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See the Greatest Hits page for a collection of publications on general CP assessments, available on CDROM

Cleaner Production Assessments

A CP assessment is done to identify opportunities for CP and pollution prevention.  Many organizations begin their CP programs with an assessment, and organizations focused on continual improvement will do assessments periodically.  The resources on this page provide detailed guidance how to do an opportunity assessment.  

Before looking for CP opportunities, it is important to know what is required by environmental regulations.  If a particular waste stream or emission is regulated by the government it may be important to prioritize it for CP.  There are many resources online for understanding environmental regulations, which of course vary from country to country and even within countries.  The US EPA´s Office of International Affairs maintains a list of environmental agencies around the world.

• Multimedia Inspectors Training Course from the US EPA provides detailed guidance how to inspect facilities for compliance with air, water, hazardous waste, and health and safety rules. It also includes guidance on pollution prevention methods and for inspecting in the following industries: Cement, chemicals, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, printed circuit boards, petroleum, and tanneries. Very valuable for any medium to large company or any environmental or health agency.
  

• Principles of Pollution Prevention and Cleaner Production: An International Training Course covers most aspects of P2 and CP, including a good description of Environmental Management Systems and how they support P2 and CP. Includes case studies, web resources and sample checklists. 
  
  
• Three Steps to Eco Efficiency is a simple questionnaire and scoring system designed to identify areas for improvement. 
  
  
• Concise Self-Assessment Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Commerce  is another simple guide.  It is a collection of strategic questions around business areas to guide and measure progress in improving environmental performance. Provides a framework for understanding the application of CP methods as described in the other manuals.
  
  
• Eco-Mapping is a visual planning and analysis tool designed for small businesses to identify environmental issues and potential solutions and create a simple environmental management system.
  
  
• Good Housekeeping Guide for Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises is an excellent guide for getting started in environmental management by improving housekeeping practices. Includes simple analysis tools and guidance with examples. Also good for larger companies.
  
  
• The Nothing to Waste Program: Incorporating Pollution Prevention into Small Businesses is a guide with six tutorials on simple tools using employee participation for finding pollution prevention solutions. Appropriate for any organization.
  
  
• Waste Minimization: An Environmental Good Practice Guide for Industry is a comprehensive and reasonably detailed guide covering most common aspects of operations. 
  
  
• Small Business Waste Reduction Guide includes a brief overview of waste reduction concepts and opportunities (Section 2), brief waste reduction tip sheets (Section 3), case studies (Section 4), information on U.S. environmental regulations (Section 5), and waste reduction checklists (Section 6). Also included are a set of promotional materials, contact information, and reference lists geared mostly toward a U.S. audience. 
  
  
• Cleaner Production Manual for Small and Medium Enterprise provides a program for CP implementation in five modules. It includes case studies, worksheets, guides for calculations, and step-by step procedures. 
  
  
• Audit and Reduction Manual for Industrial Emissions and Wastes is a step-by-step manual using a materials balance approach to identify sources and reduction opportunities for emissions. Includes case studies of beer, leather and printed circuit board production. Also includes technical methods for measuring wastewater and gas flows.  Uses an engineering approach. 
  
  
• Pollution Prevention Planning Tutorial is an online guide that includes general information, detailed guidance, model plan, analysis methods, and generic guidance for P2 methods. Typical of the P2 planning process created by many state P2 programs.
  
  
• Waste at Work: Prevention Strategies for the Bottom Line is an outstanding, comprehensive guide to waste minimization and conservation in departments and offices. Appropriate for all organizations but especially for large ones.