INTRODUCTION

　　China's great success in achieving economic growth rates of some 10% per year ca rries with it great risks to the environment and to human health. If these risks are not removed the environmental problems will soon slow economic growth and p revent sustainable development. Most of these risks stem from industral expansio n and energy generation. Annual wastewater discharges, for example, have reached over 36 billion m3, of which 70% is industrial wastewater. Only less than 10% m unicipal wastewater and 35% industrial wasterwater are treated properly, and mos t of it is discharged untreated, so over one half of the major river systems are facing heavy pollution.

　　With traditional technologies and even some relatively modern ones there is almo st a linear relationship between economic growth and the generation of pollutant s and other pressures on the environment. The adoption of cleaner production① i s the only way of breaking this relationship, and maintaining both economic grow th and achieving China's Agenda 21 for sustainable development.

　　① Cleaner Production (CP) can be defined as all techniques, processes and produ cts that avoid or diminish environmental damage, conserve natural resources, raw materials and energy, and lower risks to human health. Thus CP is not just the selection and use of cleaner technologies, but the whole production and consumpt ion process, including efficient use of natural resources, waste minimisation an d recycling, the organisation and management of the manufacturing and distributi on process within and beyond the factory gate, and the reduction of wasteful con sumption patterns by all members of society.

　　This report therefore deals with the opportunities for the widespread adoption o f CP in China, and the problems which must beovercome, particularly those relati ng to R&D&T. It is the second report of the CCICED Working Group on Scientific R esearch, Technological Development and Training, and draws heavily on the first report, which provided a general assessment of China's environmental sciences, t echnology development and environmental education.

　　The working group met in Shanghai on April 18-22, 1994 to discuss 10 background reports on CP submitted by Chinese and foreign members, and to establish the str ucture of the final report. It completed the report at a meeting in Tsujuba, Jap an from the 25-27 July, 1994. Both meeting involved visits to towns, industrial complexes and power stations that illustrated the major pollution problems to be addressed and opportunities for their control through CP.

　　The report undertakes five tasks. First, an examination of CP as a prerequisite for sustainable development. Second, an assessment of the feasibility of widespr ead adoption of CP in China. Third, the development of a Chinese strategy for CP which is appropriate to its social and economic situation. Fourth, the identifi cation of priority actions for R&D&T. Finally, an analysis of the key role that government, industry and international cooperation should play in the implementa tion of CP.

　　1. CP as a Prerequisite for Sustainable Development

　　1.1 The Global and Regional Dimension and China's International Obligation

　　The humankind is much more aware of the vital role that the environment plays in life support system for the sustainable development. This inseperability of env ironment and development was endosed by the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992 and its Agenda 21 document.

　　Unfortunately the global environment continues to be deteriorated at an even hig her speed. For instance, air, water and soil pollution due mainly to the dischar ges and wastes from industry; destruction of the ozone layer and their impact on human health; the shortage of water; desertification and decreasing of soil res ources; and diminishing biodiversity due mainly to irrational use of land and bi otic resources remain very serious.

　　One of the most serious environmental threats currently facing humankind is the increasing of atmospheric concentration of green house gases, such as carbon dio xide, methane, nitrogen oxides. These arise from the increasing of burning of fo ssil fuels and are thought to have caused some global warming since the last cen tury and will warm the atmosphere even more in the future, although positive evi dence is still not available.

　　China, having nearly one-fifth of the world population and under the rapid devel opment of social economy, has made and now making strong impact on the global an d regional environment. For instance, due to the energy structure (coal is nearl y 75% of the total energy consumption) and low efficiency of coal combustion tec hniques, its present contribution to the world total green house gases emission amounts to more than 7%, although the average Chinese per capita emission is abo ut one-fifth of that of U.S. A., Canada and Australia. The emission of CH4 from coal mining in China reaches 16.99 Tg CH4, nearly 39% of the total CH4 emission of the country, even higher than that from rice paddy.

　　It is predicted that with the potential fossil fuels consumption and growing pop ulation, the emission of CO2 and other gases will increase significantly by the mid of next century. The long-distance transportation of sulphur dioxide and its contribution to acid deposition together with heavy metal pollutants from vario us industries will have regional and global influence, such as marine pollution in the off shore region of Pacific and in the coastal zones.

　　Obviously the widespread application of cleaner production to industries, especi ally to improve the coal combustion techniques in China would not only reduce th e air, water and soil pollution and to improve the living environment of the peo ple, to raise the efficiency of energy use, but also to diminish the possible ne gative impacts on global climate.

　　1.2 The National and Local Dimension

　　For discussion of China's cleaner production strategy, following factors are of great importance in their domestic impacts:

　　* Air pollution has been a serious problem in China as only less than 1% among o ver 500 cities the air quality passes the health standard of WHO. 30% of the sur face of China is under the influence of acid rain and several parts of China are now listed together as one of the three major acid rain regions in the world, t he other two being in Europe and North America.

　　* Agriculture is the biggest user of water, and its energy consumption is increa sing as mechanisation progresses. It is further more a source of pollution by pe sticides and fertilisers. Rice production contributes to the emission of green h ouse gas methane. New irrigation requirements pose problems of impacts on valuab le ecosystems.

　　* China is backward in industrial production with regard to processes and techni ques, equipments, management and labor's qualities. As the results, the utilizat ion rates of raw materials and en. ergy sources in average are about 1 / 4 to 1 /6 of those of devel. open countries. Therefore, industr is the biggest polluter to the environment of China. The rapia develoment of industry, especially the t oqwnship and village enterprises, makes environment more serious no matter the h ard work done by the environmendal boies in China.

