Preventive Environmental Strategies in Eastern European Industry: An analysis of donor support for cleaner production

Abstract: Since 1991 cleaner production projects have been pursued by the donors in Eastern European industry. These projects have aimed at demonstrating the benefits of a preventive approach to environmental protection, and to train people within the industry to perform the cleaner production assessments that constitute the core element of the preventive approach. The large merit of the preventive approach is the contribution to economical performance of the organization while at the same time reducing the environmental impact. Despite the benefits, the support for this area remains very small compared to other areas of environmental support. This dissertation shows how the promotion of cleaner production is affected by different factors, both external to the company and internally. Among those factors, the donor-supported efforts, where implemented, constitute an important contribution to the process of restructuring. The contribution in the dissertation lies, besides in clarifying the factors that influence the process of promotion of cleaner production in the region, also in the development of strategies for the donors for the further promotion of cleaner production.