.

Some of the major highlights of the above achieve-ments are summarised below.

Raising AwarenessRaising Awareness

Spreading awareness of the Cleaner Production con-cept through examples has been one of the majorstrategies towards improving both acceptance andunderstanding of Cleaner Production across a widerange of stakeholders. Numerous seminars and work-shops have been conducted, and the development anddistribution of brochures, posters, and videos has beendone. In many cases, Cleaner Production is commu-nicated through other programmes and strategies suchas eco-efficiency, green productivity etc. Some of theinnovative approaches include Eco-Accounting Booksin Japan, the 'Miljøhjemmevernet' programmelaunched in Norway for households and the Eco-effi-ciency Calendars for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) developed by the Wuppertal Institute inGermany in collaboration with UNEP.

Obtaining CommitmentObtaining Commitment

Obtaining a commitment is an essential step to ensuremoving from awareness to action. The InternationalDeclaration on Cleaner Production (IDCP) has beenan excellent step to obtain commitment of a large num-ber of stakeholders at various levels including nationalgovernments.

The IDCP is a voluntary but public commitment to thestrategy and practice of Cleaner Production. ThisDeclaration was launched at the 5th International High-Level Seminar on Cleaner Production, held at Phoenix


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Park, South Korea in 1998. As of September 2002, theIDCP has over 350 signatories and has been translat-ed into 15 languages.

Building National CapacitiesBuilding National Capacities

Recognising a need to set up model institutions onCleaner Production at the national level, UNIDO andUNEP launched a National Cleaner ProductionCentres (NCPC) Programme. There are now 22NCPCs set up with the assistance of various donoragencies. Many international donors, notably theSwiss Government, the International LabourOrganisation, NORAD, USAID, the World Bank, andthe Global Environment Facility (GEF) have identifiedNCPCs as highly competent partners for deliveringtheir programmes and projects on the national level.

Taking the lead from NCPC Programme, severalCleaner Production Centres (CPCs) have been set upby many countries by allocating national funds and insome cases drawing assistance of donor agencies.There is currently a global Cleaner Production networkof more than 100 CPCs operating in about 40 coun-tries. Today this network is a global alliance demon-strating a partnership among international agencies,national governments, financing and developmentalinstitutions, business associations, environmentalNGOs and academia.

Demonstrating Cleaner ProductionDemonstrating Cleaner Production

More than 1000 demonstration projects have beenlaunched to convince industrial leaders of the econom-ic and environmental benefits of Cleaner Production.Sectors where most of the demonstrations were per-formed have been textiles, pulp and paper, metal fin-ishing and tanneries.

After the success in projects such as PRISMA in theNetherlands, Landskrona in Sweden, SPURT inDenmark, AIRE/CALDER and Catalyst in the UK, etcsome trend-setting demonstration projects have beenimplemented. These include DESIRE in India (imple-mented by National Productivity Council, New Delhiwith support from UNIDO), ProduksiH in Indonesia(implemented by the BAPEDAL under support of GTZ),and SEAM in Egypt (implemented by EEAA with thesupport of DFID, UK). Multi-country demonstrationssupported by agencies such as the Asian ProductivityOrganisation (APO), Tokyo under Green ProductivityProgramme, US AID under the EP3 project, WorldEnvironment Centre (WEC) and World CleanerProduction Society (WCPS) have also been notewor-thy.

Information NetworkingInformation Networking

Cleaner Production has been one of the major themesof discussion at the regional and international arena. Amomentum to international efforts focusing on CleanerProduction was given by UNEP DTIE through its High-level Seminars on Cleaner Production. Across all theregions, several roundtables are now operated onCleaner Production. Prominent amongst these includethe National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR)in the US and the European Roundtable on CleanerProduction (ERCP). The NPPR operated a number of

P2 roundtables in the US and also in Mexico. The Asia-Pacific region has organised three Cleaner Productionroundtables. Apart from holding Cleaner Productionroundtables, the Mercosur region has proposed theformation of a Cleaner Production network. The Africanregion has initiated the regional consultation processby organising Roundtables on SustainableConsumption and Cleaner Production 2000 and 2002.Most of these roundtables are now operating websites.