　　8 Water, including water shhorage and water pollution, is another tough problem facing Chaia. Not only the average warter resource oper capita in China is much lower than what is need, but also the uneven distributin of the water resources is need, but also the oer caout ub China is much lower than what is need, but al so the uneven distribution of the water resources in the area, season seasons an d uneven distribution of the water resource in the area, seasons and yea4s makes the problem more serious. Wter pollution has years makes the prolbem, more seri ous. Water pollution has threatend people's helath and damaged ecosystems consid erablyt.

　　8 Solid wastes, including municpal wastes and industrial. haradous wastes, is al so an environemmt concern in China. Theres factors demonstrate that the quality of lief in China as well as its production capacity is reriously threatened and that the benefist as its production capactity is seriously threatened and that t hed benefits of its economic growth will be nulified to a large extent if no ste ps are taken to address the problems concerned.

　　1.3 The Developed Country Experience

　　China is well placed to learn from the past mistakes and successes of the develo ped countries. During the 1950s and 1960s, they experienced many of the environm ental problems China now faces from the intensification of agricultural and indu strial activities. They failed to react quickly enough to prevent serious damage to the general environment and to human health. However, the OECD countries but not the former centrally planned countries of Europe, eventually responded by g reatly strengthening their enivronmental protection activities from about 1960, with a stress on the introduction of cleaner production from the early 1970s. Th e results have made a considerable contribution to both physical and economic su stainability. They have also succeeded in delinking growth in pollution from tha t of economic growth. In Germany, for example, although the national economy (GD P) more than doubled between 1970 and 1989, dust and sulphur dioxide emissions w ere reduced by about 75%, and much of this gain stemmed from cleaner production.

　　China can draw in various ways on the OECD experience regarding the promotion of cleaner production. It can reap the benefits of technological leap-frogging thr ough technlogy transfer. It can examine OECD modalities for creating a balanced incentive environment for the development and uptake of cleaner production. And it can draw on proven OECD models for meeting specific training needs, notably t hose for environmentally motivated policy planners, process engineers, and agric ultural or industrial workers.

　　The OECD countries are now introducing an additional guiding principle, namely t he Precautionary Principle which is enshrined in the RIO Declaration adopted at UNCED. It requires anticipatory environmental action to avoid or minimize pollut ion problems, even in advance of full scientific proof for the risk.

　　Much of the pressure for cleaner production in OECD countries stems from their r esponses to weaknesses in their environmental protection policies and programs. These responses involve important shifts in both the policy and the pollutant fo cus, and notably from:

　　(1) heavy reliance on regulations to the use of economic instruments;

　　(2) sectoral to economy wide approaches;

　　(3) control of single pollutants to that of all of the wastes and pollutants of a particular industrial process;

　　(4) point to non-point sources;

　　(5) end-of-pipe controls to cleaner technologies;

　　(6) isolated interventions to life cycle or cradle-to-grave approaches.

　　Thus, they have progressively adopted a much more holistic approach to environme ntal management, and to the promotion of cleaner production.

　　Four other aspects of the developed country experience could be important to Chi na. First, the massive growth in waste generation which occurs with rising incom es, leading to new pollution problems from waste disposal sites or to shortages of suitable sites near to major urban areas. Secondly, the key role of the priva te sector in both the creation and the adoption of cleaner production, and in te chnology transfer as part of foreigen direct investment, joint ventures and so o n. Thirdly, the fact that very few polluting enterprises will adopt CP if they f eel that the financial costs and / or the required technical and management skil ls exceed those they possess. Consequently, they have found it necessary to intr oduce incentives such as R&D or installation grants and pressures through legall y enforceable pollution abatement performance standards together with pollution taxes and other economic instruments. Fourthly, the need to avoid problem displa cement where CP creates other pollution hazards. Finally, the key role that gove rnments must play in stimulation public awareness of the benefits of CP and in s upporting the research and training needed to bring about its development and ef fective operation.

　　China may wish to assess in depth the developed country experience, and its appl icability to their own environmental situation and their science, technology and training needs.

　　2.The Feasibility of Carrying out CP in China

　　2.1Present Status of Cleaner Production in China

　　The research and some implementation of cleaner producion was started in China i n the late 1970's .Subsequentlythe National Environmental Protection A gency (NE PA) formulated a series of policies to encourage the development of cleaner prod uction,and particualrly"to combine prevention and treatment of pollution and tak e prevention as the priority"and to "extend comprehensive utilization of wastes and reduce environment pollution".This has resulted in some notable achevments i ncluding the following.

　　(1)The comprehensive and high rates of utilization of industrial solid wastes in some industries and provinces of China .For example,the utilization rates have reached 93% in Jilin and 59% in Shanghai.

　　(2)10 years ago Shenyang City in Liaoning Prvince introduced strong regulations to control pollutant discharges amount fron the chemical industry and thi-s has had major environmental benefits,This regulation was then adapted by the Ministr y of Chemical Industry.

　　(3)The elimination or modification in many industries of the backward processes which have been the cause of sevese pollution.In addition the consumption of ene rgy and raw materials has been cut down.

　　Consequently many non-or low-waste processes and waste comprehensive utilization technologies have been developed,and NEPA has recently published a list of thos e available -"The Best Practical Technology".

