Cleaner production : theory and applications, case for Zimbabwe

Abstract: Regardless of its size or nature, industry generates waste and is responsible for implementing the practices of pollution prevention and waste management in its day-to-day operations. Whether it is dirty water or toxic wastes, industrial pollution is all the same in one way: it reduces a business’s profitability. Implementation of Cleaner Production (CP) urges environmental, health and safety department managers, industrial environmental consultants and personnel across all industries to employ a forwardthinking and tested technology of process improvements that will reduce waste generation, reduce the resources requirements to manufacture a product, and, most important to the life a business, increase revenues. Successful implementation of cleaner production improves their productivity, profitability, competitiveness, environmental compliance and working conditions of shop floor employees with minimum financial inputs. This book starts by explaining CP concepts, techniques and strategies. It further gives CP methodologies and case studies of those industries in which CP was successfully implemented. The authors also usher you through all sorts of exercises to test your understanding. I hope the book will encourage all stakeholders to think about what they can do to tackle the rising generation and inappropriate management of waste. Both producers and consumers of goods much work on the betterment of waste management. Every organization must strive to have the tools, technologies and financial resources to adopt CP. All sectors of society need to engage into an integrated life-cycle management of goods. The more efficient and less wasteful manufacturing and consumption processes will be, the less pressure there will be on essential resources and the better human health and the environmental will be protected. As a fellow veteran production engineer, I encourage you to recognise that this field is changing and improvements are being made that empower today’s business leader to minimize waste management generation. This book can be used as a guide if you wish to adopt CP technologies in your organizations