Clean products ultimately cut cost: Officials

JAKARTA (JP): Officials at the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) urged companies to adopt clean production methods which they said was a way to save the environment and money at the same time.

P.L. Coutrier, the deputy in charge of environmental impact assessment and technical guidance at the agency, said in a recent workshop that the aim of cleaner production was to use less material, water and energy, and to reduce the toxicity, pollutant load and volume of waste.

"This can also reduce production costs through greater efficiency," he said at the Workshop on Cleaner Production Practices in Indonesia. The agency introduced clean production in 1993.

The workshop was co-organized by Environment Australia and Bapedal.

Environment Australia is a donor institution in the agency's clean production program.

Coutrier added that other than greater efficiency, cleaner production could also reduce production costs through less waste, increased productivity, less use of energy and less charges for waste treatment.

"The cleaner production implementation in Indonesia would also increase competitiveness of Indonesian products in the global market," he said.

He said that manufacturers must take into account the recent trend toward eco-friendly products.

"The growing number of green consumers will spur producers to make environmentally friendly products," he said, adding that the greater number of consumers who bought eco-labeled products, the more producers would be able to reduce total cost.

This, he said, should encourage manufacturers to make necessary adjustments to their production processes.

Another speaker at the workshop, Liana Bratasida, the director for technical development at Bapedal, shared Coutrier's opinion.

She said that cleaner production meant improved operational efficiency.

While there might be extra outlay initially, she said, cleaner production could reduce businesses' expenditures as greater efficiency and competitiveness would ultimately offset expenses incurred.

She also reminded that the effective implementation of cleaner production not only required commitment from management, but also the active involvement of staff right from the beginning.

Both Coutrier and Liana admitted that there were some constraints in cleaner production implementation in Indonesia.

They pointed out that businesses did not believe the advantages of cleaner production.

"Many cleaner production programs in Asia are also very donor- oriented. Once the donor leaves, the program is discontinued," Coutrier said. (10)