The experiences of Cleaner Production networking,world-wide, catalysed several other agencies and pro-grammes to set up their own Cleaner Production net-works. Many of the themes for networking shared acommon vision to Cleaner Production. Examplesinclude the Greening of Industrial Networks,International Green Productivity Association (IGPA),O2 International Network of Sustainable Design,CDG's Latin American Network, Canadian C2P2 net-work, O2 international network of sustainable design,PREPARE for Europe etc.

UNEP DTIE developed the International CleanerProduction Information Clearinghouse (ICPIC) that hasinformation on technical and policy sources of informa-tion. Other important web-based initiatives on CleanerProduction include the International CleanerProduction Co-operative launched by USEnvironmental Protection Agency, and the websites ofEnvironment Australia, the Chinese NCPC and theCanadian Centre for Pollution Prevention.

Working in PartnershipsWorking in Partnerships

Cleaner Production is not an activity that is best donein isolation. This decade therefore witnessed a gradualmovement from individual approaches to CleanerProduction to common or collective approaches thatare based on partnerships. The partnership modelshave taken different innovative forms of collaborationamong diverse stakeholders. Consequently, there arenumerous success stories and lessons learnt.

Some of the examples of innovative partnershipsinclude the Victorian Environment Improvement PlanProgramme in Australia, the Asia-Eco-BestProgramme promoted by the EU, the WasteMinimisation Circles in India, Waste MinimisationClubs in South Africa, the UK and New Zealand, theCorporate Synergy System in Taiwan and ECOPROFIT in Austria.

Education and TrainingEducation and Training

In 1994, the UNEP Working Group on Education &Training and COMETT UETP-EEE (UniversityEnterprise Training Partnership in EnvironmentalEngineering Education) prepared an internationalinventory on Cleaner Production education activities.This inventory indicated that there was an increase inthe number of courses offering Cleaner Productionwithin economic and business curricula and that therewas an increasing trend towards introducing spe-cialised courses around Cleaner Production such aseco-balances, environmental accounting and environ-mental management. Number of technical courseswithin engineering curricula where preventive environ-mental concepts can be integrated, (e.g. courses on


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energy, combustion processes, product developmentand industrial production), had increased. The analy-ses showed that there were 119 Cleaner Productioncourses and 147 Cleaner Production training pro-grammes operated by 104 institutions across theworld. In the last decade, some institutions in Australia,Denmark, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom and theUnited States have set up Cleaner Production pro-grammes at the graduate level. There are about 50undergraduate / graduate -level Cleaner Productioneducation programmes world-wide. Similar to train-the-trainer initiatives, the International Institute for Industry,Environment and Economics (IIIEE) conceived the"Educate-the-Educators" programme to build capaci-ties of the faculty members around the world in pre-ventive environmental education. A more recent trendhas been to set up web-based resources and distanceeducation programmes related to Cleaner Production.

There has also been an emergence of professionaljournals dedicated to Cleaner Production such asJournal of Cleaner Production and Journal of IndustrialEcology. Publication houses specialising in CleanerProduction have also come about such as GreenleafPublishing. This shows increasing demand and circu-lation of Cleaner Production-related research andapplication materials.

The need for training activities in building environmen-tal awareness cannot be overstated, more so in thecase of Cleaner Production promotion. The train-the-trainer approach has been proven to be a very impor-tant strategy. One of the excellent illustrations of thisapproach is the Norwegian Cleaner ProductionCapacity Building Programme. The Programme wasinitially conducted entirely by Norwegian expertise, butwas progressively taken over by the Association ofManagers for Cleaner Production (AMCP) in theCzech Republic and by the Polish Cleaner ProductionCentre NIF-NOT in Poland. The National ProductivityCouncil in India has launched a facilitator training ini-tiative through the programme on Waste MinimisationCircles.

Technology Development and Co-operationTechnology Development and Co-operation

An upcoming impetus to the cleaner technology mar-ket is now evident due to some of the multilateral envi-ronmental agreements such as the Basel Conventionon the Control of Transboundary Movements ofHazardous Wastes (The Basel Convention); theStockholm Convention on Persistent OrganicPollutants (the POPS Convention); and the UNFramework Convention on Climate Change. Severalsectoral institutions have established initiatives to pro-mote adoption of cleaner technologies in their ownsectors by setting up business to business web sites,sponsoring technology development projects and byorganising thematic trade fairs.

