khan - cleaner production

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Cleaner production: an economical option for ISO certification indeveloping countries

Zahiruddin Khan*

Institute of Environmental Science & Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Received 6 March 2006; accepted 17 June 2006

Available online 23 August 2006

Abstract

Since its conception in early 1990s, cleaner production has helped thousands of businesses around the world in improving environmental

performance and reducing risks to their staff. Developing countries, due to their economic, social and cultural limitations are slow to adapt

to new ideas. Stresses of WTO and ISO certification are hitting the developing economies hard especially the export businesses. This article

re-introduces the concept of cleaner production as a self-help tool as well as an economical pathway towards ISO certification. The objective

is to motivate businesses anywhere to join the sustainable development trail. A simple step-by-step procedure to develop a cleaner production

program is delineated. Cleaner production opportunities and how their exploration will lead to covering many requirements of the

ISO14001:2004 certification is discussed. Cleaner production opportunities in the most common automotive industry are presented along

with five case studies from Australia. Special attention is given to energy efficiency. A full section is devoted to equipment-specific cleaner pro-

duction opportunities.

2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: CP opportunities; Just-in-time; Economic edge; Internal audit; Commitment; Ownership; Green materials; CP plans

1. Introduction

With the advent of WTO and ISO certification requirements

for industries and businesses especially for export oriented en-

terprises, the gap between imports and exports in the develop-

ing countries is on the rise. Today, ISO14001 or ISO9001

certified companies around the glob are refusing to do business

with non-certified companies. Moreover, the general absence

of quality consciousness in industrial operations, productsand services in the developing countries is costing them mil-

lions of dollars in terms of rejects and returned consignments.

Thousands of units around the developing world are operating

in same old way and the management dismisses the idea of im-

proved environmental management or ISO certification as un-

due and uneconomical. Success of cleaner production around

the world has proven that commitment from the top

management and true implementation of cleaner production

techniques results in cost effective environmental management

and brings the business close to ISO certification. The objec-

tive of this article is to highlight common cleaner production

opportunities in the commercial environment, provide a com-

prehensive step-by-step guidance for developing a cleaner pro-

duction program and confirm its successes by presenting some

case studies.

According to United Nations Environment Program,Cleaner Production means the continuous application of

an integrated preventive environmental strategy to processes

and products to reduce risks to humans and the environment.

It encompasses a thorough review of all aspects of business

operations and identifies opportunities where improvements

will help businesss economy as well as the environment. In

addition to economical and environmental benefits, cleaner

production saves staff from undue injuries, raises staff moral,

improves legislative compliance, prevents or controls spills,

and raises businesss profile amongst its competitors.* Tel.: 92 51 927 1599.

E-mail address: [email protected]

0959-6526/$ - see front matter 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.06.007

Journal of Cleaner Production 16 (2008) 22e27www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro
mailto:[email protected]://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcleprohttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepromailto:[email protected]


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2. Methodology

This section addresses three subjects: (i) how to develop

a successful cleaner production program; (ii) where to look

for cleaner production opportunities; and (iii) what cleaner pro-

duction opportunities are attached to commonly used equip-

ment. Information provided here can be used as guideline fordevelopment of an effective environmental management sys-

tem (EMS) and documents required for ISO14001 certification.

2.1. Developing a Cleaner Production Program [1]

The most critical factor in any Cleaner Production Pro-

gram is the commitment by the top management as the pro-

gram implementation requires some of the staffs time spent

in meeting, discussing, communicating and planning various

phases of the program. Cost of implementing changes sug-

gested by cleaner production team is another obstacle. Cost

is less likely to be prohibitive if the advantages of the program

are well understood by the management and pay-back periodsare not too long.

Once the top management is convinced of the likely advan-

tages, following steps can be taken to develop and implement

a Cleaner Production Program.

Step-1: Top management selects an engineer or manager

from middle management that is relatively well versed with

the concept of cleaner production and call him/her the Cleaner

Production Champion (CP Champion).

Step-2: The CP Champion will put together a CP team com-

prised of supervisors from each section and the most experi-

enced and active floor staff.

