About - National Cleaner Production Centers (NCPCs)

Forty-five NCPCs are supporting developing countries in their efforts to:

  1. spread the message about sustainable consumption and production;
  2. train local experts and build local capacity for sustainable production;
  3. provide technical assistance to individual enterprises;
  4. support development of project proposals related to cleaner development;
  5. disseminate technical information; and
  6. provide policy support to governments.
For further information, contact Elisa Tonda at E.Tonda@unido.org

6 Basic Services

NCPCs offer six basic services:

  • Raise awareness of the benefits and advantages of cleaner production:
    Awareness-raising is a primary activity for a NCPC, particularly in its early years.
  • Training local experts and build local capacity for cleaner production:
    Training in the cleaner production methodology is an essential NCPC activity to build local expertise and capacity. Training may be
    1. in-plant as a part of in-plant demonstration projects; or
    2. outside plant, conducted through workshops and seminars for specific target groups.
  • Offer individual enterprises technical assistance:
    An important element of this technical assistance are cleaner production assessments, energy audits, establishment of EMS, occupational safety and health assessments, life cycle assessments, etc.
  • Help in preparing project proposals for investments:
    Several NCPCs have national experts to identify and formulate cleaner production investment projects to facilitate implementation.
  • Disseminate technical information:
    NCPCs have an important role in nationally and internationally disseminating technical case studies of cleaner production techniques that emerge as a result of local demonstration projects. Likewise, in being part of an international network, NCPCs are able to access information from around the world.
  • Provide policy advice to national and local governments:
    NCPCs thus have an important role in helping governments to identify and develop the policy tools and economic instruments suitable to their country's context which would encourage industry to favor cleaner production over endof-pipe treatment.

:: Cradle to cradle approach

With the support of UNIDO and UNEP, the NCPCs are taking an approach that focuses on the entire production cycle, the so-called “cradle to cradle” approach that increases the natural resources productivity of manufactured products. The NCPCs aim to build national capacity that is adapted to local conditions in their respective countries.

:: Objectives of the NCPCs:

1. Increase competitiveness:

Experience shows that the application of cleaner production can significantly improve the competitiveness of industry and reduce the negative environmental impact of existing production processes due to the efficient use of water, energy and raw materials.

2. Open access to new markets:

NCPCs aim to provide national industries with the necessary tools that will help them fulfill the increasing demands of global markets and sub-contracting companies. It will thus facilitate their access to regional and global markets with environmentally sound products.

3. Stimulate public-private partnerships:

Taking a multi-stakeholders approach and involves the NCPCs in different levels of industry, government, academia and the financial sector. Through their cooperation with these important sectors the NCPCs foster the establishment of a national CP network that promotes the concept in the respective countries and enhances investments in the transfer and development of environmentally sound technologies.

4. Promote CP investments and CP technology development and transfer:

NCPCs enhance the development and transfer of know-how on cleaner production techniques and technologies. The Centerses and the national experts trained by them do not deliver ready-made solutions; rather they train and advise the clients on how to find the best solution for their specific problems. Thus, the problem solving process delivered by the Centre will not remain a one-time-exercise, but should become an integrated part of the overall management of the companies. In this way, the NCPC's methodology will also generate continuous demand for cleaner production and other environment related services.

:: Locations of the NCPCs

A total of forty-five centers have been established in the following countries as of 09 January 2009:

  • Central and Easter Europe:
    • Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, The FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russia Federation, Serbia and Slovakia.
  • Latin America:
    • Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua.
  • (belonging to the Regional Latin American Programme):
    • Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Peru.
  • African and Arab countries:
    • Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, U.R. of Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Rwanda (under establishment).
  • Asia:
    • Armenia, Cambodia, China, India, Lao People's Republic, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Turkey (under establishment)