UNEP’s Portfolio of Safer and Responsible Production

Ruth CouttoProgramme Officer, Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch

ICCA informal meeting, 20th October, 2010

1

UNEP - DTIE• Promotes the development / implementation of

policies, strategies and practices that are:– cleaner and safer– make efficient use of natural resources– ensure environmentally sound management of

chemicals– reduce pollution and risks for humans and the

environment

• Establishes partnerships with:– other international organizations, governmental

authorities, business and industry, and nongovernmental organizations

2

SCP – Sustainable Production and Consumption Branch

• Divided in 4 units:– Business and industry– Integrated resources management– Goods and services – Sustainable UN (SUN)

3

• Business and Industry Unit:– Resource Efficiency and Cleaner

Production– Safer and Responsible Production

(including APELL)– Business and Partnerships

UNEP Programmes on Safer and Responsible Production

4

• APELL Programme– Awareness and Preparedness for

Emergencies at Local Level • Responsible Production

– Responsible Production Handbook for SMEs

• Flexible Framework for Chemical Accident Prevention and Preparedness– Aims at providing guidance for

governments wishing to develop, review, strengthen or improve their chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme

APELL in different sectors

• APELL for Chemical/ Industrial Accidents

• TransAPELL• APELL for Port Areas• APELL for Mining• APELL for Coastal

Tourism Destinations• APELL for multi-

hazards

Project DOW/UNEP/MEP APELL - China• Since 2009 – APELL pilot project in Zhangjiagang, in cooperation

with DOW and MEP – DOW contribution US$ 580,000• UNEP expert seminar on accident prevention and preparedness

and lessons learned from accidents - Beijing, 2-3 March 2009• APELL training workshops, Zhangjiagang, 20-21 August 2009 and

26-28 April 2010• Study visit: meeting s with US EPA and site visit to DOW facility -

Freeport, Texas, 1-4 March 2010• Multi-stakeholder emergency drill in Zhangjiagang: 10 Sept. 2010• National dissemination workshop in Beidaihe: 13-14 Sept. 2010

APELL – next steps

• Regional meeting of the Latin American APELL network: 29-30 Nov. 2010 in Buenos Aires Argentina

• Continue to seek partnerships for APELL promotion• Continue to explore opportunities for cooperation with USEPA, the

Latin American Science & Technology Development Programme (CYTED), the National Safety Council (India), the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Tsinghua University (Beijing), University of Concepcion (Chile) and University of Bahia Blanca (Argentina) on APELL projects and promotion

• Find additional financial support for capacity building/training activities at country level on APELL related topics

– POW 2010-2011– US$ 2,100,000 – 7 countries (China, India, Philippines,

Thailand, Argentina, Chile and Peru) + APELL 25th anniversary event in 2011

What is Responsible Production?8

8

• It is a systematic and continuous improvement approach aimed at SMEs for :

– Chemical safety along the value-chain;– Understanding hazards;– Controlling chemical exposure;– Reducing accident risks;– Engaging stakeholders; and– Promoting chemical product stewardship through risk

communication aimed at preventing exposure and accidents with hazardous substances along the value chain.

• Aligned with ICCA Global Product Strategy (GPS)

Responsible Production products

• Toolkit• Training Package• Booklet with case-studies and key

performance indicators

9

Responsible Production in UNEP POW• The promotion and dissemination of Responsible Production is

already enshrined in UNEP’s Programme of Work (POW) for 2010-2011 and 2012-2013

• Project name: SME partnerships for sound management of harmful substances and hazardous waste

• Promotion/dissemination approach is based on:

– Partnerships building and awareness raising: working through existing networks and partnerships with business and industry associations and establishing new partnerships where needed; awareness raising workshops

– knowledge sharing among sectors and stakeholders sector assessments studies; train-the-trainers events ; and provision of technical support to SMEs through the established partnerships

– Information exchange : establishment of regional and national information exchange and knowledge sharing platforms, to enhance the role of regional and national partnerships in raising awareness of SMEs on the risks posed by hazardous chemicals

10

10

Next Steps

• We will be promoting the approach in 2010-11 in other locations in Asia (China, India, Vietnam, Philippines), Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), and Africa (South Africa and Egypt)

• We have all materials translated in Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese

• Agreements for implementation are being discussed (Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines)

• Web resources can be found at: www.unep.fr/scp/sp

• China – develop a knowledge sharing platform – with the NCPC – will ICCA like to identify who can join on the side of the Chemical Industry sector?

• Egypt – working with the NCPC (BIPRO and GTZ)

• India (Gujarat) – new partnership project with the Asia Society for Social Improvement & Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST)

11

11

Flexible FrameworkChemical Accident Prevention and

Preparedness

• At the end of 2007 UNEP-DTIE established a new initiative to promote the development of a Flexible Framework for addressing Chemical Accidents prevention and preparedness.

