Cleaner Production Tools

Cleaner Production Tools

[ Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) | Public Environment Reporting ]
[ Environmental Indicators | Industrial Ecology | Codes of Practice ]
[ Environmental Audits | Environmental Management Systems (EMS) ]
[ Environmental Accounting | Design for Environment ]
[ Environmental Labeling | Performance Based Contracting ]
[ Eco-Efficiency | Environmental Taxes ]

The classifications and summary descriptions on this page are based on the Government of Australia's Eco-efficiency and Cleaner Production Homepage at http://www.ea.gov.au/industry/eecp/index.html . A very short summary is given for each topic. The link will bring up a more detailed explanation and/or links to other sites which explore the topic in more depth.

For information about the Chinese implementation of various CP Tools, see The Cleaner Production Knowledge Series: http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_books.htm

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a systematic approach to measuring the use of resources/inputs and the release of effluent to the air water and soil during the lifetime of a product, from its manufacture to its disposal. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_lca.html

Public Environment Reporting
Public Environmental Reporting is the process by which businesses, factories, governments and other organizations examine their environmental performance and publish the information to the general public. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_per.html

Environmental Indicators
Environmental Indicators allow the measurement of environmental impact caused over a defined time period. They are essential to determine how well firms and other organizations are improving their "eco-efficiency". Indicators may range from the very simple to the very complex. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_eil.html

Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology involves the incorporation of cleaner production principles into the planning of industrial developments and other projects to optimise environmental protection and cost effectiveness. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_indusecol.html

Codes of Practice
Codes of Practice are standards, usually developed on a sectoral basis, to provide guidance on environmental issues such as resource use, emissions, waste disposal, etc. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_cop.html

Environmental Audits
Environmental audits are carried out to identify all of the environmental impacts made by a firm. They are normally carried out before the implementation of cleaner production so that changes to practices and processes can be identified and assessed. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_ecaudits.html

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
There are two main Environmental Management Systems -- the ISO's ISO 14000 and the European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) (http://www.tc207.org/FAQ.asp) defines an Environmental Management System (EMS) as "a systematic approach to dealing with the environmental aspects of an organization. It is a 'tool' that enables an organization of any size or type to control the impact of its activities, products or services." The EMS is not prescriptive -- it doesn't specify how environmental targets should be met -- but rather provides a framework in which organizations can examine their practices and then determine how these can be managed. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_iso14000.html

Environmental Accounting
Environmental Accounting involves the implementation of accounting systems that take into account environmental costs such as waste treatment and disposal costs and the costs of a poor environmental reputation. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_ecacct.html

Design for Environment
Design for environment involves the redesign of products to minimize their environmental impact. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_dfe.html

Environmental Labeling
Environmental Labeling involves including labels on products which inform potential purchasers of the product's environmental impact. These labels require a standard for comparing products. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_envlabel.html

Performance Based Contracting (PBC)
Performance Based Contracting has been used mainly in the energy sector. It involves a third party contractor taking responsibility for running a portion of the business. The contractor can get financial rewards for making the business more efficient. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_perfcont.html

Eco-Efficiency
Eco-Efficiency involves increasing production while reducing the environmental pressure per unit produced. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_ecoeff.html

Environmental Taxes
Environmental Taxes involve the development of a tax system which increase the incentive for industry to adopt cleaner production and eco-efficiency. http://www.chinacp.com/eng/cptools/cpt_envtaxes.html