Increased foreign direct investments in developingcountries have led to some cleaner technology adap-tations. Eco-labels, in particular, have been one of theprime push factors in sectors such as textiles, leathertanning, metal finishing, food and pulp and paper. Thishas fostered substitution and elimination of hazardouschemicals and processes leading to Cleaner

Production interventions along the supply-chains.

There have also been efforts on promotion of cleanertechnologies on regional bases. Examples are the AsiaPacific Centre for Technology Transfer (APCTT) inNew Delhi, the Centre for Environmentally SoundTechnology Transfer (CESTT) in China, theInternational Centre for Environmental TechnologyTransfer in Japan and the Ecolinks initiative operatedby USAID for Central Eastern European countries.

Financing Cleaner Production InvestmentsFinancing Cleaner Production Investments

One of the critical elements of the Cleaner Productionenabling framework is the existence of financial sup-port with adequate mechanisms that are designed topromote Cleaner Production-related investmentsacross various sectors. Recognising this need, a num-ber of innovative Cleaner Production financing pro-grammes have been operated in various parts of theworld. These include the NEFCO Revolving Facility setup by the Government of Norway in Russia, Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia that has documentedconsiderable success. In the Latin andCaribbean Region, the MultilateralInvestment Fund (MIF) has recently intro-duced a major cluster financing pro-gramme on achieving ecoefficiencythrough Cleaner Production andEnvironmental Management.

The United States has demonstrated themost innovation and maturity in its finan-cial sector. Several states in the US havepollution prevention, recycling, or revolving loan fundprogrammes. Examples are the P2 Loan programmeof Ohio State that targets small-to medium-sized busi-nesses, the RENEW Loan Programme in Coloradothat emphasises waste recycling or the NebraskaDollar and Energy Saving Loan programme that pro-motes small projects for "turning pollution preventionand energy efficiency into corporate assets".

In the last decade, development financing institutionssuch as the World Bank have set up several CleanerProduction-related Technical Assistance and FinancingProgrammes. Notable among these are the IndustrialPollution Control and Prevention Project (IPPP) of theWorld Bank in India, the Industrial Pollution ControlProject in Brazil and in China. The World Bank publi-cation, the Pollution Prevention Abatement Handbook- Towards Cleaner Production is used by severalfinancing institutions today, to assist in project apprais-al.

There are however, still a substantial segment ofextremely small businesses and entrepreneurs who failto qualify for these institutional mechanisms. Torespond to such a need, the UNEP DTIE started a four-year project in 1999 on Cleaner Production Financing.This project aims at increasing investments in CleanerProduction in developing countries by helping leadersat financial institutions understand the importance ofCleaner Production and by helping Cleaner Productionexperts develop creditworthy investment proposals.The project, focusing on five demonstration countries -Guatemala, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Vietnam andZimbabwe - operates under a trust fund created by the


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Norwegian government. The results obtained and les-sons learned in the demonstration countries will beused at the global level to motivate key decision-mak-ers in the financial sector to pursue Cleaner Productioninvestments in developing countries.

Development of Cleaner Production-orientedDevelopment of Cleaner Production-orientedPolicies and StrategiesPolicies and Strategies

A number of countries have made progress, albeit tovarying extent, in applying a mix of instruments for pro-moting Cleaner Production. Markets have startedinfluencing both production and consumption by build-ing awareness through eco-labels, establishing envi-ronmental and social codes for products throughoutthe supply-chain and by developing and implementingenvironmental management systems. This has provid-ed an overreaching framework for a more integratedapproach to Cleaner Production, encompassingprocess, product, services and consumption.

More recently, countries mainly in the North Atlantic(notably the US), the European Union (EU) region(notably Denmark, Netherlands, and Spain), Norwayand Australia have placed an emphasis on reformingthe legislative framework, stressing the promotion andrecognition of voluntary instruments - especiallyCleaner Production. The European Union has alreadyestablished the Industrial Pollution Prevention andControl (IPPC) Directive and many of its memberstates are in the process of aligning their nationalCleaner Production-related policies and strategies withthe IPPC.

One of the steps taken in the EU to increase the focusof Cleaner Production on products and related mar-kets, was the development of an Integrated ProductPolicy (IPP) Some EU Member States have alreadydeveloped, or are developing Environmental ProductPolicy (EPP) frameworks. The leading countries, thusfar, are The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austriaand Germany. EPPs are also beginning to emerge incountries such as Belgium, the United Kingdom,Finland, Italy and the U.S.