　　However,in many respects the development of cleaner production in China is at an early stage and is far away from achieving adequate control of industrial pollu tion,Most of the industries in China are stillusing backward production processe s and technologies which consume 4-6 times the raw material and energy inputs pe r unit of output achieved in many developed countries,and hence create much more pollution.For example,some of the industrial equipment in China is more than 30 years.The utilization rate of steel materials in the machine industry is only 6 0-65%in China compared with 75-80%in USA.The water requirement for producing It of steel in China is 70-100t against an average of only 4t in USA and 2.1t in J apan.Moreover ,these comparisons tend to be even more unfavourable when they are made with the performance of small scale enterprises in rural areas(TVEs).Their implementation of cleaner production is far behind that of large scale industri es in urban areas.For example ,the wastewater discharge per 10,000yuan of output value from small scale paper mills is about 1700t but 760t from large scale pap er mills and the relevant COD discharge is 0.45-0.65 t and 0.15-0.25t pert of pa per produced respectively.

　　With the development of industry and the increase of pollution,more and more peo ple in the world are aware of the importance of implementing cleaner production. The promotion f cleaner production is now one of the priority activities of UNEP and China should take it as a central element of its strategy for sustainable d evelopment.The targets and plans for implementing cleaner production have alread y been listed in China's Agenda 21, a guidance document on the sustainable devel opment of China,but a more comprehensive programme is needed.

　　Two projects supportde by the World Bank and UNEP for promoting cleaner producti on in China are now in progress,that is ,promoting cleaner production in China', and `the establishment of waste minimization management system in the township a nd village enterprises in China',respectively.They are functioning well.The init ial results have shown positive effects on both environmental protection and eco nomic performance.It is planned to apply the approach of these projects in 100 f actories out of the 3000 heavily pollution factories which ereate heavily pollut ion some 65% of total pollution load in China.

　　2.2 Conditions for Expanding Cleaner Production

　　It is clear from the previous sections that a number of key conditions are in pl ace.First,there is a widespread and growing need for its application becaues of the pollution arising from China's rapid industrial expansion,Second ,there is s ome practical experiences with the implementation of CP,although on a relatively limitde scale.Third,a number of the required policies are in place.Fourth,there are R&D&T facilities and skills to build on. But much more needs to be done to establish the conditions for a rapid expansion of CP.Some of the additional meas ures required are apparent from the developed country experience,notably changes in economic incentives and in the legal and regulatory framework,although they must be tailored to China's socio-economic situation.Others,however,must stem fr om China's unique social and economic structure .The main measures are the follo wing:

　　(1)Establishment of policy framework which reorganizes the differing needs and o pportunities of the 3,000 or so large scale and heavily polluting enterprises on the one hand ,and the millions of small scale township and village enterprises on the other hand,that collectively are a serious threat to environment.

　　(2)A better balance between importing foreign technology and encouraging Chinese domestic technology for cleaner production.Currently there is too much reliance on foreign technology and not enough investment in creating the conditions for domestic innovation,especially investment in research,and development.When forei gn technology is imported it should be carried with it a formal obligation for the training of Chinese scientists and technicians.

　　(3)Upgrading worker and management skills so that they become a force for techmo logical change and inventiveness.A culture of worker responsibility and ,amage,e mt emtre[remeirsjo[ sjpi;d be emcpiraged to revitalise the enterprises from with in.

　　(4)Scientists and researchers within enterprises need to be mobilised for techni cal innovations by limiting their assignment to production and administrative ma nagement which can be undertaken charge by others.

　　(5)Tax and other financial incentives should be amended to provide greater encou ragement for enterprises to invest of their profits in CP,and to enter joint ven tures which provide both investment and technologies to CP.

　　(6)Stronger economic incentives to encourage local governments,investors and ent erprise managers that CPis an economically rational choice.One major step would be to eliminate all subsidies from coal and support energy-efficient production processes,and construction technologles.

　　(7)Introduction of mandatory environmental impact assessments before granting a licence to expand or establish an enterprise.

　　(8)Establishment of the regulatary framework to stimulate wider adoption of CP a nd to improve compliance with environmental standards.At present,many regulation s are unenforceable,or it unclear as to whether they are voluntary guidelines of r mandatory regulations ,and this reduces the pressure to abopt CP.The later sho uld not be based simply on what is technically feasible but should take account of actual or potential damage of health or to the environment.The compliance per iods of industry will also bave to be made long enough that they can develop sol utions that go beyond fixing the problem at the end of the pipe and move towards whole systems thinking.

　　(9)The regulatory framework needs to be made clear and consistent,if industries are going to be able to invest in cleaner production technology and processes.At the same time ,excessively detailed regulations tend to hamper rather than to s timulate CP so policies must be finely balanced.

　　(10)The legislation to permit public actions against polluting enterprises is st ill weak and inconsistant,and needs to be reformed and extended.

　　(11)Improvements to the legislation for patent protection,intellectual property rights ,and in the mechanism for would-be investors because the current weakness make some of them reluctant to invest in China.

　　(12)Reform of enterprises to encourage more autonomy and to develop greater entr epreneurship among management,investors and workers is a key to creating a deamn d for technological changs.The current policy environment would allow freer circ ulation of funds,labour,inputs,products,In fact,the present planned industrial s upply system suffers from inefficient resource use and poor coordination and the refore discourages the adoption of cleaner produciton.

　　(13)Reform of certain aspests of the science and techmoiogy system in China to g ive better support to the transformation of the econmy to cieaner production sec tors ,such as the crea-tion of intermediate institutios and consortia of researc h insti-tutions which are devoted exclusiveiy to cleaner production in-novation; priority setting to ensure that research is rocussed on the critical issues;and more interdisciplinarity.

