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. . . RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY #650 . . ---May 13, 1999--- . . HEADLINES: . . CLEAN PRODUCTION, PART 1 . . ========== . . Environmental Research Foundation . . P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403 . . Fax (410) 263-8944; E-mail: [email protected] . . ========== . . All back issues are available by E-mail: send E-mail to . . [email protected] with the single word HELP in the message. . . Back issues are also available from http://www.rachel.org. . . To start your own free subscription, send E-mail to . . [email protected] with the words . . SUBSCRIBE RACHEL-WEEKLY YOUR NAME in the message. . ================================================================= CLEAN PRODUCTION, PART 1 Over the past decade, a loose-knit group of environmental activists, progressive business people and government officials has developed a new concept for sustainable living. It is called "clean production" and it is an exciting idea because it offers hope in a world of bad news, and it offers activists something to be FOR instead of AGAINST. Until now, it has not been clear exactly what the phrase "clean production" might mean. Some people speak of "industrial ecology" while others discuss "zero waste systems." Now, FINALLY, a new organization in Canada, called Clean Production Action, has published a first-rate CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO CLEAN PRODUCTION[1] and suddenly everything is clear. Written by Beverley Thorpe, the CITIZEN'S GUIDE tells us what "clean production" is, why it is important, what organizations are working to achieve it, and the main strategies that citizens can pursue at the local level to promote the needed shift to clean production. Here we are quoting Beverley Thorpe: What is Clean Production? Clean Production is not just about producing things in factories in a "clean or cleaner way" as some people think. Instead it is a holistic way of looking at how our design and consumption of products is causing severe ecological problems. Clean production offers a way to reverse our current non-sustainable use of materials and energy. Clean Production is rooted within circular concepts of product life cycle and ** implements the Precautionary Approach to material selection and system and product design [see REHW #586]; ** questions the need for products in the first place; ** designs products for durability and reuse; ** minimizes the use of renewable energy, water and raw materials; ** uses non-toxic or safer inputs in production processes; ** re-circulates ecologically safe materials; ** reduces consumption in current material-intensive economies while maintaining quality of life and materials; ** assures sustainable work; ** protects biological and social diversity; Clean Production ultimately means the use of renewable energy and materials, the minimal use of resources, the design of sustainable products, the production of sustainable food and the generation of waste that is benign and returnable back into the process. Clean Production begins with a systems look at material flows in society. In particular it looks at the Product Chain: where raw materials come from, how and where they are processed, what wastes are generated along the product chain, what products are made from the materials and what happens to these products during their use and at the end of their commercial life. It also questions the need for the product itself. Often the service that the product provides can be supplied by other means, using less consumption of materials and energy. For example, one-use aluminum beverage cans -- even if they are recycled -- are highly energy intensive and displace tons of minerals in bauxite mining compared to refillable glass bottles that are reused on a local basis. Similarly, good reliable public transport is more efficient than cars because it moves more people with the same amount of resources and energy. Better still, we can redesign our systems of habitation to be even more effective. We can design cities and towns to incorporate a mix of residential, commercial and retail service that reduces the need to move from the suburb into the city and back every day. The Four Elements of Clean Production According to various definitions developed over the years, there are four main elements that make up the concept of Clean Production: 1. The Precautionary Approach When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. [See REHW #586.] This places the burden of proof on proponents of an activity to prove there is no safer way of proceeding, rather than on victims or potential victims of the activity to prove it will be harmful. 2. The Preventive Approach It is cheaper and more effective to prevent environmental damage than to attempt to manage or "cure" it. Prevention requires examining the entire product life cycle from raw material extraction to ultimate disposal. It encourages the exploration of safer alternatives and the development of cleaner products and technologies. For example, prevention requires process and product changes to entirely avoid the generation of incinerable waste streams by designing non-toxic products made from materials that can be safely recycled or composted. 3. Democratic Control Clean Production involves all those affected by industrial activities, including workers, consumers and communities. Access to information and involvement in decision-making, coupled with power and resources, will help to ensure democratic control. Clean Production can only be implemented with the full involvement of workers and consumers within the product chain. 