On the supply-side, the leading countrieshave developed a number of measures toencourage eco-product development, suchas the product-oriented environmental man-agement systems (POEMS) in TheNetherlands, eco-design grants and awardsand product take back and recycling

requirements. These countries are also developingdemand-side tools, such as eco-labels, product taxesand green product public procurement policies. Themost advanced are also exploring multi-stakeholderdialogue tools (such as Product Panels in theDenmark) to bring both sides together to work towardgreener products.

One of the publicly developed and discussed illustra-tions of a national Cleaner Production strategy is thatof Australia and of the Czech Republic. Chile andColumbia provide good illustrations of CleanerProduction-related policies in the Latin and Caribbeanregion. The Asian Development Bank is supporting

several Regional Environmental Technical AssistanceProgrammes for the Promotion of Cleaner ProductionPolicies and Practices in Selected Developing MemberCountries. Cleaner Production strategies are not limit-ed within the national networks. The Asia-PacificEconomic Co-operation (APEC) formally adopted aCleaner Production strategy in 1997.

Findings of the Regional OverviewFindings of the Regional Overview

There are differences in the adoption of CleanerProduction in various regions of the world, given thedifferences in the social, economic and political sys-tems. For instance, there are regions where CleanerProduction is already being mainstreamed into thenational policy and regulatory framework, while thereare regions or countries where Cleaner Production isstill in the initial stages of development.

The regional overview reveals a disconnect betweenthe achievements made in Cleaner Production and theexisting situation of the enabling environment. In someregions, for instance, the enablingenvironment is rather weak and isplagued with significant barriers whileat the same time, many CleanerProduction-related initiatives arereported. It may be therefore conclud-ed that the Cleaner Production sectoris still not matured across the regionand/or the Cleaner Production interventions are lessmainstreamed or strategic and are limited toproject/programme level interventions. This observa-tion is applicable to Africa, Asia-Pacific, Centre andEastern Europe (CEE) and Latin and Caribbean (LAC)regions. For regions such as the European Union andthe North Atlantic (NA), such a disconnect is notobserved and the interrelationship between theenabling environment and the accomplishments inCleaner Production seem to be rather well structuredand harmonious. More research is required into theenabling environment, and its influence on CleanerProduction promotion in the different regions needscareful assessment.

The regional review also shows differences in the con-text and opportunities for accelerating the implementa-tion of Cleaner Production. The drivers for CleanerProduction implementation are indeed different.Cleaner Production activities should focus on identify-ing key drivers that will enable greater penetration. It isimportant to understand that these drivers may differfor each region, and this must be factored into process-es for developing region-specific Cleaner Productionaction plans.

The global market for environmental technologies andservices differs in the diverse regions and by composi-tion is still influenced by end-of-the-pipe treatmenttechnologies. By 2008, it is estimated that the US andEU countries will have nearly 70% of the global marketshare. If Cleaner Production is to be promoted aroundthe world, then the market must shift and change incomposition, promoting Cleaner Production solutionsahead of end-of-the-pipe approaches. This will requirecreation of enabling environments in all regions of theworld.


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The African region needs to focus more on the agricul-tural and natural resource management sectors, inte-grating health and safety in the Cleaner Productionapproach and stressing the interrelationships betweenCleaner Production and Sustainable Consumption.The Asia-Pacific region needs to focus on supply-chainmodels to influence Cleaner Production in the SMEsand take up the infrastructure and service sectors aspriority sectors for Cleaner Production interventions.There is also a need in the Asia-Pacific region to con-vince the national governments towards mainstream-ing Cleaner Production in their policies and regula-tions. The LAC region can be an excellent pilot todemonstrate relationships between CleanerProduction and the MEAs, given the commitments toMEAs in the region and the strong presence of region-al trade associations. There is a great need however,to build Cleaner Production skills in this region. TheCEE region has taken a lead in Cleaner Productionfinancing and mainstreaming Cleaner Production inpolicy and regulations and it is important that the expe-riences are shared with other regions. Energy efficien-cy seems to be the principle-driving concept in theCEE countries. The EU and NA regions have played akey role in initiating and developing the CleanerProduction concept and in promoting its implementa-tion around the world through Overseas DevelopmentAssistance (ODA). It is therefore important that ODAmoves to more strategic interventions on CleanerProduction rather than continuing to provide assis-tance on a project-by-project basis. There are alreadysigns of such changes. Finally, the private sector,financing institutions and communities seem to be dis-tanced from the global Cleaner Production network.Efforts are needed to widen the network and establishmulti-level partnerships with these important stake-holders.