Step-3: The CP team will review past and present environ-mental and economic activities and contracts of the organiza-

tion and identify opportunities where improvements can

enhance environmental compliance, economic benefits or so-

cial stature of the organization. Smart CP teams revisit organ-

izations vision for the future and incorporate future plans

e.g., ISO certification and initiate necessary documentation

of the collected data at the same time. Most common areas

of CP opportunities include: raw materials, water manage-

ment, wastewater management, energy consumption, mainte-

nance, technology being used with reference to the best

available technology, consumables, packaging etc.

Step-4: From the list of CP opportunities prepared in step-3,

CP team will focus on the few most promising ones and ex-

plore to what extent changes would help reducing costs or

improving environmental performance of the organization.

Step-5: After extensive exploration of opportunities, cleaner

production plans (CP Plans) are prepared for implementation

of the changes recommended by the CP team. Achievable

goals and milestones are set and concerted efforts are done

to achieve the goals.

Step 6: Monthly or bimonthly meetings of the CP team keep

track of improvements andbarriersin implementation of CP plans.

Step 7: Steps 4, 5 and 6 are repeated until most of the

cleaner production opportunities are extensively explored and

changes implemented.

2.2. Cleaner production opportunities

From daily life activities of an individual to national activ-

ities, Cleaner Production opportunities are available at every

step. It should however be noted that an opportunity that is

promising in one business may not have the same ranking in

another. Since opportunities vary from business to businessand even from management to management, given below are

the major Cleaner Production opportunities along with their

methods of exploration. Such opportunities exist in most of

the businesses and industries. A comprehensive exploration

of cleaner production opportunities would also help in identi-

fying all environmental aspects of that business. This would

minimize the effort required in developing environmental as-

pects register required as part of Environmental Management

System (EMS) documentation. Given below are a few com-

mon cleaner production opportunities. Any business can re-

view its operations in the light of the following and save cost

as well as the environment.

2.2.1. Raw materials [1e3]

Try bulk purchase i.e., prefer 205 L drums, 1000 L IBCs or

custom-made large containers over 10 or 20 L containers. If

the same raw material is to be used over and over again, refill

containers as far as possible. Use flexible packaging such as

sacks or bags to help reducing storage space requirements. If

a dilute solution is to be used in the industrial operations, pur-

chase concentrated solution for on-site dilution. Where possi-

ble, use recycled raw materials and/or replace costly chemicals

with low cost chemicals of the same characteristics e.g., re-

place H3PO4 with H2SO4. Shop around and prefer local sup-

pliers to avoid shipping and handling charges.Explore and purchase environmentally safe materials for

your business thus help environment friendly businesses,

e.g., replace solvent-based coatings with less toxic, water-

based coatings. Reformulate and redesign your products using

environment friendly materials e.g. eliminate lead from paints

or cadmium from ink manufacturing. Analyze impact of your

products over their life cycle and redesign to minimize its ad-

verse environmental impacts.

2.2.2. Change process or technology [1e4]

Discard obsolete, energy inefficient machinery. Always

purchase energy-efficient, 3e4 star rated equipment. Prefer

mechanical cleaning devices over manual cleaning, i.e., rather

than using tap water and man-power, use high pressure, hot wa-

ter jets. This would minimize water consumption and result

into quality cleaning. Reduce high pressure lines to reduce fu-

gitive emissions of air toxins. Store powdered chemicals in dry,

covered and contained area. Develop and document standard

operating procedures for all business operations. This would

minimize repeats and rejects. Keep a maintenance record of

individual machinery. Post an emergency response procedure

against spills, fire or machinery failure in each section. These

activities will help developing operational controls, and,

emergency preparedness and response registere a requirement

under Section 4.4.6 and 4.4.7 of ISO14001e

2004.

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Training of staff with new technology is vital for any busi-

ness. Get your staff trained as soon as new machinery is in-

stalled. Assess their competence regularly. Ask the trained

staff to train newly inducted staff. Keep changing staffs

work positions. This will provide wider skill-base and reduce

of the risk of production loss. Refresher training and random

competence checks will help keeping the quality high. Docu-mentation of training records and assessment procedures will

help keeping track of training requirements as well as fulfill

another requirement under Section 4.4.2 i.e., competence

training and awareness, of ISO14001e2004.

