Conducted through secret balloting, the members elected a Board of Advisers and a set of Officers and Board Members.
These include:
Board of Advisers:
 •  Mr. J. Warren Evans: Asian Develop-
     ment Bank
 •  Mr. Richard Sheppard; Mr. Dennis
     Zvinakis: United States -  Asia Envi-
        ronmental Partnership Program
 •  Ms. Kerry Smith: Environment Aus-
     tralia
 •  Mr. Niclas Svenningsen: United 
     Nations Environment Programme,
     Bangkok
 •  Dr. Gunther Tharun: Carl Duisberg
     Gesellschaft, Germany

On the other hand, the Officers and Board Members are:
 •   Dr. Olivia la O’ Castillo: President
      Philippine Pollution Prevention
      Roundtable, Philippines
 •   Mr. Nihal Abeysekera: Vice-President
      Federation of Chambers of Commerce 
      and Industry of Sri Lanka
 •   Dr. Yuwaree In-na: Treasurer
      Thailand Pollution Control Dept.
 •   Mr. Eiichiro Adachi: The Japan 
      Research Institute Ltd.
 •   Dr. Philippe Bergeron: Regional 
      Institute of Environmental Technology, Singapore
 •   Mr. Philip Berry: NIKE U.S.A.
 •   Dr. Chaiyod Bunyagidj: Thailand 
       Environmental Institute
 •   Dr. Shen-yann Chiu: Taiwan Environ- 
      mental Management Association
 •   Dr. Permod Kumar Gupta: National
       Cleaner Production Centre, India
 •  Mr. Raymond Leung: Asian Society
      for Environmental Protection,
     Thailand
 •  Dr. Robert Pagan: University of
     Queensland, Australia
 •   Dr. Young Woo Park: Korea Institute
      of Industrial Technology
 •  Ms. Jenny Tan Suat Eam: Environ-
      mental Management & Research 
      Institute of Malaysia
 •  Dr. Tran Van Nhan: Vietnam Cleaner
      Production Centre
 •  Dr. Elvira Zamora: University of 
      the Philippines

For more information on the election, you may visit the APRCP  Website at :  www.aprcp.org

One of the ways by which they are doing this is by undertaking measures to protect their environment. Last 22-24 August, 2001, a three-day conference was held in order to introduce Cleaner Production to the Laos government and industry sector. Attended by key personalities from business, industry, government and other CP experts, the conference tackled CP’s Role and how it can be implemented in a developing country such as Laos.

The first day centered on what CP is all about; its role in development; how it can be promoted and gov’t’s role in implementing CP. All these came in the form of speeches and talks given by key figures in the world of CP and the environment. This after the Welcome Remarks given by Mr Somboun Rasasombath, Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts.

The next day, participants were welcomed by Mr. Chatturong Makhavit, Secretary General, Dept of Industry MIH, Vientiane. Topics focused on CP and Industry. Such topics as an Introduction of CP to Industry; CP Tools; Barriers to CP and measures that can be taken to overcome these barriers were the order of the day. To further help industry to learn about CP and its benefits, Case Studies showcasing neighboring Asian countries—Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and China—were presented as “concrete examples. Here, participants were divided into three break-out rooms, each representing the industry from which they hail. These were Food Processing, Wood Products and Pulp and Paper; and Textiles and Garments.

The last day was pretty much a continuation of the “break-out” sessions. However, the latter part of the day’s talks were geared towards showing the potentials of CP in Laos and its future. This also marked the close of the conference, but not after the participants gave a visual presentation of what they had learned throughout the whole three days.

Speakers include: Niclas Swenningsen UNEP; Mr Richard Stevenson, CP Consultant, Colorado, USA; Dr. Olivia la O’ Castillo, Presidnet, Asia Pacific Roundtable for CP; Mark Radka, Head Energy Section, UNEP, Paris; Dr. Prasert Tapaneeyangkul, Advisor, Dept of Industrial Works, Ministry of Industry, Bangkok; Dr Tran Van Nhan, Director, Nat’l Cleaner Production Centre, Hanoi; and Dr. Richard Frankel, Industrial Environment Advisor, MIH Vientiane; 

Small- and Medium-Enterprises (SME’s) have, in the last few years, become one of the fastest-growing industries in the “free-market”. With this growth however, comes a price—-the impact on our environment. This view stems from such factors as their inefficient production processes, high levels of wasted raw materials and poor “industrial hygiene”.

This view however, is set to change as Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft e.v. (CDG), a German-based non-profit organization dedicated to international advanced training and personnel development; and the Asian Society for Environmental Protection (ASEP), a non-profit organization based in Bangkok, Thailand involved in information exchange of environmental technologies have joined forces to try and address this concern. 