What should be done?What should be done?

Despite the progress made in the last decade, onCleaner Production, much more still remains to bedone. In the last decade, several strategies have beendeployed to overcome some of the barriers. However,not all strategies have worked and some issues stillremain to be resolved. Indeed, some of these issuesare not new; and have been discussed in conferencesand workshops around the global Cleaner Productionnetwork. Nevertheless, these issues are critical andmust be addressed if Cleaner Production is to bestrengthened, mainstreamed and maintained.

Products and services form a critical link betweenCleaner Production and Sustainable Consumption. Ifthese two concepts are to be strengthened, then thereis a need to acknowledge this link by expanding thescope of Cleaner Production in practice to includeSustainable Consumption. A formal integrationbetween Cleaner Production and SustainableConsumption may provide a concurrent frameworkthat guides producers and consumer behaviour onlines more aligned with the long-term objectives ofsustainable development. Both the MalmöDeclaration and the Millennium Summit endorse sucha concurrent framework.

Cleaner Production has helped inspire implementationof preventive thinking. The all-pervasive nature of

Cleaner Production has enabled a wider disseminationof its core message across the world, albeit in multipleforms, depending on local interpretation. But in doingso, Cleaner Production promoters did not establish aformal Cleaner Production system, or a common stan-dard approach. Given the establishment of severalother overlapping and competing programmes, sys-tems and strategies today, the discrete potentials ofCleaner Production still remain unclear. CleanerProduction promoters must establish, documentand communicate the Cleaner Production imple-mentation principles and processes that can becommonly understood and applied across all sec-tors and by all stakeholders.

It is critical to strengthen the glob-al standing of Cleaner Production,by driving it through overarchingpolicies and agreements that areendorsed internationally. TheIDCP has been an excellent steptowards obtaining the commitment

of a large number of stakeholders at various levelsincluding national governments on Cleaner Production.The implementation guidelines brought out by UNEPare the first step towards drawing up a plan to activelyfacilitate the implementation of the IDCP. In suchefforts, it may be strategic to establish a synergybetween Cleaner Production and implementationof various Multi-lateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs) at the national level. The key needs aretherefore, to move towards more synergy and mobili-sation between national and regional implementingand co-ordinating agencies for MEAs and the CleanerProduction network world-wide.

The establishment and operation of CPCs/NCPCs hasbeen one of the major steps for facilitating dissemina-tion and implementation of Cleaner Production in thelast decade, and demonstrates a true capacity buildingand partnership approach. It is important to expandthe vision and agenda of the CPCs/NCPCs and toequip them with skills to run the Centres likeStrategic Business Units and for them to establishmodels and approaches for future CPCs/NCPCs tofollow. To achieve this objective, the CPCs/NCPCsmust be adequately positioned to mainstream CleanerProduction in national policies and regulatory frame-work. In addition, it is necessary that CPCs/NCPCsoperate in close partnerships with the financing institu-tions, technology development agencies and con-sumer based environmental NGOs. CPCs/NCPCsshould focus now on the expanded vision ofCleaner Production that links explicitly withSustainable Consumption. CPCs/NCPCs shouldalso start playing a proactive role in assisting localand national governments, businesses and com-munities to implement the various MEAs.

The concept of Cleaner Production germinated in themanufacturing sector. Given the global shift ofeconomies to services and infrastructure, there isnow a need for a corresponding shift in CleanerProduction focus as well. While this has beenachieved to some extent in the hospitality sector, muchwork still needs to be done in other sectors, especiallythose engaged in natural resource management, serv-ices and infrastructure.


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The potential of Cleaner Production has been provenbeyond any doubt via demonstration projects indiverse industrial sectors. Despite their good intent, themultiplier effect of demonstrations has been very poor.Again, in most of the cases, demonstration projects areunderstood more as demonstrations of equipment ortechnology, not of methods and management systemsor innovative partnership. It is important to trans-form the character, scope and mechanism ofdemonstration projects to foster multiplication.Focus should be on systems and on life cyclethinking, and not merely on technical retrofitting.