　　(14)Upgrading of information systems including communication and decsison suppor t sytems as well as data bases in general,will b ecome increasingly important to cleaner production and economic competitiveness China should invest in them sa a matter of priority.

　　2.3The costs and Bene fits ofCleaner Production

　　The basic lessonof both recent Chinese experience and the muchlonger and more ex tensive of Japan,Germany and otherdeveloped countries is that CPpays Aithough th e implemention of CPgenerally needs a certain amount of investment these costs a re soon outweighted by the benerits.The costs commonly include the upgrad-ing of backward production processes;replacement of obsolete equipments;establishment of recycling systems;and the construction of new processes for reusing wastes.

　　The benefits of CP include:

　　-saving of raw materosls and energy consumption;

　　-higher production rates;

　　-better products and higher net income;

　　-lower costs for pipe-end treatment and waste disposal;

　　-lesspollution to environment and less harmful effects to people

　　The costs of implementing CPare generally quickly re-paid.Forexample,the period is only 2-3years based on experiences in Japan.The chinese experiences show simi lar results ,Moreover,there wereless cconomically tangible but equally important benefits for imported raw materials,there is a

　　3.Towards a Chinese Strategy for CP

　　There is no doubt that the implementation of CPin China is a key

　　mechanism for integrating development and the environment,and for realizing sust ainable development Although the basic concept ofcleaner production is clearly a pplicable in China,however,if is impor-tant to formulate a strategy for its impl ementation with appropriate temporal,spaand sectoral attributes.

　　3.1 The strategy's main short-term objectives should be to:

　　*improve process management;increase production efficiency;re-duce the process m anageme

　　*implement recycle and reuse systems for raw materials and energy,and particular ly in the industrial and energy sectors.The reuse of paper,glass should be encou raged.

　　*replace and update backward production processes,technologies,equipments which contribute serious pollution.The introduction of CP should be central to these o bjectives,but end-of-pipe solu-tions could be accepted where they form part of t he most feasible response.

　　3.2 In the long-term,the foci should be on:

　　* planning,design and manage the inducstuial development in accorkance with the principles of sustainable development, including the structure,growth rate and l ocation of industry. For example,an industrial zone with defferent types of indu stries may provide the possibilities for waste and energy recycling among these enterprises.

　　* expanding and redirecting research and technology deveolopment in a manner con sistent with the concept of CP.R & D in CP provide the only way to compensate fo r limited resources and the growing material needs of this and future generatins .

　　* esablishing a sound management system for the implementation of CP in China,in cluding better datter data bases on available technolotional scientific exchange schenes.

　　* promoting training in advanced CP technologies,and greater awareness of what i s available.

　　3.3 The key specal aspects uelate to the differing conditions and requirements o f urban and rural areas.

　　Fof example, pollution leves of air and water in cites are currently wery high t han in rural areas,though for some problems, like drinking water quality,the rur al areas are aleady most serorsly affected.However, the rapid growth of towndhip and village enterprises is accelerating environmental pollution at very high ra tes,in parst because these enterprises generally use more backward technologies and have lower technical and management skills.

　　3.4 At the sectoral level,priority should be given to the development and introd uction of CP for:

　　* pulp and paper mills,iron and steel plants, and chemical industries,producing man-made fibres, dyes,pesticides and stable ofganic compounds.

　　* Cleaner technologies for desulphurization and denitrification.

　　* anll types of mining operations, small-scale elcectroplating, particularly for TVEs.

　　4. Prority Actions For R&D& For Cleaner Production

　　4.1 Promotion of Scientific Research for CP

　　Sicentific research is the basis and prerequiste for carrying out cleaner produc tion.The following research fields shorld be given priority:

　　(1) The appraisal of the models of cleaner production,information system and pol icy research;

　　(2)The research into cleaner energy, especially the highly efficient conversion, desulphurization and fixation of sulphurof coal;

　　(3)The utilization of renewable resources and energy;

　　(4) The technology for recycling and treating effluent of major polluting indust ries (especially the township enterprises) including paper making, iron and stee l,chemical, metallurgy and electroplatin;

　　(5) The research into the control of toxic and harmfoul substances and other sub stances that are hard to degrade;

　　(6) The research into the substitutes for ozone layer consuming substances.

　　In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the above projects,it is necessa ry to strengthen the capacity building of research forces. In this regard, we pu t forward the following proposals:

　　(1) To intensify investment in scientific research and improve the use and manag ement of funds.Experience at home and abroad shows that there must be sufficient input in the scientific research so as to accelerate its development and enable it to bring amjorbenefits to the national economy and social development. It is imperative to change the current state of low-level investment and seek financi al input through multiple channels, introduce competitive mechanism into scienti fic research and use effectively the currently available financial resources.

　　(2) To carry out trans-disciplinary researches to promote the integeation of bas ic research with appoied research.Cleaner production calls for not for not only the change in concepts but also the concerted efforts by people equipped with mu lti-disciplinary knowledge.It is, therefore,necessary to promote the extensive e xchange and cooperation among scientific research personnel of different regions , trades and services, especially among scientific research personnel of differn t regins, trades and services, sepecially among scientific research personnel of different disciplines in the study of cleaner production. It is also necessary to promote the exchange and cooperation in scientific research, teaching and ind ustrial production so that the basic research, applied research and technology d evelopment will become an integral whole.

　　(3) To establish and improve the supporting and services system for the environm mental research. Great efforts should be made to strengthen and improve scientif ic information, standards and equipment and instruments and other work so as to ensure the logistic supplies and services for research projects.

