ECOEFFICIENCY, POLLUTION PREVENTION TECHNOLOGIES, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

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ECO-EFFICIENCY, POLLUTION PREVENTION
TECHNOLOGIES, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, LIFE CYCLE
ASSESSMENT

• ENVE 406
• 20 April, 2001

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ECO-EFICIENCY

• There is wide acceptance that economic growth
  should be in line with the principles of
  sustainable development progress which meets
  the needs of the present without compromising the
  ability of future generations to meet their own
  needs.
• Sustainable development incorporates
  consideration of the needs of growing
  populations, the need for human prosperity and
  equity, as well as the need to conserve and pass
  on adequate environmental goods and services to
  future generations.
• As a concept eco-efficiency provides a way of
  thinking about breaking the nexus between
  economic activity and environmental impacts, and
  therefore achieving sustainable development. 

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• The World Business Council for Sustainable
  Development (WBCSD) has described eco-efficiency
  as 'the business contribution to sustainable
  development'. 
• By bringing together environmental and economic
  goals, eco-efficiency is an essential element,
  but not the whole, of sustainable development.
• Business can make measurable improvements to
  their eco-efficiency through performance
  objectives such as reducing the energy and
  materials intensity of goods and services per
  product produced.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY
Eco-efficiency is the efficiency with which
ecological resources are used to meet human needs.
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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• TOOLS OF ECO-EFFICIENCY
• Cleaner production (CP),
• Life cycle assessment (LCA),
• Pollution prevention (PP).
• Environmental management systems.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Eco-efficiency improvements can take several
  forms
• Adoption of existing better practices and
  technology can improve environmental performance
  and increase profits or reduce costs,
• Development of new practices and technology can
  also improve both environmental and economic
  performance,
• Responses to changes in market conditions can
  improve eco-efficiency. Increased competition,
  resource constraints or price changes can make it
  profitable for firms to shift towards more
  eco-efficient technology and practices.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ECO-EFFICIENCY
• Developing indicators and goals,
• Working towards the goals through a process of
  innovation in technology, modes of organization
  and ways of thinking,
• Monitoring the indicators and modifying the
  strategy if necessary.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Business initiatives,
• Initiatives in agriculture,
• Initiative in services,
• Initiatives in local government.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• 1. BUSINESS INITIATIVES
• WBCSD states that eco-efficiency is reached by
• The delivery of competitively-priced goods and
  services,
• That satisfy human needs and bring quality of
  life,
• While progressively reducing ecological impacts
  and resource intensity throughout the life-cycle,
• To a level at least in line with the earths
  estimated carrying capacity.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• 1. BUSINESS INITIATIVES (Contd)
• Indicators and Targets
• WBCSD identifies seven eco-efficiency criteria
  for firms
• Minimize the material intensity of goods and
  services,
• Minimize the energy intensity of goods and
  services,
• Minimize toxic dispersion,
• Enhance material recyclability,
• Maximize the use of renewable resources,
• Extend product durability,
• Increase the service intensity of goods and
  services.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• 1. BUSINESS INITIATIVES (Contd)
• Changes in Production Process
• Innovation in production process tends to focus
  on reducing the use of expensive inputs-in
  particular labor. Spending on energy and raw
  materials is a small component of overall costs
  for most industries, giving little incentive to
  reduce waste.
• Nevertheless, several major companies have made
  efforts to do so. For example, Dows Waste
  Reduction Always Pays (WARP) and 3Ms Pollution
  Prevention Pays (3P) program.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• 1. BUSINESS INITIATIVES (Contd)
• Product innovations
• Numerous innovations have demonstrated the
  potential to improve the eco-efficiency of
  products including cars, houses, refrigerators
  and televisions.
• 2. INITIATIVES IN PRODUCTION SECTOR
• Agriculture is an example.Eco-efficiency
  improvements in agriculture can come both from
  radical shifts in farm practices, such as the use
  of natural predators for pest control, and from
  the introduction of improved plant and livestock
  varieties.
• 3. INITIATIVES IN SERVICE SECTOR
• Eco-efficiency improvements are less common due
  to less environmental impacts in this sector.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN ENCOURAGING INITIATIVES BY
  FIRMS AND COMMUNITIES
• A major tasks for governments is to enhance the
  consistency of efforts at the firm and household
  level, by establishing a policy framework that
  reduces the gap between private and social aims.
• Government incentives and support can increase
  the potential for improving eco-efficiency at the
  level of the firm.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Economy-wide improvements in eco-effiency depend
  on the policy framework established by
  government, including
• Ensuring that economic incentives are coherent
  and consistent. This entails reform of subsidies
  and tax incentives that support polluting or
  resource-insentive activities.
• Internalising environmental damage costs wherever
  possible, whether through price or regulatory
  instruments,
• Developing policies in areas including land-use
  planning, education, and technological
  innovation, that support the aim of improving
  eco-efficiency.

