Fact Sheet: Environmental Pollution Prevention Project (EP3)

A fact sheet about the Environmental Pollution Prevention Project (EP3).

About the Project

Why Pollution Prevention?

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries have led to severe pollution: water that is unfit for drinking or bathing, extreme levels of air contamination, and growing quantities of municipal and hazardous wastes that are disposed improperly. Initial efforts to manage urban and industrial pollution have concentrated on "end-of-pipe" treatment which, in many cases, is not only costly but ultimately unsustainable. This is especially true in developing countries where additional pollution treatment would divert ever larger amounts of scare resources from economic development.

Experience in the United States and other countries has demonstrated that in the long run, pollution prevention through waste minimization and cleaner production is more cost-effective and environmentally sound than traditional pollution control methods. Pollution prevention techniques apply to any manufacturing process, and range from relatively easy operational changes and good housekeeping practices to more extensive changes such as the substitution of toxic substances, the implementation of clean technology, and the installation of state-of-the-art recovery equipment. Pollution prevention can improve plant efficiency, enhance the quality and quantity of natural resources for production, and make it possible to invest more financial resources in economic development.

What is EP3?

The Environmental Pollution Prevention Project (EP3) 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 program are:

EP3 was launched in spring 1993 and utilizes three principal resources: a contract with RCG/Hagler Bailly, Inc. and 16 subcontractors, a cooperative agreement with the Water Environment Federation, and an interagency agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Activities in developing countries are initiated through buy-in agreements with USAID country missions. The first country to host EP3 activities was Chile, where an EP3 office was established in fall 1993. Since then, EP3 operations have begun in Tunisia, Egypt, Ecuador and Indonesia. EP3 offices in each country develop partnerships with environmental non-government organizations, government agencies, and industry associations.

Assessment Process

Planning

Assessment

Implementation

Planning the Assessment:

During the planning phase, EP3 determines the facility's suitability for a pollution prevention assessment. If it is suitable, EP3 enters into an agreement with the company to carry out a pollution prevention program. Following this, local EP3 staff collect the data necessary to establish an effluent and production baseline. EP3 uses this information to identify appropriate U.S. and local experts and helps them prepare for the assessment.

Assessment:

During the assessment, a team of U.S. and local experts in both pollution prevention and the facility's industrial process conducts a facility walkthrough to gather detailed information on the sources of pollution. The team then analyzes the findings, identifies opportunities for reducing pollution, and presents these findings in a report to the facility's management. The report typically will include cost savings, implementation costs, and payback times for each pollution prevention opportunity. The assessment generally takes one week to complete.

Implementation:

In this phase, EP3 in-country representatives work with the facility to implement the actions recommended in the assessment report. For example, EP3 can help develop measurement and tracking mechanisms, identify equipment vendors, troubleshoot problems, and assist with staff training. EP3 asks that the facility measure their cost savings, reductions in pollution, and improvements in product quality.

Training Activities

To support the goal of creating sustainable programs in host countries, EP3 emphasizes training in a variety of areas that facilitate the incorporation of pollution prevention into the way companies do business. These areas range from general training ("Pollution Prevention 101") to the "how-tos" of conducting a pollution prevention assessment, including measurement techniques and financial analysis of pollution prevention opportunities. A key responsibility of all the U.S. experts EP3 sends on an assessment is to transfer their expertise to the local staff and consultants. EP3 is expanding these training activities and conducting formal training workshops and seminars in countries to disseminate knowledge about pollution prevention and clean technologies. To facilitate this process, EP3 has developed training manuals and is translating them into host country languages.

General Pollution Prevention Training:

EP3 provides general pollution prevention training in a variety of settings. This training is used to introduce the local staff to the full range of pollution prevention methodologies. It is also used to communicate to industry, government, and academia the importance and benefits of pollution prevention. The end result of such introductory training is the development of demand for pollution prevention services.

Train-the-Trainer:

To develop the supply of individuals with the knowledge and ability to train others on pollution prevention in their home countries, EP3 held a pollution prevention "train-the-trainer" course in Washington, D.C. in May 1994. The course was attended by EP3 staff, consultants, government representatives, and university professors from Chile, Egypt, Ecuador, and Tunisia. In addition, representatives from Argentina, India, Kenya, the World Bank, and the United Nations Environment Program attended the course. The objective of this week-long course was to introduce "trainers" in these countries to pollution prevention concepts and interactive training techniques. Following the course, these individuals returned to their countries equipped to incorporate pollution prevention into existing environmental training courses or offer similar training. Several consultants who have worked with the EP3 program in Chile and attended the course have held successful "for-pay" training sessions as a result of attending this course. The EP3/Tunisia office also held a "train-the-trainer" session based on the Washington model. The response was so positive that EP3/Tunisia is planning another session.

Assessment Training:

To develop in-country pollution prevention technical expertise, EP3 relies on "on-the-job" training for local staff and consultants. While performing an assessment, U.S. pollution prevention experts train local engineers in the techniques of pollution prevention. The trainees are part of the team and are required to perform various tasks during the assessment and assist in writing the report. As a result of this training, local engineers will develop the skills necessary to provide pollution prevention services after EP3 has ended.

Clearinghouse Activities

A major component of EP3 is an information clearinghouse that was established to provide EP3 country programs with one easily accessible source of information on pollution prevention. The EP3 headquarters (HQ) clearinghouse is the project's information source and distribution point. The clearinghouse's catalogue includes approximately 1,000 items focusing on industry-specific applications of pollution prevention techniques. Through its linkage with INFOTERRA/USA, the HQ clearinghouse has access to several hundred databases, United States Environmental Protection Agency documents, and many other information sources.

