Drawing on world-wide experience with pollution prevention in many different industries, the World Bank Group has developed new guidelines on industrial pollution. They constitute the most comprehensive attempt to date to provide a broad audience in developing countries and elsewhere with advice and practical guidelines on how to reduce pollution in a wide range of industrial sectors.
The Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook, published by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, provides general information on good practice in abating industrial pollution and detailed guidance on pollution control in 40 industrial sectors.
"The handbook underlines the critical role the World Bank Group can play in providing both guidance on good practice and quantitative pollution standards applicable to industrial development. It is a reflection of our commitment to achieving and promoting environmentally and socially responsible investment by both the private and public sectors," says Peter Woicke, Executive Vice President of IFC and Managing Director of the World Bank.
"The guidelines are intended first and foremost to help World Bank Group staff and clients in the preparation and implementation of operations it supports," says Ian Johnson, World Bank Vice President of Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development. "But they also serve as a point of reference for investors, other development agencies, commercial banks and insurance companies."
The handbook focuses attention on both the environmental and economic benefits of pollution prevention through cleaner production and better management. "These guidelines are not the kind of unrealistic targets that look good on paper but are too often ignored," says Robert Watson, World Bank Director for Environment. "Treatment requirements and emissions levels in the handbook are based on accepted good practice. They are minimum standards that can and should be attained with the skills and resources normally available in the industry."
The handbook replaces the Environmental Guidelines published in 1988 and reflects recent changes in technologies, pollution management practices and the World Bank Group’s own activities and portfolio. It is a collective effort which has benefited from the advice and support of the World Health Organization and governments of, Canada, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States. The handbook will be updated regularly to reflect technological developments as they occur. The handbook and updates will be available on the World Bank’s website (http://www.worldbank.org).
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