Started in 1998, CDG and ASEP have embarked on a three-year Environental Management Systems (EMS) training program aimed at making SME’s eligible for ISO 14000 certification. Targeted specifically at the electroplating, textile and food industries, this training program has been conducting workshops in five Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). To assist in this endeavor, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) has been funding the participation of resource persons for some of the workshops. 

In undertaking this program, the CDG and ASEP aim to:
 -To enable participating SME’s in target countries to determine the suitablility of implementing EMS and obtaining ISO 14001 certification, and if suitable, how to sustain the EMS according to ISO 14001 certification;
 -To train and develop professionals who will be able to conduct EMS audits and who will be acquainted with the process of ISO 14001 certification;
-To provide support and guidance for trainees who will actually apply and establish EMS in their respective organizations, and and maintain and active monitoring program; and
-To build-up networks in each target country and the three industry sectors and also and ASEAN regional network, with ASEP as the focal point for experienced resource sharing, benchmarking and demonstration.

The training however, was not limited to workshops. There are also review meetings, participants invited to speak about their experiences. And eventually, some successful participants were invited to Germany for them to get first-hand experience of how German companies practice EMS. So far, there have been 18 companies who have been ISO 14001 certified while 34 more expected to follow by the end of 2001.

With market trends moving towards green procurement and globalization, SME’s are faced with the challenge to acquire Environmental Management Systems and ISO 14001 certification for their operations. This would enable them to become enhance their bottom line as it helps them save on precious raw materials and become more efficient. At the same time, this helps them become globally competitive as markets become more discriminating and demand no less than “environment friendly products and services.Other EMS tools are Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI); Corporate Environmental Reporting (CER); Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ; and Environmental Cost Accounting.

Olympic medals, Tony Awards, the Henry Ford Journalism Award—just some examples of Awards given to individuals or groups who have excelled in their field. Whether it be in Sports, theatre or motoring journalism, these awards are designed to bring out the best in whatever it is they do.

It is however, not just these fields which have their own awards as the Environment itself has its own “motivator” which aims not only to reward the “cream of the crop” but at the same time, help in the cause of caring for our environment—-the “Cities Asia Urban Green Management Awards”.

Organized by the Regional Institute of Environmental Technology (RIET), the awards hope to provide a better environment for cities and urban centers in the Asia Pacific region by motivating people to do their best. This year’s awards comprise four (4) categories: Individual; NGO; Corporate; and Green City.

The Philippines, for its part has sent its own Nominees for each category. They include:
- For individual award ? 
 1)  Hon. Bayani Fernando (Marikina City)
 2)  Ms. Leonarda Camacho 
      (Metro Manila Linis Ganda)
 3)  Mr. Phil Berry (NIKE Inc.)
 4)  Mr. Ramon Gil Macapagal (UNILEVER
      Philippines)
-For NGO Award -
 1)  Metro Manila Council of Women’s
      Balikatan Movement
 2)  Metro Manila Linis-Ganda
-For Corporate Award -
 1)  NIKE Inc.
 2)  UNILEVER Philippines
-For Green City award -
 1)   Marikina City

Meanwhile, the winners were given Award Plaques during the Awarding ceremonies held last September 12, 2001 which coincided with the opening ceremonies of the Cities Asia 2001 summit in Singapore. They include:
 -Ms. Leonarda Camacho: Individual Award
 -Hanam City: Green City Award
 -Global Nirmithi Net: NGO Award
 -UNILEVER Philippines: Corporate Award
 To all the winners—CONGRATULATIONS!

The afternoon event started off with Opening Remarks from the Chairman of the Board. This was followed by Reports given by the Secretary and Treasurer. These focused on their respective tasks and activities handled by each one. At the same time, Issues about the past and future of the APRCP were also taken up.

Discussions on the “past and present” centered around the activities of the APRCP. On the other hand, the “future” part focused on such topics as the Synthesized plan of action of CP in the country;Identify possible sources of funding; develop plans for year 2002-2003; develop action plans and the selection of the next Secretariat. 

All in all, those who attended the meeting came out more informed and were able to make the best possible decisions—the the APRCP and the environment as a whole.

Actually, the website has been running since late June but has undergone some changes in both content and appearance. If before, one would get the “basic” stuff such as background information about the APRCP. The past Roundtables and profiles and news about its (APRCP) donor organizations, today, the observant viewer will see that there are new features added to the site to make it more appealing, user-friendly and substantial. 