2.2.3. Improvements in housekeeping [1e3]

Develop and document standard procedures and records

for receiving raw materials and disposal of products. This

would reduce volume and duration of storage as well as pro-

vide a track record of items in production flow. Take steps to

reduce and contain spills. Also install spill control procedure

and necessary equipment in the area where the spill is likely.

Review inventory of raw materials and products weekly. Ap-ply Just in time technique to avoid un-necessary storage.

2.2.4. Communication [1,4]

Healthy two-way communication is the heart and soul of

any program. Cleaner production champions all around the

world regularly communicate to their staff at all levels. De-

velop a system of communication throughout your organiza-

tion. This is important to get the first hand information

about conformance or complications. This will also provide

staff with changes in managements plans, objectives, targets

and legal obligations. Encourage staffs ownership e promote

intersectional competitions and reward best performers. An-nounce employee of the month award to motivate staff.

Keeping records, documentation and implementation of such

a communication system will fulfill requirement of Section

4.4.3 communication of ISO-14001e2004.

2.2.5. On-site waste management [1e3,4]

Think through operations and minimize raw material wast-

age. Motivate floor-staff in waste minimization drive by shar-

ing the income from sold recycling materials. Segregate

effluent streams with reuse focus. Treatment of wastewater

to the countrys effluent quality standards is obligatory irre-

spective of seeking certification. Install low-cost treatment

systems as far as possible. Keep track of businesss obligations

under prevailing legislation and maintain a record of viola-

tions. Maintain a legal requirements register and update it

with changes in legislation. This would establish the basis

for businesss track record under Section 4.5.2 namely, eval-

uation of compliance while applying for ISO14001:2001

certification.

Segregate solid wastes and recycle where possible. Install

scrubbers to treat emissions. Comprehensive waste manage-

ment practices make any business more sustainable as well

as compliant with legislative requirement. Return all expired

chemicals and used chemical containers to suppliers as far

as possible. Shop around for most economical waste collector.

Conduct informal internal audits to review opportunities of

waste reduction and enhancement of waste reuse. This may

also include energy audit and machine-hours vs production

etc. Waste reduction can be improved by defining new targets

every year and motivating staff. Documentation results from

such audits and actions taken to fill the gaps will not only

improve production but reduce waste and will fulfill an otherrequirement of ISO14001e2004 under Section 4.5.5 namely

internal audit.

2.2.6. Energy management [1e3]

Conduct an in-house energy audit every year or hire an

external auditor. In case of a large industry, conduct internal

energy audit in parts. Painting walls as white improves light

as well as the working environment. Use natural light by intro-

ducing translucent sheets in ceiling and installing large win-

dows all around. Maintaining minor gaps between start of

heavy machinery would reduce probability of crossing the

energy threshold. Recover heat loss by using heat exchangers.

Develop a culture of turning lights & machinery off while notin use. Sensors can also be used to turn the lights and taps on

when needed. Replace high power light fixture with energy

saver fixture. Revisit electricity and telephone contracts where

possible. Supplement your energy needs with green energy

i.e., solar and wind energy, and set new targets each year.

Costs on phones are changing rapidly. Attend to your power

correction factor and keep it close to 1.0 as far as possible.

2.2.7. Water consumption [1e4]

Conduct an internal water use & quality audit each year.

Identify wastewater streams that can be diverted to reuse. Har-

vesting storm water can save on water used for floor cleaningand/or washrooms flushing. Use AAA rated water shower-

heads and taps. Conduct a weekly survey for leaking taps

and other fixtures. Fix leaks immediately. Document steps

involved in the routine water audit and maintain records.

This will become part of the internal audit required in

ISO14001e2004 certification.

2.2.8. Equipment maintenance [1e3]

Keep all moving machinery well lubricated. Establish and

follow an equipment maintenance and fixtures changes plan.

