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China Canada Cooperation Project in Cleaner Production

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Newsletter 12 - Fall 2005 Final Edition

Project Wraps Up
Policy Development
Benefits of Cleaner Production
Project Identifies Hundreds of CP Solutions
Getting the Message Out!
Indicators of Success
China gives prestigious award to Dr. Robert Lao, Resident Project Coordinator
Thank You
Project Website
CP on the Web
Contacts 

Project Wraps Up

The Project draws to a close with a Wrap-up Workshop on November 2 and 3, 2005. Partners will gather to discuss the results achieved and lessons learned.

The Project has achieved improved capacity for Cleaner Production (CP) at every level in China: policy and regulation, CP planning at the plant level, CP training and awareness raising, and information exchange via the internet.

An in-country (policy) expert working group was established and nurtured by the Project. Under this capacity building component Chinese experts did much of the policy-oriented work, and a cadre of committed, knowledgeable professionals was established. Since passage of the Cleaner Production Promotion Law (and companion legislation for small medium enterprises) in June of 2002, the Project has continued to support Chinese policy-making with its contribution to the Circular Economy initiative, and efforts to integrate CP into other significant Chinese environmental policy initiatives. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has developed a number of new CP policy initiatives, evidence of their capacity and ever-growing self sufficiency.

The implementation of CP has been successful, with demonstration of a range of implementation steps in six sectors: fertiliser, brewery, pulp and paper, PVC/chlor-alkali, non-ferrous metal smelting, and oil and gas. Some sectors, such as fertiliser and pulp and paper have demonstrated the full range of steps, and implemented a wide range of CP solutions. Concrete benefits are already evident at some sectors: ammonia, sulphur and waste oil recovery in the fertiliser sector; water-saving, energy saving, less loss of chlorine, and product (PVC) recovery in the PVC factory; water and energy-saving, and product (fibre) recovery in pulp and paper; and water conservation in the non-ferrous smelting. These savings and efficiencies are in addition to reducing pollution.

For workers in the fertiliser sector, PVC/chlor-alkali, and non-ferrous smelting, the benefits also include improved working conditions through reduced air emissions.

For the country (and the world), the reduction in energy consumption that would accrue through widespread implementation of CP across China has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. As a result, Canada has potentially made a contribution to the amelioration of the global warming/climate change problem. In assisting the Chinese to embrace “Cleaner Production” as an over-riding policy in their industrial modernisation and expansion initiatives, Canada is helping set the stage for global climate change benefits outside the Kyoto Protocol (which did not set targets for China). More efficient use of water and other resources, along with less pollution per unit of production are other potential results of widespread benefit.

Managers in industry and government, technicians, professionals and other decision-makers who were trained in project activities are becoming aware that CP is the only sustainable approach to minimise industrial pollution. In fact, they are committed to CP and some of them have become “CP Champions” who drive CP in their jurisdictions.

Through various training activities, people have acquired the skills and knowledge necessary to implement and promote CP. More than 1,500 people have been trained in China, and 215 have participated in study tours or long term assignments. Materials produced by the project, such as the 14 volumes of Knowledge Books, serve as a valuable technical resource.

Technical trainers from more than a dozen government agencies, industrial sectors, research institutions and universities now have new capacity to plan, develop and deliver various CP training programs. Furthermore, individuals who were involved in the preparing and publishing the Knowledge Books and other materials have acquired the skills and knowledge to carry on publishing more awareness raising and training materials in the future.

Women in Environment Network meets with resident co-ordinator and gender advisor. Project files

Women have been involved in every aspect of project activities. Women serve as senior NDRC officials, as staff, and are involved in training, academic placement, CPO, CP applications, etc. They have increased their skills and knowledge about CP, and have a new awareness of gender equity issues. Men who were involved in study tours and some of the demonstration plants are also more aware of gender issues in the workplace. There has been a shift in attitudes about women, although there are still many stereotypes about women’s and men’s roles.

The website has been an unparalleled success, and has provided excellent dissemination of information about CP across China and around the world.

One additional benefit of these many successes has been the many linkages that have been created and relationships fostered: bilaterally, among government officials; between Chinese officials and a broad spectrum of CP “players” in Canada; and between Chinese sectoral officials and relevant technologies in Canada.

Evidence of the close bonds the Project has forged are the International Friendship Awards received by two people closely associated with the Project. CIDA officer Charles Pellegrin and Resident Co-ordinator Robert Lao have received the awards from the Chinese government for their long term commitment to Chinese society.

The many initiatives will live on after the conclusion of the Project because it leaves a legacy of capacity to develop policy, and implement and promote CP as China moves forward on its own.

