Jordan Times
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Cleaner Production project
seeks to create sustainable industrial production mode
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — Meeting environmental requirements is the way to put Jordan's industries
on the right path to penetrate global markets, the Royal Scientific Society (RSS)
believes.
To help Jordanian industrial firms meet this end, the RSS has embarked on a
three-year programme to help “industries of potential” yield “cleaner products.”
The programme is designed and run by the society's Environmental Research Centre
(ERC), and has attracted five local firms in the fields of paints and metal
manufacturing in its first one-year phase, according to Bassam Hayek, head of
the ERC.
“The project seeks to ensure environmental-economic efficiency,” Hayek told The
Jordan Times, adding that the launch of the Cleaner Production (CP) project was
preceded by presentations made by the ERC team to representatives of the
targeted industries.
These companies, and others that will join the programme in the coming two
years, seek to take advantage of the RSS' expertise in the field so they become
more qualified “to deliver competitively priced products that meet customer
satisfaction,” as they are produced in an “environmentally sound manner.”
A statement released by the RSS said the overall objective of the CP project is
to “contribute towards a sustainable industrial production mode in Jordan,
increasing the long-term competitive position of enterprises while reducing
their environmental pollution by applying cost-effective measures and
technologies.”
The CP concept “is not simply a question of changing equipment, it is a matter
of changing attitudes and behaviours in doing business, applying know-how and
improving production processes as well as the product itself,” the statement
added.
The programme is based on an “anticipate and prevent philosophy,” the people in
charge said. Hayek explained that targeting certain industries should not be
seen as an indication of environmental problems caused by these companies. The
RSS believes that “prevention is better than cure.”
If the CP tools are applied according to the book, by the end of the training,
which includes in-plant application, participants are expected to improve
resources management, lower production costs, secure a stronger footing in the
global market and ensure more motivated personnel.
The programme is coordinated with three Swiss institutes: Institute of
Environmental Technology, the Sustainable Business Associates and Carbotech Inc.
In a related context, the RSS official revealed that his organisation is
discussing an idea to set up a prize to be awarded to the firm with the
“cleanest” production, with concerned parties.