Keep maintenance record of each equipment. Never use sole

supplier for equipment & spares. This can jeopardize produc-

tion and other operations anytime. Keep in touch with modern

developments & budget for replacement of equipment. Switch

to long life and better quality lubricants, coolants and

chemicals.

2.2.9. Consumables [1e3]

Consumables are materials used in the business operations

and personal protection in addition to raw materials, e.g., nuts,

bolts, rags, cartridges, filters, oils, ear-plugs, gloves, goggles,

overalls, shoes fuels and stationary, etc. In offices, promote

use of both sides of the paper and recycled toner cartridges.

Shop around for petrol, coolants, detergents and other consum-

ables. Decentralize purchasing so that each department can

24 Z. Khan / Journal of Cleaner Production 16 (2008) 22e27


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maintain its own inventory of consumables. Maintain a record

and study variations with time and production. Keeping track

of consumables becomes a part of monitoring and measure-

ment covered under Section 4.5.1 of the ISO14001:2004.

Do not enter into a long-time contract, this would limit your

flexibility and may not be economical in the long run.

2.2.10. Packaging [1e3]

Packaging may include materials that are being purchased

by the company for packing its products or the kind of pack-

aging it is receiving along with its raw materials. In order to

reduce cost on packaging materials, quarterly review most

popular & unpopular packaging and accordingly change un-

popular sizes. Design packing as to maximize its recovery

and reuse Shred and reuse waste cardboard and papers for

shock absorbing materials.

2.3. Equipment specific cleaner production options

2.3.1. Compressed air systems [1,5,6]

Compressed air systems are an essential component of al-

most every industry. Many CP measures have been suggested

to reduce the cost of operating these systems. A 3 drop

in temperature of the incoming air can reduce energy

consumption by 1%. This can simply be achieved by placing

compressor under cover. Most compressed air systems are

over-designed, matching demand and supply would cut the

cost. Air leaks in compressed systems are responsible for

20% of the air consumption. Also many businesses keep extra

pressurized lines to the need in case. Removing unused com-

pressed air lines can help reducing cost. Establish and follow

a monthly schedule of leak detection. Keep records of leaksand cost of repairs to decide when to replace lines. Ultrasonic

equipment is now available in the market to make this job easy.

2.3.2. Boilers/hot water systems [1,5,6]

Hot water systems using gas are lot more economical and

environment friendly than those using furnace oil, diesel,

coal or electricity. Efficient combustion equipment reduces

the fuel demand. Often boilers are oversized. Matching de-

mand with generation would help reducing the cost. Use of

demineralized water reduces the need for anti-scaling agents

as well as maintenance requirements. Insulating hot water

and/or steam lines reduces heat loss by as much as 90%. Reg-

ularly check and repair steam traps and keep the operating

pressure to an optimum level. In case of hot-water system,

re-set your thermostat to 60 C. Hot water consumption can

be halved by installing AAA rated shower-heads and water

saving aerators on taps. Savings through on-time repairs of

leaky taps and rusting pipes is another important economical

step.

2.3.3. Electric motors [1,5,6]

Fifty percent of worlds energy goes through electric mo-

tors. Ratio between the capital cost vs operating cost of elec-

tric motors is 5:1. Studies have shown that 2.4 KW saved at

motors can save up to 8 KW at the power plant. Installation

of variable speed drive for motors that are not always fully

loaded, saves as much as 20e30% energy. Also installation

of time switches to turn off un-loaded motors helps in saving

energy as well as maintenance. Again, in case electric motors

over-sizing is quite common. Reducing number of tees and el-

bows in pipes following motors reduces head-loss. Minimize

rewinds, each rewind reduces motors efficiency.

2.3.4. Pumps and fans [1,5,6]

According to Sustainable Energy Development Agency,

NSW, Australia, savings as high as 80% can be achieved by

reducing the speed of pumps and fans to 50%. A unit of energy

saved at pump or fan saves 3.3 units at the motor. In order to

save energy, ensure that pipes and ducts or not undersized-

15% increase in pipe diameter reduces pressure drop by

50%. In case of centrifugal pump, trim impeller diameter be-

low design flow rate or use a smaller diameter impeller. A 10%

reduction in impeller diameter would reduce energy consump-

tion by 25%. Altering the angle of the blades in fans also helpsincreasing its efficacy. Regular maintenance and installation of

timers to stop pumps and fans when not in use, adds into the

efficiency and working life of the equipment.