Adapted from final project report

Policy Development

The original policy goal for the project was to shift the environmental protection policies in the PRC from a focus on “end-of-pipe treatment” to the more sustainable objectives of “pollution prevention”, and the efficient use of raw materials and energy. China shifted its national industrial strategy to one encouraging globally competitive enterprises that employ technologies that are cleaner and more efficient in their use of material resources. The Project has assisted China to institutionalise that decision and make CP operational, by contributing significantly to the legal and policy regime, and by helping make CP concrete.

China was in the unique position of being compelled to modernise its ageing, inefficient, polluting, industrial sector, while faced with an opportunity to become a major player in the global market place. Shifting its national industrial strategy from one based on central planning to one more influenced by the global market place it chose the option of encouraging globally competitive enterprises that employ technologies that are cleaner and more efficient in their use of material resources.

An in-country (policy) expert working group was established and nurtured by the Project, creating a unique capacity building component whereby Chinese experts did much of the policy-oriented work, and creating a cadre of committed, knowledgeable professionals who learned by doing. They could better analyse the Chinese needs and adapt international experience to the Chinese situation more effectively than international specialists could. It also had the benefit that “buy-in” of policy alternatives was almost immediate, and Project-supported policy initiatives almost always exceeded expectations.

Since the CP Promotion Law came into effect, the Project’s policy focus has shifted to support for implementation: the creation of management tools for measuring performance, putting in place accountability regimes, raising awareness of the benefits of CP, and encouraging enterprises to reach beyond regulated requirements and embrace voluntary initiatives.

The Chinese Expert Working Group, with the Resident Project Co-ordinator has continued to support Chinese policy-making with their contribution to the Circular Economy initiative, and their efforts to integrate CP into other significant Chinese environmental policy initiatives, such as the national environmental impact assessment law, a key tool in ensuring that the planning for new projects takes into account CP opportunities.

These initiatives will live on after the conclusion of the project because the project leaves a legacy of capacity, as China moves forward on its own.

Peter Higgins

Benefits of Cleaner Production

Implementing CP and improving management practices has had the added benefit of improving health and safety conditions for factory workers. Some specific circumstances are illustrated below.

Improvements in health and safety of workers in participating enterprises

Following audits in brewery and oil and gas sectors, numerous recommendations concerning health and safety issues were made. It is too early to know what effect this will have on health and safety, or whether these recommendations are being implemented.

Marcel Pineau and Mark Osterman

Project Identifies Hundreds of CP Solutions

Cleaner Production (CP) solutions proposed for targeted sectors are summarised in the tables below. Some of the benefits to industrial facilities that were demonstrated by implementing these solutions included reducing water and energy consumption, more efficient use of natural resources, and less pollution.

Mark Osterman and Marcel Pineau

Sector: Pulp and Paper Anhui Paper Mill

A number of CP solutions, including those noted below, were identified for the Anhui Paper Mill. Several of the recommended solutions were implemented at this mill. With a change to private ownership, the mill ceased its pulp operations, and did not implement the solutions specific to pulp manufacturing. However, identification of the solutions had broad-reaching effects: six other mills in the province participated in project training and CP demonstrations, and independently adopted over 100 pulp and paper CP solutions as a result.

Sector: Brewery Shandong Wuming Brewery

*depending on existing equipment

Sector: Oil and Gas Tarim Oil Company

Sector: Fertiliser Industry Fuyang General Chemical Work, Fuyang City, Anhui Province

Sector: Chlor-Alkali/PVC Electro Chemistry Plant, Zheirang Juhua Co, Quzhou Zheirang Province

Sector: Non-Ferrous Metal Industry Jinchuan Non-Ferrous Metal Group, Nickel/Copper Smelter, Jinchuang City, Gansu Province

Getting the Message Out!

Events and publicity have been key to raising Cleaner Production (CP) awareness of a broad spectrum of civil society. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Chinese Project Office (CPO) personnel, assisted by the Project Co-ordinator, have organised or assisted in many of these events, while a network of contacts have accounted for some of the coverage received. Events have been conducted throughout the country, drawing participants from management and those responsible for CP of enterprises, industries, government institutions as well as the general public.

• Women and Environment Network (WEN) has organised six seminars over the past ten years, and in doing so has reached women in factories, general public, and special interest groups with seminars and a SARS booklet on environment and hygiene for rural communities.

• Earth Day / Environment Day events have been popular, with WEN and Project staff staging sidewalk fairs, distributing books, or visiting schools.

• The press in Canada (Chinese language) and China (English and Chinese language) have written more than a dozen articles about the Project and CP, raising CP’s profile and signaling its acceptance as a priority for China.

As a result, people from across Chinese society are coming to recognise that CP practice is an important step in reaching in reaching circular economy and sustainable development and realising the goal of a well off (Shaokong) society for China by 2020.

Bob Lao and Mary Ellen MacCallum

Indicators of Success

With assistance from the WBS100 (Policy) team:

• Cleaner Production (CP) Promotion Law was formally passed by the Congress in June 2002 and became effective January 1st, 2003.

