Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (TEST) to Reduce Transboundary Pollution in the Danube River Basin

Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (TEST) to Reduce Transboundary Pollution in the Danube River Basin

GEF, UNDP (Implementing Agency), UNIDO (Executing Agency)

Hungarian and Czech Governments;

National counterparts: National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs) of Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia (members of the UNIDO/UNEP network of NCPCs), the Institute for Industrial Ecology (ECOIND) in Romania, and the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria.

Danube River Basin

Countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovak Republic

RER/00/G35 (UNDP/GEF PIMS 1997)

2001-2005

Implementation completed --> Terminal Evaluation available. Replication Phase under development (2006 ff.)

Total Project Cost: US$ 2.913 million

GEF Grant

US$ 0.990 million

Co-finance

US$ 0.237 million (UNIDO, Czech Gov., Hungarian Gov.)

US$ 1.686 million (private sector of participating countries)

Link to project on IW-LEARN page

Link to Documentation on UNIDO-page

Enterprises in the countries of the middle and lower Danube River basin are facing numerous challenges as they go through a radical reshaping in their move towards market economies. At the same time, they are in the process of responding to the environmental objectives of the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC) and the environmental requirements that come with accession to the European Union; the most significant of these is the EU’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. The DRPC and the EU’s IPPC Directive both require enterprises to apply best available techniques (BAT/EST) and best environmental practices (BEP).

In 1997, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the financial support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), launched the ‘Pollution Reduction Programme for the Danube River basin’, through which it identified 130 major manufacturing enterprises known as ‘hot spots’ that were significant sources of pollution to the waters of the Danube River basin. A significant number of these enterprises were contributing to transboundary nutrient and/or persistent organic pollution.

In April 2001, UNIDO started the implementation of the TEST programme taking on the challenge to effectively demonstrate to the industries of five Danubian countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) that it is possible to comply with environmental standards and still maintain, or even enhance their competitive position.

The objective of the TEST project was to build capacity of the national institutions in the five selected Danubian countries in integrated environmental management (TEST integrated approach) for the Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology. The TEST approach has been introduced at selected industrial hot spots to demonstrate that it is possible to comply with environmental norms of the Danube River Protection Convention while at the same time taking into account the needs to remain competitive and to deal with the social consequences of major technology upgrading. The enhanced institutional capacity would then be available to assist other enterprises of concern in these countries as well as other Danubian countries.

TEST - Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology in the Danube River Basin

{Experience Note exhibited at the Water Knowledge Fair 2006)

Building Successful Technological and Financial Partnerships with the Private Sector to Reduce Pollutant Loading

(IW-LEARN Experience Note, by David Vousden)

Abstract: 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.

Institutional Training and Capacity Building in Support of Private Sector Partnerships

(IW-LEARN Experience Note, by David Vousden)

Abstract: 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 project aimed to build the capacity of these national bodies to implement TEST tools and to advise on Best Available Practices (BAP’s) and Best Available Technologies (BAT’s). National counterpart institutes in each country worked to train their selected enterprises to implement and adopt of an appropriate suite of TEST tools. The project provided them with direct experience in implementing TEST in selected demonstration enterprises, then ‘marketed’ these successful demonstrations and created a landscape where other enterprises would be encouraged or even required to adopt the same tools and procedures. A strong level of networking and cooperation has developed between the national counterpart institutions and this has led to countries sharing their special expertise with each other and assisting each other in the development of further TEST initiatives. The training and capacity building approach discussed above is a means to strengthen of national institutions in cutting edge approaches to reducing industrial environmental footprints.

--> see also Recommendations in the Terminal Evaluation Report

Juerg Staudenmann, Water Governance Advisor Bratislava Regional Centre

Vladimir Mamaev, GEF-RTA Bratislava Regional Centre

Danube Pollution Case Study (American University) - Case Study on Cleaner production approaches in the Danube River Basin (from Paola Pagliani)