2.3.5. Ovens and kilns [1,5,6]

Ovens and kilns are a common encounter in ceramics and

allied industry. The efficiency of ovens and kilns can be im-

proved by automating controls rather than manual operations.

Waste heat can easily be recovered for use in other operations.

Reduction in heat loss can be achieved by insulation and

proper sealing. Use of indirect heating often losses heat in

the conduction and convection processes. Change from indi-rect heating to direct firing reduces this loss. Optimizing tem-

perature and minimizing warm-up time is another source of

economical heating.

2.3.6. Cooling towers [1,5,6]

While cooling towers continuously reuse water within a

facility, they can represent between 20e30% of the total water

consumption. The efficiency of water use in cooling towers

can be improved by optimizing water treatment to minimize

blow-down requirements. Drift (water loss in the form of

mist) can be reduced by installing baffles or drift eliminators.

Using clean water from other operations within the facility asmake-up water or re-using blow-down water in other opera-

tions reduces the cost of fresh water.

3. Discussion

Thousands of businesses around the world are enjoying

economic, environmental and social benefits from implement-

ing cleaner production practices. Given below are the cleaner

production guidelines for the most polluting automotive indus-

try. A few case studies, developed by the author, are also dis-

cussed to promote the sense of cleaner production in other

industrial sectors.



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3.1. Cleaner production and the automotive industry

Automotive industry is one of most polluting industry

amongst small enterprises. Owing to the poor regulatory en-

forcement, business owners in developing countries dispose

all kind of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes into the environ-

ment. Open air spray painting, disposal of oil bearing filtersinto open waste-dumps, repairing leaky cars without spill col-

lectors in open spaces, waste coolant running into natural

streams or street-side drains, storage of oils chemicals and

greasy parts in open air, car washings everywhere and on per-

meable surface, noisy smoky engine testing, used tires dis-

posed off in open dumps etc. are common practices in the

developing world. Given in Table 1 are a few of the cleaner

production options vis-a-vis existing practices.

As mentioned earlier, cleaner production is applicable to

any business and is useful in getting environmental, economic

and social benefits. The most important aspect of cleaner pro-

duction is that its application in true spirit would alleviate the

functioning of an organization to a point where it can developits EMS without using a consultant and get ISO14001:2004

certification without any further steps. Most of the case studies

presented below, get their ISO14001 certification through true

application of cleaner production practices.

Case study-1 [2]: Company A is an aluminium anodising

business. Cleaner production team evaluated the efficiency

of all of its rectifiers using computer models and recommen-

ded to overhaul rectifier #3. In doing so the company saved

$13,000 in terms of energy cost only. Air agitation system in

heat transfer baths was found inefficient. The company re-

placed fine bubblers with circulating jets. This reduced the

power required for fluid agitation by 20%. Examination ofheat transfer between chillers and heat exchangers revealed

that the system was working inefficiently. Pressure and heat

was lost due thin pipes. Increasing diameter of these pipes im-

proved heat transfer efficiency. Also new heat exchangers

were recommended to minimize the heat loss. Inspired by

the recommendations by the Cleaner Production team, the

company hired an independent energy consultant. At a cost

$1500 paid to energy consultant, the company changed it en-

ergy supplier and started saving over $5000 per month. Dis-

posal of aluminum sludge from the wastewater treatment

plant was costing $5000 per month to the company. TheCleaner Production team discovered that the same sludge

could be used for phosphate removal at the sewage treatment

plant. Another company expressed its interest to use the sludge

as raw material for its product. Overall Company A was esti-

mated to save over $180,000 per annum.

