Experience Note: Building Successful Technological and Financial Partnerships with the Private Sector to Reduce Pollutant Loading
2007:The Danube TEST project was designed and targeted to demonstrate how environmentally sound technologies would not only aid in reducing point-source pollutants but would assist the associated enterprises that adopted them in being more cost-effective and less wasteful. Although there are capacities in Danubian countries to provide many of the services needed by industry to pursue the simultaneous objectives of competitiveness enhancement, social responsibility and environmental compliance, these capacities remain isolated in separate institutions and companies. The TEST approach used a sequence of modular, customizable tools (An Initial Review of Company Needs, Environmental Management Systems, Cleaner Production Assessment, Environmental Management Accounting, Environmentally Sound Technology Assessment and Sustainable Enterprises Strategy). Although companies were initially cautious about the entire TEST approach, in most cases they quickly came to understand the potential advantages to them within the overall business landscape in terms of both complying with environmental norms and therefore being able to compete within a wider market, as well as actual savings in terms of reduction in wastes and unnecessary discharges. TEST provides a real example of how partnerships with the private sector can lead to major improvements within the regional and global environment through improved processes, stress reduction and eventual environmental status improvements. David Vousden DavidVousden@aol.com