A fact sheet on the (EP3) mission in Santiago, Chile.
The Environmental Pollution Prevention Project is a five-year program sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address urban and industrial pollution and environmental quality in developing countries. The objectives of the EP3 program are:
The three-year EP3 program in Chile began in September 1993 and is well into its second year. It operates along a fundamentally market-based principle: to simultaneously develop the supply of and demand for pollution prevention knowledge, expertise, and technology. To meet this objective, EP# connects U.S. suppliers of industrial and pollution prevention expertise to the demand for this expertise in Chile with the long-term objective of developing local pollution prevention capability.
EP3/Chile was launched through a cooperative agreement with the American-Chilean Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM). While EP3 initially operated out of AMCHAM, the project has now established an independent office to house the EP3 Pollution Prevention Center. The EP3/Chile steering committee consists of representatives from AMCHAM, USAID/Chile, and EP3. The relationship with AMCHAM has given EP3 insights into the local economy, business practices, and political sensitivities. Furthermore, AMCHAM provides a credible forum through which to disseminate pollution prevention success stories. Over the long term, this relationship with AMCHAM will be instrumental in promoting EP3's goal of sustainability in Chile because it provides a local base from which to launch pollution prevention business activities once the nascent market has been developed.
As with all EP3 country programs, hiring and training local staff are essential for developing a supply of knowledgeable pollution prevention experts in Chile. The EP3/Chile in-country director is a highly experienced Chilean engineer who was brought into the program through AMCHAM. In-country pollution prevention expertise has been expanded by significantly involving local consultants and consulting firms in EP3 activities. There is currently a group of 16 consultants involved in the EP3 program who provide a wide range of services and are being encouraged to begin including pollution prevention concepts in their existing business activities. The success of this activity is reflected in the fact that by the end of the first year, three different Chilean full-service consulting companies had begun.
In addition to AMCHAM's activities in support of the project, EP3/Chile involves specific trade associations, universities, and NGOs to help disseminate information about pollution prevention opportunities and services. While access to the Washington-based EP3 clearinghouse is available through a number of avenues, a major component of the project is developing the local means to access pollution prevention information beyond EP3. to accomplish this, EP3 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Centro de Investigacion y Planificacion del Medio Ambiente (CIPMA) in August 1994. CIPMA is an environmental information center that already provided information to industry and academia through its main office in Santiago and through eight regional network nodes that effectively service the major industrial and urban areas of the country. CIPMA also organizes a prestigious annual conference for environmental technology an information, which EP3 plans to participate in next fall.
One of the key components of the EP3 program is conducting facility ssessments to identify pollution prevention opportunities at participating facilities and make recommendations for measures to achieve pollution prevention. The pollution prevention diagnostic assessments are conducted by a team of experts which generally consists of a U.S. industry expert with several years of experience in the industry, a pollution prevention specialist who is responsible for "guiding" the team, and two or more local consultants who receive "on-the-job" training so that they will be able to carry out these assessments on their own. During the assessments, the EP3 team looks at discrete operational unit opportunities in pollution industries, works closely with plant managers to establish baseline measures, recommends financially attractive measures, and in a final report recommends measures for documenting improvements. The final report is delivered to the facility in Spanish.
Sixteen facilities have already received assessments in Chile including textiles, leather tanning, printing, paint processing, metal finishing, and meat slaughtering and processing facilities.
In 1995, assessments are planned in the chemical manufacturing, mining/ore concentration, and food processing sectors. In addition, EP3/Chile will move into the urban sector with pollution prevention assessments in hospitals, clinics, and hotels. Key achievements from the assessments conducted to date in Chile are given in Figure 1.
During the first year of the Chilean program, it became clear that simply conducting an assessment was not sufficient to ensure the implementation of the recommendations. Therefore, every facility receiving an EP3 pollution prevention assessment in Chile also receives follow-up implementation assistance for a full year or until the recommendations are completed. Consultants are scheduled to visit the facility at least once each month, with the first visit focused on developing an implementation plan for all recommendations resulting from the EP3 assessment. This approach not only provides the facility with needed support, but also provides training in developing and following an implementation plan, including managing the obstacles that implementation presents.
Problem: Chrome is an industry standard for tanning cattle hides. After the hides are washed, they are placed in a solution of salt and acid followed by the chrome tanning agent. When tanning is complete, the leather is washed, producing a wastewater that contains chrome. While chromium is a valuable raw material in the tanning process, it is a toxic substance in drinking water.
Last Updated: January 16, 1996