Case study-2 [2]: Company B was an international ink man-

ufacturer. Their product was mainly used for currency printing

all around the world. The company had an inefficient non-

compliance reporting system (NCR) in place. Many loopholes

were identified by the Cleaner production team that helped im-

proving the NCR. Valuable press-based was lost due to pack-

aging and poor removal methods. CP team recommended

changes in product recovery mechanisms that saved productworth thousands of dollars. Company had an impressive fleet

of vans that would rush to deliver products as soon as a demand

was launched. By introducing a delay time of half-an-hour, the

company was able to mange many orders in one go saving cost

of fuel and drivers time. The company also reviewed it pack-

aging and eliminated un-popular sizes. On waste management

side, the company promoted on-site waste sorting and recy-

cling system. Waste barrels and buckets were crushed on-

site to minimize volume of the waste. This reduced the number

of waste pick-ups to twice a month from 6e8 times a month.

An efficient hot water jet system reduced the time and effort

for cleaning the used machinery and waste drums. Adjust ofcool room thermo-state to 20 C viz a viz 13 C helped reduc-

ing energy bill. Similarly a fresh whitewash of the ceiling and

the top-half of factory walls ignited a new life into the dull

odorous environment. Another important development was

Table 1

Existing vs CP practices in automotive businesses

No. Current practice Proposed CP practice

1 Open air spray painting pollutes air damages

the health of the worker

Conduct spray painting in enclosed spray booth fitted with filters and

exhaust fans. Staff must use respirator and other safety gear during spray

painting. Also using low pressure, high volume spray guns would impart

most of the paint to the surface.

2 Waste oil filters dumped along with other waste Drain oil filters for more than 24 h into an oil can.

Crush oil filters into an oil collector. Remove and recycle metal and dispose

off paper into the bin. Similarly, remove and reuse metal part of the air filter.

3 Drums/cans of fresh oils, coolants and other

chemicals stored near shop door

Store all oils, coolants and other chemicals in a sealed, bunded and covered area.

Keep a spill kit or a bag of rags ready to control, contain and clean spills.

4 Vehicle repair in open air on permeable soil Always repair vehicles in a sealed area and use oil collecting pans or at least a

few rags under the vehicle to keep the surface clean.

5 Open air car washing Wash vehicles in a proper wash-bay where all the wastewater is collected and

treated using an oil-water separator before disposal into the street drain or sewer.

6 Compressors and vehicle testing e highly noisy Reduce compressor noise by placing it on rubber pads and covering it.

Test vehicles at low rpm while vehicle faces the shop door. Use shop exhaust to

remove smoke.

7 Used tires e everywhere Store and sell tires to recyclers. Used tires are used to make sleepers and mates.

They can be used for soil and slope stabilization, shock absorbers and kids swings.

8 Used batteries e thrown in open Used batteries can be a source of acid. Thrown in open, they can damage the surface

in contact. Keep the batteries in closed area until taken away by a recycler.

26 Z. Khan / Journal of Cleaner Production 16 (2008) 22e27


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the installation of power factor correction equipment that im-

proved the power factor from 0.8 to near unity. Changing the

position of near-ceiling exhaust fans in the chemical storage

room to near floor, removed all heavy and health hazardous

vapors. Inspired by the above actions and resulting savings,

the company conducted its internal audit and many more

cost saving opportunities, for example removal of extra phonelines, sprung up. As a result of cleaner production project,

Company B saved $60,000 per annum.

Case study-3 [2]: Company C was an international detergent

manufacturing company dealing in liquid as well as powdered

detergents. Being a large company with many departments,

ever-changing products and over 500 staff, the company had

stocks of obsolete raw materials and waste detergents. A de-

tailed cleaner production audit suggested that company must

decentralize it purchasing and each department should follow

a just-in-time technique to minimize such stocks. A culture

of on-site waste segregation and enhanced recycling lead to

a 30% reduction in waste. Also the company revisited it waste

disposal contract and saved an extra 10% by hiring a new wastecollector. Comprehensive light survey in the product ware-

house, helped repositioning and replacing the 1000 Watt

high-bays by 400 Watt Sodium illuminators. A reflective

white-wash inside the warehouse multiplied the effectiveness

of light. Installation of power correction factor equipment en-

hanced the value of supplied energy. On staff level, disposable

coffee cups were replaced by personalized re-usable cups.

