1. Cleaner Production- A Move Towards Sustainability
Abhilash Vijayan
Charanya Varadarajan
University of Toledo

2. Cleaner Production - Timeline
Late 1980’s
Environmental managers in the U.S. and Europe realized the importance of pollution prevention at the source
Stress on reducing waste and pollution at source rather than treating waste produced
Combined effort of production, administration and environmental specialist teams to reduce waste generation and improve efficiency
1990’s
EPA decided on Pollution Prevention (P2)
National Pollution Prevention Act passed by Congress
P2 – the top priority for protecting the environment from pollution
Established that recycling is not P2 but finding use for something that’s already waste
New P2 programs established in many states
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Paris made similar observations about the need for Pollution Prevention

3. Cleaner Production In Developing Countries
Weak or no regulations regarding treatment of pollution
UNEP - major resource for Environmental Policy
Decided on cost effective prevention through improved efficiency and business management as the means to reduce industrial pollution
UNEP called this “CLEANER PRODUCTION”
Cleaner Production (CP) is the international term for reducing environmental impacts from processes, products and services by using better management strategies, methods and tools
A global movement for improving business performance and a profitable, cleaner, sustainable future
CP called Pollution Prevention (P2) in North America

4. is a Preventive Integrated Environmental Policy
Cleaner Production
is a Preventive Integrated Environmental Policy
applied to the entire Production and Service cycle
Processes:
Conservation of raw materials,
energy, water
Reduction of emission at source
Evaluation of technology option
Reduction of costs and risks
Products:
Reduction of waste
through better design
Use of waste for
new products
Services:
Efficient environmental
management in design
and delivery
Impacts:
Improved efficiency
Better environmental performance
Increased competitive advantage

5. Critical CP Factors Management Systems
Ensures right tools are used properly
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) most common tool for CP and P2
Other Management systems such as Balanced Scorecard and Balridge Quality Award are also in use
Assessments
To identify CP and P2 opportunities
Assessments get integrated with the management system as a continual improvement process over time
Measurements
To obtain data on what’s happening in an organization before applying CP and P2
Performance indicators linked with the mission and strategy developed
Accounting tools used for developing the right data
CP and P2 projects evaluated financially and by risk and impact assessments

6. Critical CP Factors (Contd.)
Design
Product design - ultimate driver for CP and P2 process improvements
Process improvement follow proper Product Design
Purchasing
Critical for CP and P2
Green Purchasing or Environmentally Preferred Procurement creates demand for better products that in turn creates better supply
Reporting
Public reporting of CP and P2 and social performances

7. CP Assessments in Industries
Cleaner Production assessment methodology is used to systematically identify and evaluate the CP opportunities and facilitate their implementation in industries
Assessment methodology is useful in organizing the CP program in a company and bringing together persons to be involved with the development, evaluation, and implementation of Cleaner Production measures

8. Phase 1: Planning & Organization
Elements important for the successful start of a Cleaner Production program:
Management commitment
Employee involvement
Cost awareness
Organize a project team
Identify barriers and solutions
Set plant-wide goals
Effective CP Planning Process ensures
Selection & implementation of the most cost effective CP options
Broader business planning investment analysis and decision-making (such as capital budgeting and purchasing)
Cleaner Production objectives and activities are consistent with those identified in the organization’s broader planning process

9. Phase 2: Assessment Procedure
Source Identification – material flow diagram with associated costs made to identify sources of waste and waste generation
Cause Diagnosis – investigation of factors that influence the volume and composition of waste and emissions generated
Option Generation –
create a vision on how to eliminate or control each of the causes of waste and emission generation
Option generation in turn considers the following elements

10. PROCESS Technological Change Good Operating Practices Product Changes
Change in
Raw Materials
Onsite Reuse
& Recycling

11. Phase 3: Feasibility Studies
Evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of options
Preliminary Evaluation
Options are sorted to identify additional evaluation needs for complex processes
Technical Evaluation
Availability and reliability of equipment
Effects on product quality and productivity
Expected maintenance and utility requirements
Operating and supervising skills
Economic Evaluation
Collection (regarding investments and operational costs, and benefits)
Evaluation criteria (pay back period, Net Present Value (NPV) or Internal Rate of Return) and feasibility options
Environmental Evaluation
Determine the positive and negative impacts of the option for the environment
Selection of Feasible options
Elimination of technically non-feasible and environmentally insignificant options
Selection of the right option in case of competing options or limited funds

12. Phase 4: Implementation and Continuation
Evaluates the feasible prevention measures which are implemented and provisions taken to ensure the ongoing application of CP
Results of this phase include:
Implementation of feasible CP measures
Monitoring and Evaluation of the progress achieved by the implementation of the feasible options
Initiation of the ongoing CP activities

13. Case Study
Company A is a Drycleaner which cleans over 2500 garments everyday
Garments are loaded into an Ilsa dry-cleaning machine, in which they are immersed in perchlorethylene (solvent)
Perchlorethylene and soaps dissolve grease and oil
Solvent is removed and recycled in a still, where most of it is recovered
Process produces liquid waste residue which has to be legally disposed off

14. Cleaner Production Initiatives
CP: Preventive Practices
First Tier: Source Reduction
Product Modification
Input Substitution
Technology Modification
Good Housekeeping
Second Tier: Recycling
On Site Recovery
While a small business cannot apply product modification or input substitution, Company A introduced the other three CP practices:
Purchase of an advanced Dry-cleaning machine to replace two old machines
Installation of a Carbon Filter
Variety of Good Housekeeping measures

15. Benefits of Cleaner Production
Technology Modification – single dry cleaning machine replace two machines
40% reduction in operating costs
Electricity to clean each garment reduced by 17%
Negative pressure within the cage prevents perc fumes from entering the work area
80% decrease in perc consumption
Better equipment = Improved Safety
Improved Worker Productivity due to decrease in perc emission in work area

16. Benefits of CP(contd.) On Site Recycling Element Before(ppm)
After(ppm)
Perc 2
0.054
BOD
5000
136
Total Grease 50 21
TSS
200 15

17. Financial and Environmental Benefits
Issue
Performance
Annual Savings
Old
New % $
Perc Cons. (lt/yr)
1440
240 83
3960
Perc Waste (lt/yr)
480 50
1080
Per Contact Water
960
100
Electricity unit/day 90 75 17
865
Gas (units/day)
250
220 12
540
Maintenance
400
3600
Increased Productivity
33.5 30 15
13650
Total
23135

18. Payback Period Item Purchase Price Savings(per year) Payback period
Dry-cleaning Machine
62000
23695
2.6 years
Carbon Filter
800
1440
7 months