Definitions - Pollution Prevention and Cleaner Production
It is important to note that different organizations may define these terms and concepts in different ways. Also, many terms have similar meanings and may be used interchangeably, such as waste minimization, waste prevention, source reduction, eco-efficiency, environmentally sound technology, and many others.
Definition - Pollution Prevention
Pollution prevention is a multi-media environmental management approach which emphasizes the elimination and/or reduction of waste at the source of generation.
The pollution prevention concept came about upon the realization of the need to look at all types of waste in order to comprehensively and adequately protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
As mentioned above, there has been a paradigm shift from pollution control to pollution prevention. Unlike in the past, pollution prevention does not endorse a simple shift of pollution from one medium to another. Instead it aims to stop pollution before it is generated in the first place.
The goal of pollution prevention is to eliminate or reduce the release of pollution into all media (water, air, land), to save energy and natural resources, and to enact these changes to last for a long term. Unlike pollution control, pollution prevention seeks a broad mix of incentives and practices to achieve sustainable improvements.
Some of the goals of pollution prevention include the following:
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- To eliminate and/or reduce waste generation.
- To conserve natural resources and materials.
- To prevent spills and accidental releases into the environment.
- To reduce exposure of workers and the public to toxic materials.
- To prevent product losses.
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Some of the techniques or approaches utilized for pollution prevention may include the following:
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- Defining environmental management policies in terms of goals rather than inputs.
- Achieving a greater decentralization of policies.
- Abandoning practices which emphasize strict emissions control in exchange for a broader goal of improving performance and management styles.
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Definition - Cleaner Production
In certain aspects cleaner production is very similar to pollution prevention and the terms can be used interchangeably when talking about pollution prevention in industry.
Most importantly, both pollution prevention and cleaner production emphasize environmental management through source reduction, rather than pollution control methods. Similar to pollution prevention, cleaner production should not be considered as an absolute state, but rather a process that continually evolves with the introduction of improved technology and innovative ideas. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines cleaner production in the following manner:
Cleaner production is the continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy applied to processes, products, and services to increase eco-efficiency and reduce risks for humans and the environment.
It applies to:
- Production processes: conserving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw materials and reducing the quantity and toxicity of all emissions and wastes.
- Products: reducing negative impacts along the life cycle of a product, from raw material extraction to its ultimate disposal.
- Services: incorporating environmental concerns into designing and delivering services.