• NDRC and SEPA have drafted the regulation for the auditing procedures to implement the CP Promotion Law. The regulation came into effect on October 1st, 2004.

• NDRC is preparing a document on the “Voluntary Action Plan for Advanced Enterprises”. One of the objectives of this document is to encourage advanced enterprises to implement CP beyond the requirement of CP Promotion Law. The drafted document has been disseminated by NDRC for discussion, and is expected to be finalised in 2005.

• The next major piece of legislation, on the Circular Economy, has achieved high level support including a mandate from Premier Wen for NDRC to proceed.

The WBS200 (CP development and implementation) team developed sectoral guidelines for six sectors and assisted CP teams from demonstration facilities in each sector to learn how to apply CP in their respective sectors.

• Managers and staff in the demo plants learned how to develop CP plans, apply sector specific guidelines, identify and implement CP solutions.

• Many of these solutions were applied, with demonstrable benefits. Successes have been replicated in other factories in at least two sectors.

• Health and safety conditions have improved for the employees of the PVC plant and non-ferrous smelting.

Through WBS300 (CP Training and awareness raising):

• More than 1500 people have been trained in China and 215 in Canada. Skills and knowledge of CP have improved.

• 14 Knowledge books, 4 Fact Sheets and 12 newsletters, a CP video and other materials are being distributed and used widely.

• Links have been established with about a dozen training institutes, whose trainers participated in Project training and can now continue to disseminate the information.

• 30% of trainees were women, who report increased skills and knowledge to do their jobs.

• Health and safety conditions have improved for women employees.

• Study tour participants participated in gender equality (GE) workshops

As a result of activities under WBS400 (CP information systems):

• The web site, which received more than 3.75 million page hits over the life of the Project, made Project and cleaner production-related information available to a large number of users both in China and more than 180 other countries.

Canadian CP technologies have been demonstrated and, in some cases, are being used by Chinese industry.

With the support of the Project as a whole, CP principles are being actively integrated into industrial sectors across China, with the potential to significantly reduce water and energy consumption, reducing greenhouse gas emissions; engender more efficient use of natural resources; improve working conditions; and increase the process of modernising Chinese industry.

Adapted from final project report

China gives prestigious award to Dr. Robert Lao, Resident Project Coordinator

Robert Lao, the Project’s Resident Co-ordinator was one of this year’s recipients of the Chinese government’s International Friendship Award. The award ceremony was held September 26, 2005.

This award was created by the State Council and is one of the highest distinctions conferred to foreign specialists who, through their dedication and professionalism, made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social progress. Each year a number of experts are nominated for this award by Chinese federal, provincial and municipal government institutions, for their dedication, cooperation, contributions and accomplishments.

International Friendship Award recipient, Dr Robert Lao, with Project Director Ken Parent and the original Chinese Project Manager, Mme Liang Boping (now deceased).

Since 1997, Dr. Lao has been the Project’s Resident Project Coordinator in Beijing of the Canada-China Cooperation Project in Cleaner Production (CP). Dr. Lao is considered by his Canadian and Chinese colleagues alike to have been instrumental to the success of the Project, which draws to a close in 2006. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) expressed great enthusiasm for the award being presented to Dr. Lao, as it reflects the recognition by China of the Project’s success, the close cooperation between China and Canada on the Project, and fulfilment of the Project’s objectives.

Ken Parent, the Canadian Executing Agency’s Project Director says of Dr. Lao, “He was a key facilitator of Project activities and results. He and his Chinese counterparts at NDRC and SEPA worked closely together to facilitate the smooth and expeditious operation of the Project. As an expert in CP, Dr. Lao also brought his expertise to specific activities, and spent much of his free time promoting the Project and participating in events to which he was an invited speaker.” Dr. Lao’s dedication and spirit of cooperation have helped the Project to achieve significant results.

Ken Parent

Thank You

To our many colleagues in the CP network in Canada and internationally: many thanks for helping us contribute to CP in China.

To our new colleagues in NDRC, SEPA and elsewhere: it has been a privilege to work with you. May your efforts to promote CP continue to be successful.

Keep in touch!

Project Website

The Project website has logged over 3.5 million page requests since it was set up in 1998, with over 1,300 people accessing it daily. It is the premier CP website in China, and a very popular means of accessing CP information. The NDRC has made plans to take over finance and management of the website after the Project comes to an end.

John Gordon

CP on the Web

Hosted in China

• Main page of the project web site www.chinacp.org.cn 

• Chinese language site www.chinacp.org.cn/newcn 

• English language site www.chinacp.org.cn/eng 

Hosted in Canada

• Main page of the project web site www.chinacp.com 

• Chinese language site www.chinacp.com/newcn 

• English language site www.chinacp.com/eng 

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