Ministry of Environment, Norway

State Secretary Bernt Bull

Business, Industry and Environment: Cleaner Production

THE SOFIA CONFERENCE
SESSION 3:
23-25 October 1995

Madame Chairperson,

One of the issues which has had a prominent place in the documentation for this meeting is that of Cleaner Production.

Strategies and programmes for Cleaner Production should be given high priority for several reasons:

1. firstly, they are key win-win measures, producing concrete environmental results, which can be easily multiplied, and which can be both economically profitable and strengthen the competitivenessof enterprises,
2. secondly, they provide cost-effective use of donor money,
3. thirdly, they are in line with modern industrial thinking, and constitute an integral part of modern environmental management systems,
4. and fourthly, they contribute to the global efforts to achieve sustainable consumption and production patterns.

We are still too disposed to look for expensive end-of-pipe solutions to major pollution problems. Prevention should have the highest priority. Environmental investments in CEE countries should first analyse the possibilities for low-cost cleaner production measures. Such analyses should be an integral part of the investment strategies of banks, organisations, environmental funds and donor countries.

Madame Chairperson , Several CEE countries and organisations have implemented successful programmes - and established Cleaner Production Centres. Based on these experiences a seminar was organised last month under the auspices of the EAP Task Force, and in cooperation with the OECD, in order to strengthen and expand such programmes. My delegation, together with the delegation of Poland, has proposed in the Ministerial Declaration a text envisaging the establishment of an ambitious work programme based on the recommendations from that seminar.

I believe that such a work programme is necessary to strengthen and better coordinate cleaner production programmes in a steadily increasing number of CEE countries. Our hope is that within the next 5-10 years large and medium-sized enterprises in the most polluting sectors of industry in CEE countries will have adopted cleaner production plans. Such plans should be sponsored by Ministries of Industry as well as Ministries of Environment, since both profit.

My own country has gained considerable experience with cleaner production programmes over the last years. We have cooperated with the OECD in producing a Best Practices Guide, and have launched cooperative programmes with a number of CEE countries. We intend to intensify our work in this area.

We are willing to provide a substantial contribution to the Task Force secretariat for the purpose of coordinating an international work programme. I hope that not only other governments, but also the international financial institutions, international organisations and national environmental funds concerned, will support the programme in appropriate ways.

I also propose that a substantive report on progress be submitted to the Conference in Denmark in 1998.

Thank you, Madame Chairperson.

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Lagt inn 23 oktober 1995 av Statens forvaltningstjeneste, ODIN-redaksjonen