The Dow Chemical Company and the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China today launch a National Cleaner Production Pilot Project in the country, with Dow contributing 6 billion yuan ((US$724.94 million) over the next three years to support the project.

Cleaner production, in essence, is the continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy to processes, products and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks and possible damage to humans and the environment. It is a key driver of the Chinese government to reduce environmental degradation and achieve sustainable development over the long term.

Today's launch follows the signing of a Letter of Intent by Dow and SEPA in June last year, and collaborations by a joint DOW/SEPA working group set up to define and work out details for an optimal implementation of the three-year project.

"Cleaner production is really the way to go for corporations which want to go high tech, achieve lower resource wastage, reduce pollution to the environment, and attain higher economic efficiency," said Ms Wang Jirong, deputy director of SEPA. "China currently faces growing pressure on the supplies of energy and resources - gas, oil, and electricity just to name a few. Cleaner production can not only help reduce waste in the production processed, but also increase the efficiency of energy resources and ultimately improve competitiveness of enterprises."

"I' delighted to see the Cleaner Production Pilot Project moving full steam ahead with support by SEPA, provincial environmental protection bureaus and also the local enterprises," said Jim McIlvenny, president of Down Grater China. "China will play a critical role in the sustainable development of the world and Dow is pleased to play our part in contributing to sustainable development in China."

The three-year project will focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from the chemicals or related industries such as pharmaceuticals, dyeing, electroplating, paper and brewery. The project will be implemented through a series of education, training as well as appraisal and recognition programs to support and promote the development of cleaner production in China.

The training programs - which will be conducted in various provinces - aim to support capacity building in both the public and private sectors, raise the awareness and understanding of cleaner production and encourage industries to incorporate the concept into production process. Guidebooks, papers, case studies and tool kits promoting cleaner production will also be produced and distributed to enterprises across the country.

Over the next three years, 20 enterprises will be selected each year for an audit in which their production processes, management focus, implementation and results of their cleaner production application will be evaluated. Top five performers will be recognized with awards, and case studies on their success experiences will be shared broadly. Improvement recommendations will be provided to all who participate in the audit.

Dow and Sustainable Development

Dow's continuous journey towards delivering on its promise to improve the standard of living the world over is reflected in its corporate mission - to constantly improve what is essential to human progress by mastering science and technology.

In January 1999, Dow signed on to the Guiding Principles of Responsible Care, a voluntary initiative within the global chemical industry to safely handle its products from inception in the research laboratory, through manufacture and distribution, to ultimate disposal. A pioneer in sustainability reporting, Dow began publishing global public reports within the same year.

Dow's CSR initiatives have been recognized by sustainability groups. Dow was named the 2001 Corporate Sustainability Leader for the global chemical industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. And for the second consecutive year, Down has been rated the leading global chemical company in a comprehensive assessment of the 2,500 largest companies in the Dow Jones Global Index, according to 30 Triple Bottom Line criteria.

(China.org.cn March 16, 2005)