UNIDO TEST program – transfer of environmentally sound technologies

Industry today from one side significantly contributes to increasing environmental pressures, while on the other side, as a generator of wealth and employment in developed countries and countries in economies in transition, it is important part of every sustainable development model. Nevertheless, employers and owners often do not tend to apply sustainable practice, being troubled that this will influence their profit and market viability. In the transition countries, technologies used are often aged and as results of it, they use large quantities of raw materials and energy, producing large quantities of waste and causing pollution. A sustainable industrial development is a step needed, which will take into account not only economical but also social and environmental aspects.

However, companies are not able to look at their transformation in terms of sustainability which will have positive impacts on the financial, environmental and social aspects of their business. It is usually assumed that certain accommodation is necessary between the financial on one side, and the environmental and social aspects on the other side. They are often responsible towards environment and/or socially sensitive causing lower profit and bad competitiveness, or are viable on the account of environmental degradation and bad social conditions.

It is still not generally accepted, that environmental and social strategies can actually result in considerable competitive advantages and can reveal significant potential to maximize profits. Economic activities and environmental concerns are not diametrically opposed, but can actually complement one another.

The overall aim of UNIDO’s TEST program is to demonstrate this possibility in practice, giving them tools and support to accomplish these benefits.

UNIDO TEST PROGRAM

Various international organizations for technical cooperation supported only several implementations of the environmentally sound technologies. Those projects were aiming at improving the environmental aspects disregarding economical and social aspects. In these projects a segment of improving technical capacities of the participating countries was missing, to offer to the enterprises one integrated package tool on the way toward sustainability.

In 2001, in response to the needs, UNIDO launched a TEST program, as a new approach to technical cooperation which stimulates industrial contribution toward sustainable development, by promoting the integral approach to solutions, taking into account reasons for low productivity and environmental risks associated with the industries.

This integrated approach is in line with the environmentally sound technologies as stipulated in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and which were again confirmed in the Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
The aim of UNIDO’s TEST program is to demonstrate possibility and potential to enterprises in the countries with economies in transition, to improve their environmental performance and increase their viability and competitiveness on market.

TEST INTEGRATED APPROACH

The integrated TEST approach is based on four basic principles:
1. It gives priority to the preventive approach of cleaner production (systematic preventive actions based on pollution prevention techniques within the production process)
2. For waste that cannot be avoided it considers the transfer of additional technologies for pollution control (end-of pipe) only after the cleaner production solutions have been explored. This leads to a transfer of technologies aimed at optimizing environmental and financial elements.
3. The integrated TEST approach addresses the managerial aspects of environmental management as well as its technological aspects, by introducing tools such as environmental management systems and environmental accounting.
4. It puts environmental management within the broader strategy of environmental and social business responsibilities, by leading companies towards the adoption of sustainable enterprise strategies (SES).

The TEST program is based on the following principles:

• It requires a voluntary commitment from the pilot enterprises to proactive environmental management
• It is problem-driven, focusing on the needs of enterprises and/or countries
• It is flexible and open to innovative solutions - the specific tools used in the TEST projects (enterprise-level) are selected and introduced based on the results of the initial review of the needs of the enterprise. Each phase is monitors according to the scheme: plan, act, check , do
• It uses the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC directive 96/61EC) and Best Available Techniques (BAT) approaches
• It optimizes production processes by focusing first on material efficiency strategies, followed by incorporating what are now less onerous, end-of-pipe solutions (if required)
• It ensures that environmental costs are properly allocated to their source, identified measures are implemented, and TEST project results are monitored
• It analyses problems in all their economic, social and environmental complexity
  

Basic tools and their implementation are presented in picture 1. Not all tools need to be applied in one company. The choice will depend on specific situation in the company, management decisions and resources. A project is organized thru 3 main stages:
In the first stage an initial audit of the company is done, which consists of two assessments: market and financial viability, and environmental assessment. In this stage, areas are defined which require improvements and the initial goals of the project are stipulated.
The second stage combines 3 phases. In the first phase so called soft tools are implemented and integrated in their regular practice. These encompass cleaner production, environmental management systems and environmental accounting.
TEST approach includes methodology by which these tools are implemented analogously, and although they can be quite effective when implemented separately, this kind of organization  and more efficient data flow, shorten the time needed, simplify the work and increase effectiveness of the individual tools. Depending on the company specifications, the step implementation can be a better solution.