Information exchange is important and several suchinitiatives have been taken world-wide through diverseinformation clearinghouses. However, most of theseinformation clearinghouses have been supply drivenand little work has been done to actually assess and tostimulate the information demand related to CleanerProduction. The quality and depth of content ofCleaner Production information clearinghouses insome cases could be questionable. Most informationdatabases have tended to restrict themselves to themanufacturing sector and its needs. Information com-pilation must address issues of sustainable consump-tion; as the links with sectors such as services andinfrastructure, and resource management runs verydeep. Future, Cleaner Production information net-works will have to move from information to knowl-edge, and support field-based counselling units,especially to meet the needs of the SMEs. Networksshould not remain mere conduits of generic informa-tion; there is a need to offer customised assistance toindividual stakeholders, as a value addition on theinformation provided. Including local CleanerProduction expertise into networks thus becomesessential.

A fair amount of economic activities related to small-scale manufacturing and services are rural. Theseactivities are critical from the protection and manage-ment of natural resources as well as to sustain liveli-hoods of the rural communities. This aspect, however,has tended to get overlooked, in most CleanerProduction initiatives. Cleaner Production appearsmore as an urban affair. Rural innovation, in agricul-ture, dairy farming, mining, forestry and fisheriesare still vibrant traditions in many regions andmust to be fostered by strategic CleanerProduction interventions. There are also innova-tions made in recycling and reuse of wastes inurban areas, particularly in the informal sector thatwarrant some attention. Indigenous innovations arethe most sustainable as they best address local situa-tions and in turn may be closely linked with sustainableconsumption patterns.

Consumer health and safety remain under-addressedissues in many developing countries. CleanerProduction could provide an excellent platform toaddress minimisation of health and safety-relatedrisks while meeting the market demands of codesof conduct, brands and eco-labels. Here the con-sumer interest organisations, trade unions and localgoverning authorities could play vital roles in demon-

strating the economic and environmental benefits ofCleaner Production approaches.

SMEs are the mainstay of many of the regionaleconomies where there is a need to initiate technologydevelopment and co-operation. In this regard, sup-ply-chain based approaches may be more usefulas they are driven through economy and competi-tion, and will help to ensure participation of medi-um and large scale enterprises and can be moreintricately linked with trade, health and safety.

Private sector participation is a key element, andmust be exploited for greater outreach across sec-tors, as well as in building multiplier effect ofCleaner Production. Trade fairs can be influentialavenues for information exchange and interactionsbetween people of diverse expertise, and have con-ventionally under-emphasised Cleaner Production,despite its relevance in the promotion of technologythat is resource, or energy efficient. The business tobusiness (B2B) interactions in Cleaner Productionmust be catalysed to both widen and deepen theCleaner Production market. This may lead to increasedCleaner Production-related consulting, and engage-ment of performance related contracts.

Cleaner Production as such does not fit neatly into anyone educational discipline. As a foundation to main-stream Cleaner Production and to ensure that itinfluences all the stakeholders, inclusion ofCleaner Production concepts is necessary in allforms of education. Unlike demonstration projectsand industry based awareness programmes, CleanerProduction training in universities has traditionallyreceived little investment from multilateral or interna-tional aid agencies. Further, these courses are current-ly developed and supported entirely by the university,with little or no involvement of local NCPCs or anyother facilitating organisation.

The institutionalisation of Cleaner Production must beformalised through education, and development ofspecific training programmes culminating in certifica-tion, to build a credible accredited pool of CleanerProduction expertise. A Cleaner ProductionCertification will provide a strong boost to developing amature market for Cleaner Production. CleanerProduction implementation would be accelerated ifit were stressed through the national policy frame-work, as in the case of mandatory CleanerProduction assessments for critical aspects ofappraisal and risk analyses.

Most financing activities have somehow not focusedon widening outreach to small enterprises, servicesand local utilities, perhaps due to the high credit risksinvolved. Private sector participation in CleanerProduction-related financing is rather low and mostfund streams are donor driven. Further, CleanerProduction must to be integrated in the standardproject appraisal process as well as in the riskmanagement framework when it comes to retro-spective financing or operation of cluster loans.

