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The 46 workshop delegates and other participants were drawn from a pool of government environmental officials, industrial process and environmental managers, and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from the ASEAN region, and from selected countries in transition. Importantly, the workshop organisers achieved an appropriate mix of participants from the private sector, regulatory bodies, policy makers, educators and NGOs. Details of all participants are provided in Annex 2. A workshop moderator (Brian Wilson of ILMC) and a team of nine resource personnel, including two facilitators, helped implement the workshop. The large number of resource persons and facilitators, relative to the total number of workshop participants, was necessitated by the interactive, participatory and, at times, highly technical nature of the workshop. The Workshop team comprised the following:
Summary of the Workshop Sessions The workshop was formally opened by Ms Lilia Casonova, Deputy Director of UNEP's International Environmental Technology Center, in Osaka, Japan. Ms Casonova acknowledged that the importance of applying the right technologies in the national development process is clear to everyone, but sometimes the environmental and health impacts are overlooked by purchasers and by managers. The concept of "cleaner technologies" has been adopted by many national agencies, but the challenge is how to recognise a "cleaner" technology in the first place. Without some method to evaluate the environmental impact of technologies, the process of technology transfer remains uncertain. In response, the tool for Environmental Technology Assessment (EnTA) was created. EnTA is a joint programme of the Production and Consumption Unit (PCU) of UNEP's DTIE, and of the International Environmental Technology Center (IETC). The PCU focuses on EnTA for process technologies used by industry, while IETC focuses on EnTA for environmentally sound technologies for urban environmental and freshwater management, whether by governments, civil society or industry. Ms Casonova stressed the importance of using EnTA to make the right decisions on technology choice, be they commercial decisions of what to import, government decisions on what processes to license, decisions on what environmental technology to adopt and apply, regulatory decisions on how to write a permit, or even decisions by exporters on how to market their new processes or environmentally sound technologies. EnTA is thus for everyone. It applies to local processes and technologies as much as to imported ones, and can be used at small scale units and larger industrial plants. It is just as useful for industry as it is to environmental organisations, since it reveals aspects of efficiency and effectiveness, infrastructure needs and supply chains. In her opening remarks Ms Casonova also thanked the numerous sponsors and other contributors whose inputs would help ensure the success of the workshop. The full text of the Opening Speech is provided in Annex 3. Mr Reinhard Gleis, Regional Coordinator for ASEAN, Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft e. V. (CDG), Manila, Philippines, also made some opening comments. He highlighted the importance of sound and sustainable management by industry and also the major efforts being made by Germany, and specifically the industrial organizations, the German State and the European Union who are partners in CDG. CDG is dedicated to international advanced training, dialogue and human resources development, including international know-how transfer between North and South, and East and West. Mr Brian Wilson also presented some opening remarks in which he outlined the commitment of ILMC to EnTA and to the workshop. He also thanked the other workshop sponsors and contributors for their significant inputs. B. Summaries of national reports on lead acid battery recycling and environmental management The National summaries presented by the participants provided a useful insight into the state of battery recycling and environmental management in the ASEAN and other countries represented at the workshop. Copies of national reports provided by participants are available as part of the workshop report accessible via the ILMC home page: http://www.ILMC.org Only key comments are given below. In Brunei the private sector undertakes the collection of batteries, which are then exported to other ASEAN countries. In Cambodia, increasing interaction with, and investment from other countries, has resulted in rapid development of industry and agriculture. The result is serious degradation of environmental quality. China has a policy of discontinuing the use of out of date technologies - there is a list of such technologies. With respect to batteries, China is drafting a policy to regulate the management of battery recycling. Battery recycling regulations are in place in Indonesia. Batteries are separated into dry and acid categories. For the latter there are three main recycling plants. These have regulatory approvals, but there are also smaller plants that do not yet have approvals. They are not meeting requirements. All batteries are imported into Laos - there is no local manufacturing. The main uses are in automobiles and for domestic power supply. There is no formal recycling programme in Laos. The informal sector is very involved in recycling. Lead is recovered and the cases are reused. Malaysia is gearing up for achievement of fully industrialised status by the year 2020. As a result, matters pertaining to environmental quality have gained prominence in recent years. The need to integrate environmental considerations into project planning and development is leading to an emphasis on prevention of environmental degradation. This is in contrast to the traditional end of pipe solutions that involve curative actions. Environmental impact assessments have been undertaken in the Philippines since 1982. The main instrument is the environmental compliance certificate. These are issued for environmentally critical projects and for projects in environmentally sensitive areas. The Russian Federation has no legislation for battery management. While the current collection level is around 30%, the target figure is 85%. In Singapore there are no recycling facilities for used lead acid batteries. All such batteries are exported under license. Sri Lanka has industries engaged in recycling lead and in the manufacturing of batteries. There are regulations covering environmental impact assessment. In addition, an individual has a right to go to court if they believe their rights are infringed. An environmental protection license is required in order to operate an industry. The license in turn involves an assessment. But not all factories have licenses. An important issue in this respect is the need to gain an appropriate balance between protecting the environment for the future and sacrificing the present, for example through the loss of jobs due to the closure of non-complying enterprises. In addition to the benefits that arise from industrialisation, Vietnam is
experiencing a lowering of environmental quality as a result of the discharge of
untreated wastes into the environment. To prevent, minimise and limit
environmental damage, and contribute to sustainable development, Vietnam
established the Environmental Protection Strategy 2010 and the Environmental
Protection Plan 2001-2005. Part of the strategy is to build up and develop
environmental science and technology, especially through the application of
cleaner production to the entire country.
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