Cleaner Production Assessment In Norway: Experiences And Policy Implications

Experience from programmes introducing cleaner production assessments in Norwegian industry were studied and the results from 67 cleaner production assessments categorized and analysed. A quantitative analysis is presented of options for economic and environmental improvements that have been identified through these assessments. The analyses verify that ‘pollution prevention pays’. The study also indicates that additional grants to emphasize energy conservation in the assessments generate additional profit and benefits to the environment. Continuous efforts towards a long‐term goal of clean production and clean products is the future challenge. Cleaner production can become part of a continuous environmental improvement process. An understanding of cleaner production as a procedure for interactive learning and collective entrepreneurship is established. In the companies, an environmental management system where cleaner production assessments are an integral part can be the point of departure for continuous learning in the process towards sustainability. How governments make use of their role to define the room for ‘innovative manoeuvre’ to promote cleaner production throughout industry is the basic question to be addressed for government institutions.