　　4.2 Demonstration and Dissemination of Practical Technology of Cleaner Productio n

　　Chinese govement has expicitly suggested to change the development strategy from traditional pattern of high consumption of resources and energy to the model of sustainable deveolpment. Dissemination of cleaner production technologies can s erve sa a basic means to control pollution as well as to realize the sustainable development. To realize the above mentioned objectives, some suggestions are ma de:

　　(1) To learn the experience from developed countries in environmental pollution control and inprovement of environmental quality;continuous technological renova tion should be conducted, and let technology lead production. Sufficient technic al stock can lay a solid base for cleaner production.

　　(2) The range of best practical techniques which Chinese government has selected should be expanded. The prcatical techniques of cleaner production should inclu de the renovation of production processes and equipment, management of operation in material recycling and comprehensive utilization as well as substitution of raw materials.

　　Cleaner production also means to produce cleaner products, e.g. from the very be ginning of the product design, it should consider that the product will not brin g harms to human health and environment by using it, or after using it, which sh ould also includes easy recovery, reuse or renewable after using it; rational pa ckage, rational function and usage life; easy disposal and degradation etc.. Chi na is a country of consuming large quantities of coal, which has caused incalcul able pollution to its environment. Thus, to use cleaner energy is one of the imp ortant factors to realize cleaner production. Cleaner energy includes the clean combustion of coal; utilization of renewable energy; development of new energy; all kinds of energy saving technologies, etc..

　　(3)To promote the dissemination of successful and practical technologies of clea ner production, in accordance with the current characteristics of the integratio n of market economy with planned management in China, it is suggested to divide the selected best practical technologies into three categories of A.B.C., accord ing to their importance, advancement, as well as their practical levels.

　　Category A is the category of best practical techniques which should be dissemin ated by mandatary panning. For example, China now cam produce the 70t/h circulat ing fluidized-bed furnaces with the advantages of the utilization of poor qualit y coal, deduction of the emission of air pollution, as well as re-utilization of coal residue, etc.. For this reason, it is suggested to quicken up the speed to demonstrate its advantages and to widely renovate all the obsolete small-and me dium-sized furnaces to minimize air pollution.

　　Category B is the category of best practial technologies, which can be recommend ed to disseminate. For instance, China produces multiple tube ceramic precipitat ors, which can reach the efficiency rate of over 95%, and have the advantages of lower cost and longer usage life as compared with other types of precipitators. This kind of technology should also be disseminated through its demonstration.

　　Category C is the category of practical technologies, which can be selected acco rding to the demands of market economy. For instance, the technology for recover ing fibre from white water of paper mill can be recommended and disseminated thr ough market economy, because such technology has important economic and environm ental benefits, it can not only recover fibre and save the resources, but also p rotect the water tody. It is suggested for the Chinese government to sincerely m ake assessment and selction of best practical technologies applied in China, and establish an authoritative organization which includes all departments concerne d to effectively promote the demonstration and dissemina tion of the best practi cal cleaner technologies in China.

　　4.3 Redirection of Training and Education

　　Education is a keyongoing of economic development, and environmental education i s fundamental to sustainable development with cleaner production in China. The m essage of rational use of natural resources and control of environmental polluti on should become a part of every Chinese citizen's life and work ethic. This req uires a mational educational campaign, throughout the formal educational system, the workforce, and all communities. To creat a clean and healthy environment is the right responsibility of every citizen.

　　Realizing true CP system, education and training of workers and managers in ente rprises is essential. Also, in making cleaner production systen, locality of raw material, kind of particular energy sources, water resources must be considered . In another words, China should develop own process suitable to her situation. For example, reducing SO2 emission, coal cleaner technology and practical combus tion system such as Ca added coal system seems to be better than high technologi cal desulphurization facility.

　　China has already adequate environmental education system including universities , high schools, scientific and engineering institutions in quality. However, the number of training facility is not enough comparing population relating product ion. Through the educational system, theoretical and practical education and tra ining has been carried out. However, in the practical level, such as factories m anagement of environmental protection, abatement of pollution as well as energy consumption seems to be unsatisfactory. There are several license system by gove rnment for pollution control and energy usage in foreign countries. For example, in Japan, all factories emitted gas and waste water emission over certain level should employ pollution control manager. Also, all factories using energy over certain level should employ energy control manager who control rational emergy u sage is his ractory. Pollution control manager is responsible for air and waste water emission keeping less than the level determined by the law. Central and lo cal governments should allow independence of usage of raw material and energy in each enterprises according to producing planning but also enforce keeping emiss ion standard by employingg such practical pollution control management system. P romoting public consciousness concerning to environmental protection, education system and licence system night be necessary in China.

　　Spreading the philosophy and practice of CP, publishing ideal text books for the specialists, workers, managers and public is quite important. Examples of sever al CP in advanced countries must be valuble data for China.

　　4.4 Enhancing Public Awareness

　　There are a number of reasons why the successful implementation of a cleaner pro duction policy in China must involve public awareness and broadly-based public s upport. Indeed a national strategy for achieving cleaner production should have public education and participation objectives as integral to the overall plan. A cleaner production policy is first and foremost in the public interest so that as, chief beneficiaries, the public should understand the costs and benefits of the policy. An early benefit of cleaner production is to improve environmental a nd occupational health conditions. These affect the public directly and can be i mportana incentives for the public to support cleaner production. The underlying principle to a strategy for building public support for, and understanding of, cleaner production is to consider the public as a number of key target groups, e ach of which will require a different approach. These groups will include: the p ublic as production workers and managers, as consumers, as village and township residents living near enterprises, and as students and children in the education al system.

