The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute

Cleaner Production, Fact Sheet 3: What is Cleaner Production?

University of Massachusetts Lowell
One University Avenue
Lowell, Massachusetts 01854-2866
Telephone: (508) 934-3275
FAX: (508) 934-3050

What is Cleaner Production?

Cleaner production is a phrase used to describe a preventive environmental strategy for industrial production that reduces risks to human health and the environment. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines cleaner production as "the conceptual and procedural approach to production that demands that all phases of the lifecycle of a product or of a process should be addressed with the objective of prevention or minimization of short- and long-term risks to humans and the environment." UNEP's concept of cleaner production is similar to the concept of pollution prevention as defined today by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Cleaner production applies to both products and processes. Cleaner products are those designed to reduce impacts throughout their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to ultimate disposal of the product and-packaging. Cleaner production processes conserve raw material and energy, eliminate toxic materials, and are adjusted, changed, or upgraded to reduce the generation of wastes and emissions.

[sidebar] Cleaner production is not an absolute state, but is continually evolving as new knowledge, improved technology, and changing attitudes are applied in the production and delivery of products and services.

Where did the concept come from?

The concept grew from efforts in Europe in the 1970s to promote "low- and no-waste technologies." In 1989, to assist developing countries in obtaining information on cleaner industrial practices, UNEP's Industry & Environment Programme established the Cleaner Production Programme to promote the transfer of technology. An advisory group adopted the phrase "cleaner production" because it suggested a more comprehensive approach.

What are the components of Cleaner Production?

Cleaner production includes several important components. Conventional discussion often lists six such components:

1. Waste Reduction. Because waste often is an indicator of inefficient materials use, cleaner production strives to reduce all waste to a minimum. Waste is defined quite broadly to include hazardous and solid wastes, liquid and gaseous wastes, waste heat, and off-spec or unmarketable product. The goal of cleaner production is zero waste discharge.

2. Non-Polluting Production. The ideal production processes take place in a closed loop with zero contaminant release. The use of toxic chemicals should be-avoided where there are equally effective non-toxic substitutes. Where toxic chemicals are used, the elimination of spills, accidents, and fugitive releases is required. Release-preventing practices should be used in receiving, transfer, storage, and shipping operations, as well as in production processes.

3. Production Energy Efficiency. Cleaner production requires the highest levels of energy efficiency and conservation. Energy efficiency is determined by the highest ratio of energy consumption to product output. Energy conservation involves process heating and cooling, mechanical motion, lighting, room temperature management, transportation, and electronic monitoring and control.

4. Safe and Healthy Work Environments. Cleaner production strives to minimize the risks to workers from chemical exposure, radiation, physical hazards, ergonomic factors, work stress, fatigue, or unrewarding activities. Not only should the workplace be clean and safe, but the work processes should be appropriate to the skills and capacities of the workers. Work stations should be flexibly designed so that workers may modify them to achieve the highest level of comfort and productivity.

5. Environmentally Sound Products. The final product and all marketable by-products should be as environmentally appropriate as possible. Products should be designed to maximize the material-to-product ratio, minimize the use of toxic chemicals, and conserve the use of energy. Health and environmental factors must be addressed at the earliest point of product and process design and must be considered over the full product life-cycle, from production through use and disposal.

6. Environmentally Sound Packaging. Product packaging should be minimized wherever possible. Where packaging is necessary to protect the product, to market the product, or to facilitate ease of consumption, it should be as environmentally appropriate as possible. In designing packaging, degradability or ease of recycling and reuse are important criteria.

Why is Cleaner Production important?

Cleaner production reduces the costs of product liability, waste management, process operations, and occupational hazards while promoting worker and public health and environmental quality. Cleaner production is cost-effective, and cleaner products open up new, competitive markets.

How can Toxics Use Reduction promote Clean Production?

Toxics use reduction (TUR) can be one of the most effective elements in a cleaner production strategy because it focuses on reducing the use or waste of toxic substances within existing industrial processes. TUR planning provides information about sources and quantities of wastes, emissions, and other inefficiencies in production processes, and an accounting of their associated risks and costs. Improvements in efficiency and environmental soundness may be achieved through several TUR techniques:

* Input substitution--substitution of toxic raw materials with nontoxic or less toxic ones

* Production process modification--changes in the process that reduce toxic waste and emissions and improve energy and material efficiency

* Finished product reformulation--redesign of products to eliminate or minimize the use of toxic substances within the process and the product

* Production modernization--replacement or upgrading of production equipment and technologies to reduce toxic waste and emissions

* Improvements in operation and maintenance--improvements in housekeeping, systems, and control equipment to reduce waste and improve efficiency

* In-process recycling of production materials--closed loop recycling of substances, especially toxic ones, to decrease raw material requirements and waste

References

Baas, L.W., M. van der Belt, D. Huisingh, and F. Neumann. "Cleaner Production: What Some Governments Are Doing and What All Governments Can Do to Promote Sustainability." European Water Pollution Control, Vol. 2, No. 1, January 1992.

Geiser, Ken. "The Greening of Industry: Making the Transition to a Sustainable Economy." Technology Review, August-September 1991.

Hileman, Bette. "UN Environment Program Pushes for Cleaner Production." C&EN, November 30, 1992.

"The Environmental Challenge of the 1990s". Proceedings of the International Conference on Pollution Prevention: Clean Technologies and Clean Products, Washington, D.C. June 10-13, 1990. Cincinnati: Office of Research and Development, Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory. U.S. EPA 600/9-90/039, September 1990.

Jackson, Tim, ed. Clean Production Strategies. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers, 1993.

Johansson, Allan. Clean Technology. Ann Arbor: Lewis Publishers, 1992.

Repetto, R., G. Heaton, and R. Sobin. Transforming Technology: An Agenda for Environmentally Sustainable Growth in the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: World Resources Institute, 1991.

Schmidheiny, Stephan, with the Business Council for Sustainable Development. Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1992.

United Nations Environment Programme. "Cleaner Production Worldwide." Paris: United Nations Environment Programme, March 1993. # 91-111-D2.

U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Green Products by Design: Choices for a Cleaner Environment. OTA-E-541. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, October 1992.

Periodicals

Journal of Clean Technology and Environmental Sciences. Official Organ of the International Association for Clean Technology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Scientific Publishing Company.

Journal of Cleaner Production Centre for Environmental Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands. (Local telephone 617-438-8464)

Cleaner Production. Supplement to Industry and Environment. UNEP IE/PAC; Geneva.

The Toxics Use Reduction Institute is a multi-disciplinary research, education, and policy center established by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act of 1989. The Institute sponsors and conducts research, organizes education and training programs, and provides technical support to promote reduction in the use of toxic chemicals or the generation of toxic chemical byproducts in industry and commerce.

February 94 - 3


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Last Updated: April 21, 1997