The HQ clearinghouse responds to requests for pollution prevention information from industrial facilities and governments in EP3 countries and from USAID missions throughout the world. In addition to the HQ clearinghouse in Washington, D.C., clearinghouses have been established in Tunisia, Chile, and Ecuador, and are in the process of being set up in Egypt and Indonesia. The HQ clearinghouse is linked via Internet with its counterparts in Tunisia, Chile, and Ecuador. Plans are underway to create similar linkages with the other EP3 country clearinghouses.

For More Information Contact:

EP3 Headquarters Clearinghouse
RCG/Hagler Bailly Inc.
1530 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 900
Arlington, VA 22209-2406 USA
Tel: +1(703) 351-4004
Fax: +1(703) 351-6166
Internet: apenderg@habaco.com

EP3 Clearinghouse in Tunisia
RCG/Hagler Bailly/EP3 Project
75 Ave. Mohamed V, 4th Floor
1002 Tunis, Tunisia
Tel: (216-1_ 788 244
Fax: (216-1) 787 245
Internet: ep3@tunisia.cu

EP3 Clearinghouse in Chile
CIPMA
Av. Holanda 1515
Casilla 16362
Santiago 9, Chile
Tel: (562) 274 9600
Fax: (562) 223 2026

EP3 Clearinghouse in Ecuador
Corporacion OIKOS
Luxemburgo 172 y Holanda
Casilla 17-16-1017
Quito, Ecuador
Tel: (593-2_ 242-524
Fax: (593-2) 461-212
Internet: rocio@oikos.org.ec

EP3 Clearinghouse in Egypt
ECEP/EP3
20A El Mansour Mohamad St. Apt. #3
Zamalek, Cairo 11211, Egypt
Tel: (20-2) 341-7595
Fax: (20-2_ 340-9343

A Year in Review

This section discusses some of the major points that have emerged during EP3's first year of operation and presents several new initiatives the project is undertaking to help local programs become sustainable in the long term.

Assessments are Not Enough:

Pollution prevention assessments were intended to serve as the primary mechanism for introducing industrial facilities to the benefits of pollution prevention. EP3's experience has shown that conducting an assessment and presenting the findings to facility management is not sufficient to ensure that the recommendations are implemented, despite the potential for cost savings. While assessments continue to be the heart of EP3's technical assistance activities, they are increasingly being coupled with direct efforts by local EP3 staff help facility personnel implement recommendations and monitor their progress. To date, EP3's greatest success with this process has been in Tunisia, where project staff have worked closely with facility personnel, and company managers are beginning to see the value of the proposed changes. to further strengthen this type of activity, a leadership conference is planned for early 1995 to bring together managers from the companies that have received assessments and give them an opportunity to share the results of their efforts with other industrialists.

Monitoring for Results:

The success of pollution prevention rests in large part on the ability to monitor and measure the results of the recommendations that are implemented. Most of the companies EP3 has worked with tend to have limited capabilities in this area. During its first year, EP3 did not focus on monitoring which has hindered its ability to fully demonstrate the benefits of pollution prevention. As many of the recommendations call for tighter controls on operations to reduce waste and inefficiency, EP3 staff believe that helping companies to adopt more sophisticated management and accounting systems will enable them to take better advantage of many of the project's pollution prevention recommendations. Without accounting and management systems that require and place a value on these activities, line operators and plant personnel have little incentive to follow through with the pollution prevention recommendations.

Creating the Most Effective Assessment Team:

During this first year, EP3 experimented with several technical assistance models. For assessments, the greatest success has been achieved by teaming U.S. experts with local EP3 staff, consultants, and individuals affiliated with partner organizations such as industry associations or non-government organizations. The typical U.S. component of the assessment team is composed of an industry expert with many years of experience working in the industry being assessed and a pollution prevention specialist with broad experience in many industries. Industry experts are extremely helpful in building credibility with local company managers, and generally offer many constructive suggestions for implementing pollution prevention practices.

Information Clearinghouse:

The project's information system is designed to be demand driven; however, this demand must be created through EP3's technical assistance and outreach activities. Additionally, it is increasingly clear that the type of information companies often need during implementation is highly technical and not necessarily available in the clearinghouse. EP3 Washington and clearinghouse staff are considering innovative options to give local facilities and EP3 staff on-line access to U.S. experts to ask questions and seek advice in implementing specific recommendations.

Demonstrating the Economic Benefits:

In the absence of strong regulatory drivers in many host countries, facilities often do not perceive the need to implement the recommendations of the assessment team. Although many pollution prevention investments are financially attractive, the financial analysis necessary to convince decision makers (both companies and Lenders) of this fact is often absent in developing countries. EP3 is beginning to focus on transferring appropriate financial analysis tools to industry and local financiers and increasingly assisting in the financial analysis of the assessment recommendations. This analysis is critical to making financing and loan decisions about the needed capital investments to implement the recommendations.

Two Years Is Not Enough:

The approach EP3 has taken to establish country programs is to provide funding for one to three to give the program time to develop and continue on its own without USAID support. The Tunisia program is approaching the two-year mark. Despite the program's success, it is unlikely that it can continue beyond this period without outside assistance. EP3 is currently exploring options to enable the EP3 office to continue functioning when USAID funding runs out.


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Last Updated: January 16, 1996