　　(1) A national strategy for achieving cleaner production should be developed in order to articulate a mational vision which can be popularized and adapted to lo cal cleaner production targets and plans. This could be part of the national Age nda 21 Strategy. The campaign would focus on the benefits of cleaner production at local, national and global levels and would emphasize individual and collecti ve responsibility.

　　(2) Worker and manager education is critical to implementing cleaner production within enterprises. They have to understand the significance of changes that the y are asked to make, to accept them and to contribute their own ideas for improv ements. Part of skill upgrading can include encouragement to make their own ente rprise a cleaner producing one. The can lead to greater worker pride and increas ed productivity. Cleaner production is a process of continual improvements in te chnology and production processes, and attracting the most able people as manage rs, scientists and workers.

　　(3) Lile workers, local villages and townships have a major stake in the transfo rmation of local enterprises to cleaner production. They are importana target gr oups for education and involvement in the process. Local communities can act as watchdogs to monitor resource inputs (especially common resources such as land a nd water) and to warn of excessive pollution or waste production. In the Netherl ands, Japan and Indonesia, voluntary pollution control agreements between enterp rises and local communities have been established and may be an useful longer te rm model for China, particularly as many industries are located in rural areas, far from central government departments.

　　(4) Another target group for education is the public as consumer. In North Ameri ca and Europe, it has been the consumer which has driven the economy towards an unsustainable trajectory of the "consumer, throw-away society", and which now mu st be re-educated to conserve resources, to use public transit rather than cars, and to re-use and recycle. Consumer education can change the market for product s and create a demand for cleaner production. This is vital for China, given the huge pent-up demand for consumer durables like televisions, refrigerators and c ars.

　　(5) In terms of its export markets, the increasing trend to include cleaner prod uction criteria in international trade negotiations also makes it importana for China to listen to the trends of consumer demands and consumer education oversea s. China may need to reach those consumers directly with information about its c leaner production achievements, as well as to strengthen its hand in government to government trade negotiations.

　　(6) Building public awareness and support for government policy to achieve clean er production must also rest on some legal basis for the public "right to know". The public, especially local residents and workers of enterprises, must be able to access information. This has been shown in many countries to be one of the m ain ways to ensure that enterprises achieve pollution reduction targets. Workers associations and local township and street committees should be able to obtain, as a legal right, information that relates to their health and their exposure t o contaminants and to other hazards. Environmental Impact Assessments being unde rtaken for each new enterprise or significant modification, including modificati ons to industrial processes as well as new technology; nd Environmental Performa nce Reports or Audits should be required and should be public documents.

　　(7) It is the next generation of Chinese, those that are now in secondary school s, who will play the major role for achieving cleane production in China. The se nsitization of this generation to environmental problems and to cleaner producti on solutions through school education is a high priority. Both school-children a nd local associations can be effectively educated through their involvement in l ocal monitoring of the environmental impacts of industry. These scientifically d esigned monitoring schenes not only have the benefit of many observation points but create awareness of the environmental benefits of cleaner production in the public and school-children. They are being developed in many countries with cons iderable success.

　　5. Ensuring the Implementation of CP

　　The successful implementation of CP requires the involvement of many partners op erating at different levels. The State, local government, and all sectors of ind ustry will play a particularly importana and complementary roles. The State and local government must act on behalf of its people and of future generations to p rovide the overall planning framework for CP. It is only those which have the po wers to establish the required legal and regulatory measures together with a bal anced mix of financial incentives and penalties. They must also play a major rol e in ensuring that the education and R&D&T systems provide the necessary skills and technologies. On the other hand it's only industry which can understand the full complexity of China's very heterogeneous production and processing systems, and choose the most appropriate CP solution. It is only industry that can provi de the substantial investment required to implement CP.

　　5.1 Government's Role in Promoting CP Development

　　Few public or private concerns will voluntarily implement control measures again st the pollution problems they create unless those problems are undermining curr ent profitability.Their unwillingness to acttends to be greatest where public go ods like air and water are involved;where preventative actions are required to p rotect the iterests of future generations;and where the investment costs or R&D are largecompared with their own financial resources or the perceived environmen tal costs of non-action.Thus central and local governments have served criticall y important roles in promoting the development opment of cleaner production and their application throughout the economy:

　　(1) ensuring the integration of environmental concerns into all sectoral policie s. Agricultural, transport and energy policies, for example, must be shaped by t heir respective ministries to favour CP.

　　(2) identifying the critical environmental problems associated with human activi ties, and setting priorities regarding the pollutants and the pollutes to flcus on. Major polluters cannot be expected to make impartial assessments about the c osts to society of the environmental problems they create. It is government's ro le to ensure that such assessments are carried out and to rank problems in terms of their economic and physical priorities.

　　(3) promoting awareness of the public and private and private benefits of pollut ion control through cleaner technologies as discussed in section 4.2.

　　(4) providing the regulatory framework for waste minimization and pollution cont rol, including the setting and enforcing environmental standards which cleaner p roduction must achieve. The governments role must inevitably be a mixture of com pulsion and support. Regulation is major part of compulsion. Regualtions must be set on the basis of well researched and clearly defined and enforceable perform ance standards. Finally, the regulatory framework must be supported by a compreh ensive monitoring and surveillance system.

　　(5) facilitating innovation and implementation through economic incentives and p enalties. The incentives should take two forms. Dicharge and emission costs whic h cover the full costs to society of the environmental costs. R&D and installati on grants and other financial measures to support the development and implementa tion of CP.