So what are these new additions? 
• Interactive “Forum-Chat” feature: here, registered members can enter into discussions groups on-line, in real-time—as if they were face-to-face in a “live roundtable”.
• E-mail: this feature is actually divided into sub-sections—one for the exclusive use of the “web team” and another for registered members. Here, users can send and receive electronic mail (e-mail) wherever they are since this is basically a web-based e-mail service.
• Search: this is basically, just like “Yahoo”—the world’s most widely used search engine. By accessing this feature, users can look up any topic related to the environment and/or CP just by typing in key words.
• Matrix: this feature works hand in hand with the “links” and “search” options. Here, viewers get to see all the information made available by the APRCP’s donor organization, albeit in a simple “table” format for “easy access” viewing—useful for people on the move. 
• Updates: this section offers visitors a peek into the latest news in the world of CP. By accessing this page, one would get a listing of topics, which can be accessed by just one click.
 There are however, still the “regular” sections such as info on the APRCP; its Mission/Vision; People behind the APRCP; and the inside scoop on the Roundtables. These are however; more organized and have new additions—such as pictures of and information about the people behind the APRCP and pictures of the previous Roundtables.
 So log on today and get to know how the Environment and the Internet go hand-in-hand.
 

Banking, finance and the environment—in the not-so-recent past, “mixing” these sectors was practically unthinkable. 

That was then. Today however, is an entirely different story. Last June 29, 2001, the Philippine banking community made a timely move with the launching and signing of the Joint Statement on Environment and Sustainable Development, held at the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Head Office in Makati City. 

Spearheaded by the DBP, signatories to the Joint Statement include the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB), and the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP). This signifies the banking sector’s commitment to play an active role in the collective responsibility for environmental protection. 

This translates to greater benefits for both the companies and the environment.  For the companies—regardless of their size—, this means their being able to acquire more modern equipment, which can help boost productivity and efficiency. The result? They become globally competitive. The promotion of cleaner production technologies on the other hand, helps shift the approach from “end-of-pipe” treatment to one that treats waste at the source, or at the core of the production process. 

What this means is less waste materials and resources—both natural and man-made.
 To “keep them “focused” on their main objective, the members keep in mind the following principles:
-   Good ecology is sound economics
-   To be pro-environment is to be pro-development
-  Environment, and sustainable development are hallmarks of responsible individual, corporate, as well as global citizenship.

In order to put their objective into action, they have agreed to do the following:
1.  To encourage their individual members, develop and publish their own policy and to develop products and services which promote environmental protection and sustainable development and;
2.  To foster openness and dialogue with their various stakeholders with regard to the environment and sustainable development.

To help in this endeavor, DBP has made available P23.5 billion in wholesale lending to small and large banks for them to venture into cleaner production and environmental financing. This would encourage them to undertake “clean technology” projects as an alternative investment or finance projects, which are environmentally sound. According to DBP president and chief executive officer Remedios Macalinag, “This is to ensure that these credit facilities reach as many companies other than those currently being funded by DBP”. At the same time, DBP has made available credit facilities for environmental funding under the second phase of the Environmental Infrastructure Credit Support Program (EISCP); Industrial Pollution Control Loan Project (IPCLP); and the Industrial Support and Services Expansion Program (ISEEP-2), which promotes clean technologies among small- and medium-enterprises (SME’s). 
With all these new developments, it would seem that everyone—including the banks and financial institutions—are going “green”. 
 

By: Eiichiro Adachi

“Environmental Performance” means the degree of environmental impact that businesses are generating and the effects of the measures they are taking. In promoting cleaner production, it is important to measure the environmental performance in each company. “Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI)” plays an important role in such a case. Through monitoring the indicators, each company can confirm whether cleaner production technology is effective or not after its introduction. In other words, EPI provide information to enable businesses, as insiders, to assess and make decisions on environmental conservation activities. At the same time, stakeholders or investors are very interested in EPI because they are valuable tools to assess environmental conservation activities of businesses.

In February 2001, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Japan published “Guideline of Environmental Performance Indicators for Businesses”. MOE showed the structure of EPI as well as explaining the importance, definition, and boundary of each indicator.

The guideline includes the indicators regarding total input materials, total energy consumption, amount of water used, amount of greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances related, total amount of drainage, total amount of disposal, products / services, total volume of transportation, cumulative soil contamination, and land utilization. Furthermore, indicators were classified into three categories, such as common core indicators, Industry-specific core indicators, and indicators selected by business.

MOE appeals to Japanese companies to adopt these indicators. Actually, some of companies started to grasp some indicators and disclosed them in their environment reports. This year, MOE and The Japan Research Institute, Limited are dealing with a pilot study to assess feasibility of these indicators, collaborating with 21 major Japanese companies.  For more details,  please find  http://www.env.go.jp/en/eco/epi2000.pdf