On 14 July 2016
A joint UNIDO/UNEP seminar on responsible production was held in the framework of the European Union Programme "Greening the economy of the Eastern Partnership countries". The main focus was put on the European practice in chemicals’ management in various industries, including directly in the production of chemical products.
The seminar was organized by the experts of the Demonstration Programme on Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (hereinafter - RE/CP) in the Republic of Belarus with the support of UNIDO and UNEP.
From the side of national authorities, the representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Economy, the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Hygiene, as well as the representatives of companies, interested in establishing the legal framework in the field of hazardous chemicals, took part in the seminar.
Natalia Zharkina, the head of public policy and environmental regulation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, has noted, that now Belarus moves to the "green" economy, under which it is necessary to implement new modern technologies and is meant not only technical solutions, but new production management technologies.
Carolina Gonzalez, the head of the RE/CP programme (UNIDO), has talked about the activities of UNIDO for the implementation of the demonstration RE/CP component and for handling of the chemicals.
The main task of the UNIDO - realization of global sustainable development goals – sustainable industrialization promotion, inspiration of innovations in the field of resource and energy efficiency.
One of the priorities under the framework of responsible production is a "green" and sustainable chemistry.
«Green» chemistry — a basically new innovative approach to the reduction or complete rejection of the use of hazardous and toxic chemicals, consisting in the use of pure and less polluting industrial processes, ensuring, that manufacturers take responsibility for manufactured products.
The ideas of this concept are supported by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
An innovative approach - chemical leasing - is used in the concept of "green" chemistry.
Chemical leasing - a new strategic UNIDO approach to reduce the consumption of chemicals and to reduce the negative impact on the environment. The innovative character of chemical leasing is that the supplier and the user establish a partnership in which chemicals are used more efficiently, but do not have a negative impact on the environment.
Eliza Tonda, Head of Responsible production and added value chain (UNEP) has noted, that UNEP's mission - to provide overall guidance and encourage cooperation in the field of environmental protection through motivation, informing and enabling nations and peoples.
Tools that can be used in the production with the use of chemicals:
- Eco-innovation is a strategic business approach to promote sustainable practices along company’s value chain.
Eco-innovations - the development and the implementation of business models, solutions and technologies, organizational structure changes, anything, that will increase profits, but reduce the costs, associated with losses and the impact on the environment.
Examples of eco-innovations, which are set out in the manual, developed by UNEP, can be downloaded by the link.
- Responsible production — chemicals’ management at the enterprise level.
In September 2016, an information portal on the chemicals’ management will be launched.
Irina Ilyukova, Head of Laboratory of Preventive Maintenance and Environmental Toxicology of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Hygiene, has told about the legislation in the sphere of hazardous chemicals in the Republic of Belarus.
The use of chemicals in the production process leads to
- The growth of morbidity: increase in the number of oncological diseases;
- 20% of the world population – allergic individuals;
- every 7th couple in the world is barren, in Belarus – every 4th couple;
- increasing the number of the risk of chemical accidents, accompanied by emissions and discharges of chemicals;
- increase in the number of birth defects.
One of the major gaps in the legislation for the handling of chemicals - Republic of Belarus is not a party of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (hereinafter - the Rotterdam Convention) in which the precautionary principle is reflected in relation to the chemicals.
The aim of the Rotterdam Convention - to promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm and to contribute to their environmentally reasonable use, by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, by providing for a national decision-making process on their import, export and by disseminating these decisions to Parties.
Aida Szilagyi, president of the National Cleaner Production Centre (Romania), Chairman of the European branch of a worldwide network for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production RECPnet, has presented a model of responsible production in her report.
There are 5 stages of the implementation of responsible production model:1. Definition of the understanding of responsible production and identification of the risks of chemicals’ use:
Starting with the process of delivery of hazardous chemicals and materials, it is necessary to make technological maps of all processes, based on the entire life cycle of the substance, including disposal process. It is necessary to determine the level of operations’ specification for each process. In the description of the process we need to use the following approach:
- conduct an inventory of all useful/applicable chemicals;
- describe the hazardous properties of the substance, the used amount;
- conduct risk assessments and their priorities;
- make a registry of legal acts, which regulate the handling of the identified chemicals.
The information about the use of chemicals can be obtained from the material safety data sheet (the so-called - MSDS). Unfortunately, in the Republic of Belarus, the presence of material safety data sheets for all kinds of applied substances is not required. Moreover, enterprises are faced with the constant challenge in the absence of such data sheets when delivered batches of substances and materials. In this regard, it is necessary to be persistent against the manufacturer or importer as well as the presence of the safety data sheet of the chemical in their case is required.
2. Identification and involvement of stakeholders to the process. It can be partners, carriers, customers, the disposal organizations, indirect stakeholders - local authorities, the state.
3. Development of a plan to control risks: identify issues and plan activities to reduce the risks, dangers, for this purpose, indicators, targets must be use.
Initially, it is necessary to determine the possibility of occurrence of risks and measures to reduce risk (the analysis should be based on the statements, including the analysis of the financial costs, associated with the risk minimization). The second stage of the process is the establishment of targets and indicators in relation to the risks, associated with the handling of chemicals. Developed goals should be the basis of an action plan for the chemicals management in the enterprise. The next step should include an assessment of the need for training the responsible personnel: determine the composition of the group of learners, the coverage of the topic.The final stage - the development of an action plan in emergencies that may occur in your company.
As for the indicators, that determine the effectiveness of measures, the following information can be used: the number of hazardous chemicals, from the use of which it was possible to abandon/replace with the less dangerous; the amount of the applicable hazardous chemicals; the number of emergencies, arisen in the period.
4. Implementation of the plan to control risks.
Developed plan should be implemented at the planned terms for each of the events. Staff, assigned to be responsible for the implementation of measures, is required to be trained at this time.
5. Assessment of effectiveness.
When assessing the effectiveness it is necessary to ask questions: Have we achieved the goal? Have we begin to work better? The assessment should be conducted annually.
The approach to the assessment of the effectiveness of measures can be copied from existing management systems (management) at your company.
The examples of the application of the approach of responsible production is available on theUNEP website.
Reinhard Joas, managing director of BiPRO GmbH (Germany) spoke in detail about how to conduct a risk analysis, the priority of the dangers and what are the measures to reduce the risks.
For the risk analysis, prioritization and identification of risks, associated with chemicals, it is necessary to create a map of risks, ie to map each chemical. Map of chemicals should include a description of the following points:
- operations in which there are (used) chemicals;
- the degree of danger of chemical substances, the amount of the chemical;
- type of risk: the explosion, leaking, spilling, fire;
- what object is at risk: man, equipment, building (construction), city/region;
- consequences: it does not matter, it is permissible, seriously, very seriously, the disaster;
- the seriousness to the life, environment, property and the velocity of propagation;
- the probability of the emergencies;
- priority;
- measures to reduce risks.
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