　　(6) formulating national priorities for research, technology development and dem onstration on cleaner production. This will involve government supported researc h to establish the extent and intensity of environmental problem. It may also re quire technology assessment on behalf of township enterprises and other small pr oduction units which lack the resources to conduct suchactions.

　　(7) supporting the creation of education system that provides the skills for the development, management and application of cleaner production. Given the rapid growth in pollution and in the demand for CP skills the State and local governme nt will have to prepare a multi-annual plan for training at all levels, covering schools, universities and in the work place.

　　5.2 The Role of Industry in Promoting Cleaner Production

　　CP in general does not relate to end of pipe technology, and is directed at prod uction processes and products that have a major hearing on raw material needs an d waste disposal costs. It can therefore be a crucial factor determining the com petitive strength of an enterprise. Consequently CP should form part of the ente rprise's environmental policy with close connections to its maunfacturing, produ ct and cost-minimisation policies.

　　Direct regulation requiring a certain level of CP in all enterprises would not b e compatible with such a policy approach given the heterogeneity of operating an d market conditions. In general it is only enterprises which have the full marke t information to determine what is feasible, and public bodies could not monitor full compliance with the legal and regulatory framework for CP. It follows, the refore, that it is in both the public and private interest that the conditions a re established under which much of industries role is based on voluntary action. This reflects the importance of the industry's role in promotng the CP.

　　Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an important tool that should be adopted widely b y industry to promote CP and to secure their international competitive edge. Ent erprises should also play a key role in (1) raising the awareness of their emplo yees concerning environmental responsibility on the factory floor, (2) informing customers that their products have been produced by the CP, and (3) promoting i nformation on the environmental benefits of changed consumption patterns. Such a ctions would benefit greatly from the wider adoption of voluntary environmental auditing, but this also requires development of suitable guidelines for the appl ication of this practice.

　　Although R&D into most long-term technological issues should be dealt with by pu blic bodies it is important that industry accepts its responsibilities for R&D&T on medium-and short-term technological issues. They also have major responsibil ities for the achievement of technology transfer in CPthrough joint ventures.

　　5.3 International Cooperation

　　CP cannot be achieved merely by acquiring the best technologies from abroad and applying them in China. Whilst many foreign CPs are technically effective, they are inappropriate to the Chinese situation, and particularly to small township e nterprises. Thus much of its CP must be developed endogenously. This does not me an that foreign CP methods are of no use to China, but it does mean that China n eeds a corps of qualified scientists and engineers who are well acqainted with b asic and applied science overseas and are able to select and adapt basic and app lied science and cleaner technologies from abroad.

　　Internationl cooperation focussed on the CP technologies available abroad will b e necessary to achieve success in the short term. But more importantly, internat ional cooperation in Science and Technology(S&T) will Chinese CP will develop in future.

　　China could become a strong partner in international S& T cooperation, not only in Asia and the Pacific Rim, but also in the world as a whole. It can not only b enefit greatly from such cooperation but also make considerable contributions to it through the development and export of new CP technologies. This is especiall y importana because current and future economic growth in S.E. Asia is likely to be fast and accompanied by growing activity in S&T.

　　In addition China's role in international negotiations, standard-setting and dec ision-making in global environmental matters could be strengthened by the greate r involvement of its own highly qualified and recognized scientists.

　　There are seven main mechanisms for international cooperation: the UN; non-gover nmental organizations; international research programmes; international institut es and networks; the Global Observation Systems (GCOS, GOOS & GTOS); internation al organizations for industry and business; and between enterprises. The latter is now acknowledged to be one of the most powerful mechanisms for technology tra nsfer on CP and many other areas between enterprises in China and in industriali sed countries. It is endangered by foreign fears that gaps in Chinese patent pro tection laws and complicance monitoring will undermine their investments in Chin a and elsewhere. Thus this enterprise to enterprise cooperation could be strengt hened by improving the legal and regulatory framework for intellectual property protection.

　　Bilateral activities and regional organizations also play an important role in i nternational cooperation, e.g. joint projects with other countries and the inter action with relevant bodies of the European Union or OECD.

　　China is increasingly participating in most of the above international mechanism s. The benefits from such cooperation will increase in proportion to(a) the stre ngth of the Chinese S&T infrastructure, (b) the international experience of the scientists involved, (c)the intensity of the interaction with the Chinese S&T co mmunity, and (d) the relevance of the cooperation to urgent development needs li ke CP. The benefits could also be extended appreciably. First, through the great er involvement of scientists as advisers in governmental delegations to UN decis ionmaking meetings whenever relevant (e.g. WMO, UNESCO, UNEP). Secondly, by appo inting S&T attache's to embassies in selected countries to speed up the informat ion flow on CP and promote collaboration in R&D&T. Finally, although memberships of international boards and committees and the role of host country for network s etc. may carry some costs and sacrifices, in the main these are greatly outwei ghed by their advantages.

　　China shares the earth with other nations of the world. Thus protection of the u nique earth on which we live and depend is not only our duty for today but also for future generations. As a follow-up step of Agenda 21, the application of cle aner production techology should be put in high priority in order to promote sus tainable development of China, as well as of the world.

　　EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

　　This repot of the Working Group on Scientific Research, Technological Developmen t and Training to CCICED is on clearner production as a key means for achieving sustainable development in China. The Working Group met in Shanghai on April 18- 22 1994 and in Tsukuba, Japan on July 25-28 1994.