Manual cleaning of tanks was replaced by hot water jets.

Dual flush systems and water efficient taps were added to all

washrooms and showers. The company was using phosphoric

acid for pH adjustment in its wastewater treatment plant. CP

team recommended the use of economical sulfuric acid. Mea-sures were also taken to collect and reuse waste detergent pow-

der. Replacement of 205 L, non-recyclable, chemical drums

with large storage vessels resulted in huge savings. Over all

the company saved in the vicinity of $360,000 per annum.

Case study-4 [2]: Company D is a large construction equip-

ment hiring business. Company offices are located all around

Australian with its main workshop and head office in Sydney.

Large volume of water was consumed by the company in its

machine wash-bay. Also the company wanted to rebuild work-

shop and offices as the most environment friendly building.

Cleaner production team suggested reusing of last rinse as

the first flush for the next machine. Workshop was divided

into four sections such as: (i) services area for oil and coolant

changes; (ii) engineering welding section; (iii) oils and

chemical stores; and (iv) spares warehouse. Influx of natural

light was maximized by roof-top windows and painting top

two-third of all walls inside the workshop as white. All lights

were repositioned relevant to the point of use. An inventory

register was maintained to keep track of spares, personal pro-

tection equipment and volumes of oils/coolants used. Reuse of

cleaner rags was promoted. Staff decided to collect and sell all

soda cans and use the collection for annual X-mass party. The

company switched to long life oils and coolants that reduced

frequency of services. Overall company D saved around

$60,000 per annum.

Case study-5 [2]: Company E is polystyrene structure

manufacturer. Imported polystyrene resin is subjected to steam

before moulding into different shapes. House keeping, loss of

steam and loss of raw materials were a few major issues.

Cleaner production team suggested that machine moulds and

other equipment not always in use be stored in a separate

room. A study was initiated to adjust the weight: volume ratioof the products as per the original configurations. A mainte-

nance and service schedule was devised for steam traps and

boilers. Granulation of rejects was replaced with a low temper-

ature moulding machine that would convert the reject to a useful

raw material for low quality products. Machine time for each

machine was reviewed and adjustments were made to enhance

the machine efficiency. All compressed air and steam lines were

surveyed for leaks and repaired as required. Power correction

factor of company E was found to be near unity. Company saved

$78,000 per annum as a result of its cleaner production program.

4. Cost benefits analysis

Whilst most of the Cleaner Production practices require bet-

ter management of existing resources and a pro-environment

attitude at all levels of the organization, yet some changes,

for example, replacement of an obsolete machine with latest,

energy efficient machine would require funding. Similarly

placement of solar panels or translucent sheets for more natural

light would involve expenditure. It has been seen that savings

will offset the cost within a period of 3e30 months and after-

wards then its savings continue to save money for the firm.

5. Conclusions

Its clear from the above discussion that adopting cleaner

production practices will result in improved efficiency and

productivity, enhanced regulatory compliance, leading to bet-

ter public image and marketing advantages, reduced environ-

mental risks and ultimately reduced operating cost with

stronger organizational support for the environment.

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges the information pro-

vided by Advitech Pty Ltd, New Castle, NSW, Australia.

References

[1] Environment & business- Profiting from Cleaner Production, Cleaner

Production Manual published by "Environment Australia", Canberra:

Australia; 2001. p. 38.

[2] Khan Z, Wilson D. Cleaner Production Project REport for Smithfield-

Wetherill Park Industrial Area, NSW, Australia; March 2003. p. 170.

[3] Barker C. Cleaner Production Engineer, Advitech Pty Ltd, New Castle,

NSW, Australia: Personal Communications; January 2001eOctober 2004.

[4] InternationalStandardse ISO14001:EnvironmentalManagement Systemse

Requirements with guidance for use; 2004.

[5] EPA- Unpublished Cleaner Production Module-3, NSW-Australia; 2002.

p. 89.

[6] Energy Savers Manual. Sustainable Energy Development Agency. NSW,

Australia; 2001. p. 124.


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