THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Sustainable Production

KEY MESSAGES REFERENCES AND OTHER INFORMATION

Sustainable development, which also includessustainable consumption and production,makes use of natural resources to meetsociety’s basic needs without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet theirown needs.

In the Czech Republic, the principles ofsustainable consumption and production areanchored in a number of legal documents,whose adoption has been associated with theEU’s legal regulations.

Sustainable production is based on 3 pillars:the economic, the environmental and thesocial ones. When designing new measures, all3 areas are considered (i.e. the economicbenefit, the environmental impact and theeffect on society).

Sustainable consumption and productionaddresses one basic conflict: We wantproducts and services, but we do not wanttheir negative effects on the quality of life.

Sustainable production can be applied so thatthe competitiveness and value of a businesscan be increased.

THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC© 2008, CENIA, the Czech Environmental Information Agency

Translation: Lucie KráglováGraphic design: Daniela ŘehákováPrint: Studio Press s.r.o.Contact:CENIA, the Czech Environmental Information Agency Litevská 8, 100 05 Praha 10www.cenia.cz, info@cenia.cz, tel: +420 267 225 340

This publication was made with the financial assistanceof the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic.

Printed on chlorine-free paper.

6 Ministry of the Environment – http://www.mzp.cz

6 The Partnership for Sustainable Consumption and ProductionProject – http://www.cenia.cz/USV

6 National Cleaner Production Centre – http://www.cenia.cz/CP

6 The platform for sustainable consumption and production– http://www.usv-partner.cz

6 Czech Environment Management Centre – http://www.cemc.cz

6 CENIA, the Czech Environmental Information Agency– http://www.cenia.cz

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIONProduction activities can be referred to as sustainable production as long as theyare economically effective for businesses yet, at the same time, affect theenvironment and human health as little as possible, use only a minimum amountof natural resources, energy, toxic substances and produce a minimum amount ofwaste. This is closely linked with sustainable consumption, especially since everyproducer is also a consumer and every consumer can, through selecting theproducts he or she buys, promote the above principles.

3 Product life cycle

HOW TO PRODUCE SUSTAINABLYBusinesses that want to produce sustainably can implement a number of voluntaryinstruments, of which here we present the most important and the most commonlyused.

6 Cleaner production – This is a preventive strategy that promotes efficientproduction. As its principal component, material and energy flows are analysedin order to map undesirable non-product output (losses, waste and pollution).This makes it possible to identify the reasons behind the losses and to proposethe optimum set of measures that are both economically beneficial and havea smaller environmental impact. It is advisable to continuously perform theseanalyses and process reviews, as a one-off implementation of a tool does notdeliver the same benefits as its continuous application.

6 Monitoring and Targeting (M&T) – This means energy management and themanagement of material flows that reduces energy and raw materialconsumption. This involves the implementation of a system for measuring boththe consumption of energy and raw materials and the factors that influencesuch consumption for individual cost centres. This makes it possible to monitorand gradually improve the real efficiency of energy and material inpututilisation within production processes and/or buildings.

6 Environmental management accounting – The evaluation of data on costsand benefits that are associated with material and energy flows andenvironmental impacts, which leads to both reduced adverse effects on theenvironment and reduced costs.

6 Best available techniques (BATs) and benchmarking – These involve the useof technology including methods of operation that leads to the maximumpossible reduction of the overall environmental impact, provided that the useof BAT is implemented under economically and technically acceptableconditions. Benchmarking is a method used to identify best solutions. It isbased on measuring and analysing an organisation’s processes andperformance and on comparing and sharing experience with otherorganisations.

6 An integrated management system – A set of procedures to be followed bya business within the individual areas of interest under internationalstandards: ISO 9001 – Quality Management System, ISO 14001 – EnvironmentalManagement System, EMAS – Eco-Management and Audit Scheme andBS OHSAS 18001 – Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

6 Life cycle assessment (LCA) under the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards –An evaluation of environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts,which is performed throughout the entire life cycle of a product or a service,from obtaining raw materials and production to its use and disposal. LCA isapplied during the preparation of type III environmental declarations(Environmental Product Declaration – EPD).

6 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) – This is an approach to businessactivities, which, in addition to economic interests, takes into account thesocial and environmental interests of the groups that influence or areinfluenced by those business activities. CSR is an important umbrella approachfor sustainable consumption and production measures.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIONThe above instruments are implemented by businesses of their own free will,beyond the scope of the requirements imposed by legal regulations (this does nothave to be true for BATs which can be utilised for setting up emission limit valueswithin the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control). Ideally, multipleinstruments should be applied simultaneously since individual instruments haveexcellent potential for supplementing each other. Voluntary instruments can beapplied at all levels of the management pyramid within a business. In the CzechRepublic, the implementation of sustainable production has received systematicsupport since 1992. This positive trend has been particularly notable in recentyears during which a number of projects have seen rising awareness of voluntaryinstruments.

3 Management pyramid

CLEANER PRODUCTIONCleaner production is a universal tool to be used in different businesses andorganisations. It has been applied in the Czech Republic since 1992. The first pilotprojects in the field of cleaner production were implemented and local experts weretrained within the framework of the Czech-Norwegian Cleaner Production Programand also within the assistance of the World Environment Center (WEC). TheInternational UNIDO/UNEP Programme supporting the National Cleaner ProductionCentres was significant for promoting cleaner production in the Czech Republic. Theprogramme support lasted until 1999. Analyses conducted after 2003 showed thatbusinesses still have a high potential for implementing both economically andenvironmentally effective cleaner production measures. The implementation ofcleaner production received renewed vigour through verifying the feasibility of theEnergy Management and Performance Related Energy Savings Scheme (EMPRESS)and through comprehensively evaluating potential sustainable consumption andproduction innovations in business (OP HRD and JPD3). These new cleanerproduction implementation methods are also popular abroad.

3 The number of new businesses that implemented cleaner productionprojects in the Czech Republic, 1992–2007Source: CENIA

In the Czech Republic, both sustainable production and the implementation ofvoluntary instruments have been supported for many years. Within this area,management systems are the most common type of instrument to be implementedby organisations in the Czech Republic. However, there still is potential forimprovement.

With respect to sustainable consumption and production, the Czech Republic isamong the most developed of the new EU Member States. In addition, it ranks highin “quality of life” evaluations. The Czech Republic plays an active role in resolvingkey global problems, both within the EU and in broader international relations.

The issue of sustainable consumption and production is one of the CzechRepublic’s main priorities for its presidency over the Council of the European Union,particularly the support for and the extension of the approved SustainableConsumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan withinthe “package of documents”.

Cons

umption

Transp

orta

tion

Waste

Mining and Extraction

Production

Products

Production

Management system

Strategy

Vision and goals

Interests of stakeholders

Eco-design, life cycle assessment

Best available techniques,

environmental management accounting

MT, Cleaner production

An integrated management system

Corporate social responsibility,

external reporting, communication,

labels and declarations

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

Num

ber

of b

usin

esse

s

There are included only enterprises providing data to the National Cleaner ProductionCentre.