　　Environmental pollution is a major threat to China's economic and social develop ment in the medium term, and will prevent sustainable development in the longer term unless its control is given the highest priority. Pollution in many areas i s growing by upto ten per cent a year, whereas the R&D&T essential for its limit ation is only growing at some two per cent per year. This inconsistency cannot g o on.

　　Much of the pollution stems from industrial expansion and energy generation. Ann ual wastewater discharges, for example, have reached over 36 billion m3, of whic h 70% is industrial wastewater. Only less than 10% municipal wastewater and 35% industrial wasterwater are treated properly, and most of it is discharged untrea ted, so, over one half of the major river systems are facing heavy pollution. Cl eaner production is the only way of limiting this pollution without holding back economic development. Its effectiveness in reducing pollution and waste generat ion, and in the more efficient use of raw materials has been demonstrated clearl y in China, but has only been adopted on a limited scale, yet the positive evide nce from the developed countries is overwhelming.

　　Cleaner production can involve changes in the whole production system, from the efficient use of raw materials and energy, to the minimisation of waste products and pollution. Furthermore, the products made by cleaner production, and the te chnologies involved must not harm the environment.

　　The widespread introduction of cleaner production urgently needs a national stra gegy appropriate to China's socio-economic situation. This strategy should provi de the financial, legal and regulatory incentives required to stimulate the wide spread adoption of cleaner production by all sectors of the economy, particularl y the industrial and energy sectors, and set the R&D&T foundation essential for China to create and implement appropriate technological and management solutions . The actions required fall into five main areas: legislation, research and trai ning, public awareness, and international cooperation.

　　1. Legislation

　　1.1 Targets and provisions relating to cleaner production should be incorporated into both existing and new legislationg. These include amendments to the existi ng legislation for Environmental Protection, Air Pollution, Water Pollution, and Ocean Conservation, as well as new provisions to be added to the legislation fo r solid waste management, noise control, and toxic and harmful substances contro l.

　　1.2 The legal framework for protection of intellectual property rights needs to be strengthened in orlder to encourage more foreign investment and joint venture s for cleaner production.

　　1.3 The public `right to know', especially for workers and local residents of in dustries, needs legislative force with respect to health conditions within facto ries and to environmental quality, so that the public can support cleaner produc tion and act as a watchdog for the environmental performance of local industries .

　　2. Research

　　2.1 Targets for research on cleaner production should be incorporated as a prior ity into the Ninth Five-Year Plan from 1996-2000.

　　2.2 Priority research areas are assessment of cleaner production systems for Chi na; research into clearner energy, especially high efficient conversion and desu lphurisation of coal; alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and geother mal energy; the efficient use of renewable resources; the control of toxic and p ersistent substances; research into substituted for ozone-depleting substances; and cleaner production `best practicable' technologies and processes which can b e adapted for small enterprises in China's townships.

　　2.3 Investment in Research and Development should be increased in order to build a Chinses capacity in cleaner production. The government should consider levies and pollution charges to create additional funds needed, especially for support ing the research and development required for developing cleaner production in s mall enterprises in the townships.

　　2.4 A program of policy research should be undertaken to evaluate the best mix o f economic incentives and regulatory frameworks for achieving cleaner production in the Chinese socialist market economy. This will include and assessment of ex perience from other countries of subsidies, pollution fees and transfers, taxati on measures, access to low cost inputs, special research and development funds, natural resource accounting and environmental impact assessments and audits.

　　3. Traning

　　3.1 The Working Group wishes to emphasize the magnitude of the training effort t hat will be needed if China is going to have trained personnel at all levels abl e to keep China competitive in cleaner production, given the fast pace of indust rial expansion. Estimates are urgently required as these numbers are not current ly available. Training targets should then be set within the Ninth Five-Year Pla n.

　　3.2 A profesional qualification and licencing system should be established for i ndustrial pollution control managers. These certified cleaner production inspect ors should receive regular skill up-dating, as new technologies are developed an d more stringent standards set.

　　3.3 Training centres for cleaner production technologies and processes should be established at all levels in universities and technical schools, to train indus trial managers and workers.

　　4. Public Awareness

　　4.1 Public awareness and public education is vital to the successful implementat ion of cleaner production. A national campaign to educate consumers about enviro nmentally friendly products, packaging and product recycling should be undertake n in association with the Consumer Association. Consumer Rights Day (March 15) s hould have a focus on cleaner production and its vital role in sustainable devel opment for China. Use should be made of popular television programs such as Mark et Guide.

　　4.2 In order to develop a national system for voluntary action and pollution con trol agreements between industries and local townships and street committees, pi lot projects should be established. These could be based on the thirty planned S STC Comprehensive Experimental Areas of Social Development which are designed to demonstrate the integration of economic growth, social progress and environment al protection. Another possibility would be to select areas which include a numb er of ersearch instituted such as Haidian District in Beijing. The voluntary agr eements would enable local communities to monitor industry's environmental perfo rmance and to act as watchdogs and promoters for cleaner production.

　　5. International Cooperation

　　5.1 China should support the establishment of an international clearing house me chanism designed to help China and other countries to be informed about new deve lopments in cleaner production systems internationally and to assess their possi ble application to their national needs. Such an institution needs to have close links to both industry and research sectors and to have an effective mandate fr om government to assess new technologies and processes which are proposed by for eign investors and joint ventures.

　　5.2 International cooperation in science and technology should be expanded in th e area of cleaner production, environment and health standards and regulations, and policy research.

　　5.3 Cooperation with other countries in areas such as eco-labelling will be impo rtant to ensure that Chinese products are competitive on international markets a ns conform with foreign government and public demands for environmentally friend ly products.