4. Integrated and Holistic Approach Society must adopt an integrated approach to environmental resource use and consumption. We need to think in a systems way. For each product we buy, we need to have information accessible about the materials, energy and people involved in making it. Access to this information would help build alliances for sustainable production and consumption. Integration also means taking a holistic approach whereby we don't shift risks between media or the environment and workers or consumers and don't create new problems while addressing an older one (e.g., genetic engineered plants as a replacement for pesticides). Clean Production Criteria 1. Clean Production systems for food and manufactured products are ** Non-toxic; ** Energy efficient; ** Made using renewable materials which are routinely replenished and extracted in a manner that maintains the viability of the ecosystem and community from which they were taken; ** Made from non-renewable materials previously extracted but able to be reprocessed in an energy efficient and non-toxic manner. 2. The products are ** Durable and reusable; ** Easy to dismantle, repair and rebuild; ** Minimally and appropriately packaged for distribution using reusable or recycled and recyclable materials; or ** compostable at the end of their life. 3. Above all, Clean Production systems ** Are non-polluting throughout their entire life cycle; ** Preserve diversity in nature and culture; ** Support the ability of future generations to meet their needs. 4. The life-cycle includes ** The product/^technology design phase; ** The raw material selection and production phase; ** The product manufacture and assemblage phase; ** The consumer use of the product phase; ** The societal management of the materials at the end of the useful life of the product. [Now we skip two excellent sections of the CITIZEN'S GUIDE, the 8 reasons why clean production is important, and a brief section describing some key actors in the field of clean production research and advocacy. The CITIZEN'S GUIDE then describes 5 strategies that activists can use:] 1. Measuring Resource Use and Working to Reduce Materials and Waste Several methods exist for advocates to measure resource and material use that can serve as excellent tools for campaigning for Clean Production. They provide easily understood visual or numerical estimates of unsustainable practices and allow advocates to engage in discussions for change. Ecological Footprint is one way of measuring the amount of space we need in a year to supply all our material use and absorb all our waste. [See REHW #537 and see http://www.edg.net.mx/- ~mathiswa and related links.] The results are displayed on a map as a "footprint" to show how big an area is needed to provide for the needs/demands of the citizenry of that area Global calculations show that we are consuming over one third more than nature can reproduce. For industrialized countries this rate is even faster. As mentioned earlier, North American consumption and waste generation would necessitate 2 extra planet Earths if the rest of the world copied our production and consumption model. [The CITIZEN'S GUIDE describes other techniques for measuring just how unsustainable our lifestyles have become, and for determining specific steps we can take to bring them back into line with the constraints of nature.] 2. Consumer Right to Know: Life Cycle Assessments? Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to holistically evaluate the environmental consequences of a product across its entire life, or from its "cradle to grave." It can be used to support a decision about a purchase, innovation of production processes or product approval. LCA is a method to evaluate the environmental effects associated with any given activity from the initial gathering of raw material from the earth until the point at which all residuals are returned to the earth.... Life cycle assessments are not perfect by any means: ** In some ways the pitfalls of LCAs mirror the pitfalls of attempting to do a "scientifically sound" risk assessment for chemicals. It depends on the assumptions used and the availability of data. ** LCAs never factor in social criteria such as who is impacted and where the materials are extracted or where the product is made. This is seen as too difficult to quantify on top of all the other assumptions necessary in analyzing material and energy flows. Worker and consumer health are included to some degree in environmental assessments of the data. Why should we demand life cycle assessments? Because ** Public availability of this type of information will promote environmental responsibility on the part of producers leading to process and product innovation and more environmentally sound product design, rather than a simple focus on facility specific impacts. ** It will allow consumers and public interest groups to independently verify environmental claims made by producers to ensure that they are not merely "greenwash." ** It allows us to form new coalitions with people affected along the chain of production, such as trade unions and consumer groups. In particular it allows advocates, as well as producers, and government agencies, to identify hot spots during the life-cycle of a product. [To be continued] ========== [1] Beverley Thorpe, CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO CLEAN PRODUCTION (Montreal, Canada: Clean Production Action, April 1999). Available from Clean Production Action, 5964 Avenue Notre Dame de Grace, Montreal, Que, Canada H4A 1N1; tel: +1 (514)484-4207; fax: +1 (514)484-2696. E-mail: [email protected]. Descriptor terms: clean production; sustainability; ################################################################ NOTICE In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. Environmental Research Foundation provides this electronic version of RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH WEEKLY free of charge even though it costs the organization considerable time and money to produce it. We would like to continue to provide this service free. You could help by making a tax-deductible contribution (anything you can afford, whether $5.00 or $500.00). Please send your tax-deductible contribution to: Environmental Research Foundation, P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403-7036. 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