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Role of national government icludes
• Subsidy and regulatory reform,
• Eco-taxes,
• Rights and liabilities,
• Regulations, standards and voluntary
  eco-efficiency improvements,
• Physical infrastrucute (i.e., transport and
  communication networks)
• Information and education
• Motivation to improve eco-efficiecy may come from
  knowledge of the dangers and costs of
  eco-inefficient production and consumption, amd
  from shared social and ultural goals of
  sustainabiliy,

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Opportunities to improve eco-efficiency are no
  use unless individuals are aware of them
  meawhile, education that encourages creativity
  and initiateive may enable citizens to identify
  new opportunites,
• The ability to take opportunities may depend on
  individuals degree of technical and social
  competence, self-awareness, and understanding of
  the implications of the options available.

• Monitoring and assessing progress,
• It is often difficult to establish how effective
  a policy has been
• Responses to any policy changes, including price
  changes, are hard to distinguish from the effect
  of other influences,

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ECO-EFFICIENCY

• Obstacles to improve eco-efficiency
• Cost of new technologies,
• The current system of alliances among
  stakeholders that tends to preserve the status
  quo,
• The presence of market and intervention failures
  and inefficiencies,
• Inefficient communication within and among firms.

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Web Sites

• UNEP
• http//www.unepie.org/Cp2/home.html
• EPA
• http//www.epa.vic.gov.au/cleanprod/default.htm
• Environment Australia
• http//www.environment.gov.au/epg/environet/eecp

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CLEANER PRODUCTION (CP)

• Cleaner production is the continuous application
  of an integrated preventive environmental
  strategy applied to processes, products and
  services to increase overall efficiency and
  reduce risks to humans and the environment .
  (UNEP)
• Production processes conserving raw materials
  and energy, eliminating toxic raw materials and
  reducing the quantity and toxicity of all
  emissions and wastes.
• Products reducing negative impacts along the
  life cycle of a product, from raw materials
  extraction to its ultimate disposal.
• Services incorporating environmental concerns
  into designing and delivering services

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CLEANER PRODUCTION (CP)

• Aim of the cleaner production
• to prevent or minimize waste generation,
• to minimize the use of raw material, water and
  energy in the process.
• So as to achieve Sustainable Production.
• Basic principles of cleaner production are
• consideration of preventive actions to
  management of pollution rather than end-of-pipe
  solutions,
• minimizing waste generation by minimizing the use
  of raw material and energy,
• innovative technologies that provides optimum use
  of natural resources.

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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

• Sometimes referred to as "cradle to grave"
  assessment, life cycle assessment (LCA) provides
  a systematic approach to measuring resource
  consumption and environmental releases (to air,
  water and soil) associated with products,
  processes and services.
•   LCA can be a powerful tool for making decisions
  about alternative products and technologies used
  for cleaner production
•  

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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

• the LCA approach, an organisation can 
• improve its understanding of products and
  processes
• establish a comprehensive baseline of data on a
  system's performance
• compare environmental impacts and economic costs
  of alternative products, technologies or
  practises
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• identify points within a system's life cycle
  where the greatest reduction in resource
  requirements and emissions can be achieved
• evaluate waste management options to reduce
  pollution and waste management costs, and guide
  the development of new products with lower
  environmental impacts and cost benefitsiii and
• redesign products to reduce their material
  intensity. 

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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

• Drawbacks
• It requires specific and well researched
  information to establish baseline environmental
  impact data for even basic raw materials, and can
  thus be extremely resource intensive. 
• the environmental impacts of raw material
  extraction and production processes may vary from
  country to country, and even from region to
  region.  For example, the impacts of extracting
  one tonne of coal in Australia differ from those
  in the USA, because of different mining and
  transport techniques and technologies, and also a
  different environment. 
• Another drawback is that subjective assessments
  need to be made regarding the relative weightings
  that emissions should be given.