“Cleaner Production” to save Sri Lanka
The Wijeya Newspapers, Hokandara complex won the Platinum Award in the Category of Printing and Packaging Industry Sector – Manufacturing, Medium at the National Cleaner Production Awards 2021. The Cleaner Production team and the company have shown commitment and continuous involvement which enabled them to win the CP awards several times. With the commitment and fullest involvement of the top management and employees, the company has shown how Cleaner Production (CP) implementation can conserve valuable and scarce resources, increase profits, and achieve environmental excellence.
Cleaner Production can generate better results in bad times and can be applied to every economic activity.
Sri Lanka established the “National Cleaner Production Policy” in 2005 followed by several sectorial policies. Some key strategies suggested in it are very important to overcome the present situation in the country in a sustainable way. They include, Change present water consumption patterns to reduce excessive exploitation, use and wastage; Eliminate/Mitigate energy wastage and improve system efficiencies for energy conservation; Create dis-incentives for production and use of environmentally harmful products and incentives for production and use of environmentally beneficial products by awareness campaigns, increased product information and by changing consumer behavioural patterns;
Create awareness about the potential of CP among all sectors and the general public at large and promote participation at grass roots level wherever feasible;
Promote good governance through incorporating CP practices at Local, Regional and at National levels;
Develop regulatory, financial and market based instruments to facilitate implementation of sectorial CP policies;
The important assumption of Cleaner production is, “Waste in any form is a valuable resource”. It is not a reactive process where we wait until waste occurs to treat. It is a proactive process which reduces or eliminates waste at the source.
Recently the National Policy for Sustainable consumption and production was adopted and the SCP forum was launched. It is the need of the hour for all institutions related to CP, past CP award winners, trained CP professionals to unite to take a lead role to implement CP at National level to overcome an economic, social and environmental breakdown.We must see waste as a very valuable and scarce resource and not over consume.
Eng Nihal Cooray Certified CP assessor