Programmes of financial assistance should be refo-cused to emphasise technology uptake and building oflocal capacity. Cleaner Production is indeed an initia-tive that is best promoted in partnerships. In the last


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decade, a commonly established partnership forCleaner Production promotion has been between gov-ernment-donor agencies and businesses. Many ofthese partnerships have, however, been limited to pro-grammes or projects, and usually whither away on thewithdrawal of, donor support. It is critical that webuild local level multi-stakeholder partnershipsthat can promote Cleaner Production on a self-sus-taining basis. The increased role of the private sec-tor and the community is necessary to ensure'ownership' and on-going support of integrative,multi-stakeholder Cleaner Production implementa-tion programmes.

Much of the experience in Cleaner Production imple-mentation has been in existing or given situations, tofind means to improve environmental and economicperformance through optimisation,modernisation/expansion or reengineering/reorienta-tion. Cleaner Production has been relatively less usedin developing land-use related and operational plansfor guiding project siting and development, deciding onnatural resource extraction or building infrastructure tosupport mobility, energy supply and human settle-ments. If Cleaner Production is to influence futuredevelopment, and then it is necessary that CleanerProduction principles be explicitly integrated intoplanning and related anticipatory environmentalmanagement tools.

At the policy level, the presence of subsidies onnatural resource extraction, as well as poor leg-islative enforcement will continue to hinderCleaner Production absorption. Strategic interven-tions at the policy level must be made to enable greatersuccess of Cleaner Production promotion. In the pastfew years, focus has been placed on the formulation ofnational policies and strategies, and the orientation ofregulatory frameworks for promotion of CleanerProduction. Here, experiences from countries andregions such as Columbia and Chile, EU, the CzechRepublic and Australia have been encouraging. Theuse of innovative policy instruments and a mix of regu-lation have been evolving but these initiatives arerestricted to developed economies. It is important thatthese initiatives are further documented and appliedwithin other developing countries.

Finally, many of the strategic interventions describedabove are interrelated and should not be independent-ly considered. To develop and implement a CleanerProduction action plan, it will be necessary to establisha situation specific operational framework by involvingstakeholders, identifying needed pre-requisites andovercoming barriers.

An expanded charter of Cleaner Production along withSustainable Consumption will perhaps show the way -by obtaining commitments at all levels and by estab-lishing new partnerships between government, busi-ness and communities - to take forward the agenda ofsustainable development.

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ABOUT UNEP’S DIVISION OF ABOUT UNEP’S DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY, INDUSTRY AND ECONOMICSTECHNOLOGY, INDUSTRY AND ECONOMICS

The mission of the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry andEconomics (UNEP DTIE) is to help decision-makers in govern-ment, local authorities, and industry develop and adopt policiesand practices that: are cleaner and safer; make efficient use ofnatural resources; ensure adequate management of chemicals;incorporate environmental costs; and reduce pollution and risksfor humans and the environment.

UNEP DTIE, with its head office in Paris, is composed of onecentre and four branches. It focuses on raising awareness,improving the transfer of information, building capacity, foster-ing technology co-operation, partnerships and transfer, improv-ing understanding of environmental impacts of trade issues,promoting integration of environmental considerations into eco-nomic policies, and catalyzing global chemical safety.

ABOUT THE ABOUT THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION BRANCHPRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION BRANCH

The Production and Consumption Branch works with interna-tional agencies, industry associations, and institutes to promoteglobal awareness and understanding of sustainable productionand consumption by: - addressing key industry sectors with high environmental and

safety impacts; - assisting environmentally sound technology transfer through

information exchange, capacity building, and the development ofsound environmental management procedures in industry; - ensuring the integration and co-ordinated implementation of

industrial issues in environmental conventions and agreements;and - establishing and maintaining international expert networks andlinking with technical and policy bodies in key industry sectors.

www.uneptie.org/pc

UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

39-43 quai André Citroën75739 Paris - Cedex 15, FRANCETel: +33 1 44 37 14 50Fax: +33 1 44 37 14 74E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.uneptie.org

www.unep.orgUnited Nations Environment Programme

P.O. Box 30552 Nairobi, KenyaTel : (254 02) 621234Fax : (254 02) 623927

Email : [email protected]: www.unep.org

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