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Economic Advantages of ESTs |
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Cost reduction and higher profits through
more effective use of resources (raw materials, energy), lower
end-of-pipe treatment expenses, and higher market value of green
products.
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Opening of new environment-conscious
markets and retaining of old environmentally-responsible customers.
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Savings on charges imposed on polluters,
avoidance of risks to come under criticism of media or consumer
groups or to be shut down due to violation of increasingly
restrictive local environmental regulations.
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Increased staff motivation and productivity due to improved working
conditions.
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Opening of new opportunities (contracts, markets) due to improved
corporate image.
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Characteristics of ESTs in
Relation to Sustainability |
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Environmental Sustainability
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Economic Sustainability
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Social and Cultural Sustainability
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Sustainable Development Challenges
According to the definition by the World
Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development “should
include management of the use of a resource so it can meet human demands of
the present generation without decreasing opportunities for future
generations”.
ESTs – a Way to Sustainable Development
Application of environmentally sound
technologies (ESTs) is a way to sustainable development. “Environmentally
sound” is a relative term however. Furthermore, environmental soundness is
not an attribute of technology by itself but of technology in the particular
socio-ecological context in which it is intended to be applied.
Broadly speaking, ESTs can be defined as
technologies which protect the environment, are less polluting, use
resources in a sustainable manner, recycle more of their wastes and
products, and handle all residual wastes in a more environmentally
acceptable way than the technologies for which they are substitutes.
Chapter
34 of the Agenda 21 emphasises that ESTs are not just “individual
technologies, but total systems which include know-how, procedures, goods
and services, and equipment as well as organisational and managerial
procedures”.
The Two Principle Groups of ESTs
ESTs could be divided into two large groups:
cleaner technologies and cleaning technologies.
Cleaner technologies are production processes,
including monitoring and control techniques, which are less polluting, use
resources (raw materials, natural resources, energy, etc.) in a more
efficient way, produce cleaner products and less harmful residual wastes, if
any.
Cleaning technologies are processes and products
developed to neutralise the environmentally harmful effects of a given
process or activity. This group includes pollution monitoring, assessment
and control technologies (e.g. air pollution control, waste water treatment,
treatment), waste treatment (e.g. solid/hazardous waste treatment, garbage
disposal/recycling), and remediation technologies (e.g. soil/water
remediation, air cleaning).
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