• UNEP established an Expert Working Group (EWG) to develop supporting material

• In 2008 and 2009 UNEP through the EWG developed a draft guidance that was further piloted in Cambodia and Philippines

• In 2010 UNEP published the Guidance for Governments as an IOMC document

13

Expert Working Group • UNEP• ILO • UNECE • UNIDO• WHO• UNITAR• UNEP/OCHA – JEU• EC (DG Environment)• EC - JRC – MAHB• OECD WGCA• US-EPA• Swedish Civil

Contingencies Agency• CYTED• ADPC

Expert Working Group met 5 times1. November 2007 2. February 20083. June 20084. March 20095. October 2009 (established a sub-

group to develop the ISP)1. April 2010 (only the sub-group)

6. October 2010 (back-to-back with the sub-group)

• Experts• Countries (Thailand/The

Netherlands)• ICCA

Guidance Document

• It describes the steps that are needed before developing and implementing laws, regulations, policies, guidance or other instruments which would make up an effective chemical accidents programme

• It sets out the possible elements of such instruments

• It provides resource materials related to how these elements may be implemented, based on international initiatives and the experience of countries that have had chemical accident programmes in place for a number of years.

Guidance structure

– Chapter A – Introduction – Chapter B – How to develop/improve a Chemical

Accident Prevention and Preparedness (CAPP) programme

– Chapter – Elements of a CAPP programme (Goal, Why, How, Examples)

– Supplemental Guidance (Safety Management Systems, Risk Assessment, Emergency Planning, Health Aspects, Pipelines and Accident Investigations)

– Annexes• Definition of terms• Acronyms• List of Chemicals of Concern• International Initiatives• Selected Bibliography

– Publications– Legal Instruments– Accident Reports and case studies– Organisations and websites

15

Phase approach for implementation16

1. Scope • Information related to the definition of types of industries, facilities, and/or substances covered by a chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme is provided.

Role of Competent Authorities (Government – Environmental Ministry, Agency of Department)

2. Information management • Under the “Role of Competent Authorities”, information is provided in relation to activities generally carried out by identified government bodies.

3. Inspections

4. Off-site Preparedness Planning

5. Siting and Land-Use Planning

Requirements of Industry

6. General duty Clause • Under the “Requirements of Industry”, types of requirements generally imposed on industry or undertaken by industry to meet a general obligation to operate their installations safely are specified.

7. Notification

8. Prevention Policy

9. Hazard Identification and Risk Assess.

10. Safety Reports

11. Preparedness Planning

Information to the Public

12. Information to the Public • This section describes the types of information that should be provided to those potentially affected in an accident.

Accident Reporting, Investigation and Follow-up

13. Accident Reporting • This section provides information on accident reporting and investigations for lessons learned

Elements of a chemical accident prevention and preparedness programme

Guidance Document - flexibility

• The overall Guidance has been designed to be flexible to ensure that: – the Guidance can be applied in different national contexts

worldwide; – countries can focus on elements relevant to their particular

context and adapt them as required; and – countries can decide how to define actions, depending on

priorities, resources and experience.

Flexible Framework Initiative

• Meetings of the Expert Working Group• Develop supporting material

– Guidance for Governments– Implementation Support Package

• Country Projects– Cambodia and Philippines (2008-2009)

• pilots

– Mali and Senegal (2010-2011)

19

Status of the initiative

• Guidance document is published and is being translated into Chinese, Spanish and French

• Developing of an Implementation Support Package• Two countries have already implemented the guidance (with

emphasis on the assessment phase) – Cambodia and Philippines and will engage on a second phase

• Two countries have been granted QSP funds for implementation – Mali and Senegal and will start implementation in 2010 – launching workshops planned for November 2010

• Sri Lanka and Tanzania are applying for QSP funds (October 2010 – final decision)

• China and possibly Thailand/Indonesia/Vietnam will be the next countries – pending funding

Status of the initiative

• Continue to support country projects Cambodia and Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and possibly China, Indonesia/Thailand)

• Organize a regional workshop in Latin America (Argentina/Chile) for promotion of the approach (back to back with an APELL regional meeting) – December 2010

• Organize a regional event in China (end of 2011) for promotion of the approach (back to back with the Regional Responsible Production/launching platform event)

21

Who is already contributing?

European Commission through the Major Accident Hazards Bureau of the Joint Research Center

• Providing experts (free of cost) to participate in workshops and training session (with travelling covered)

• Participating in the development of training materialFrench Ministry of Environment

• Providing experts to workshops and training sessions (free of cost and with travelling covered)

• Financing• Cooperation through INERIS• Translation into French of key documents

US-EPA• Providing support for the Flexible Framework Guidance layout and

design• Participating in the development of training material• Supporting the development of the Implementation Support Package

22

Who is already contributing

Independent Experts (drawn from the OECD WGCA)Norway

• Financing (2008-9 and 2010-11)CYTED

• Translating the draft Guidance in SpanishICCA (chemical industry)

• Discussion on possibility of providing experts (free of cost) to participate in workshops and training sessions

• ???

23

Needs and entry points for cooperation

• This initiative needs support.– UNEP initiatives need funding from donor nations– UNEP is also looking for technical partners– UNEP is looking for trainers for country activities

• Possible areas of cooperation which ICCA could consider for its cooperation with UNEP:– Supporting training and industrial demonstration activities

through provision of trainers and financing for participants from developing countries

– Joining UNEP in the implementation of country projects on Responsible Production through its membership engagement in the project countries

– Actively participating in the Expert Working Group for Flexible Framework

– Developing regional and/or country projects that could be implemented jointly with UNEP.

Ruth CouttoDivision of Technology, Industry and Economics 15, rue de Milan, 75441 Paris Cedex 09, FranceTel : +33 (0) 1 4437 1634 Fax : +33 (0) 1 4437 1474 E-mail : ruth.coutto@unep.orgWeb: www.unep.fr

25