Cleaner Production - Environmental Management (CP)

During the past few years Finland has laid emphasis on transferring technology to the Barents Region, Northwest Russia in particular. However, technology transfer by itself is not a sufficient mean to achieve the targets of sustainable development; also the level of environmental knowledge amongst the local actors has to be raised.

In order to increase the environmental knowledge in Northwest Russia, educational cooperation in the field has to be developed. A cooperative environmental education system supporting the entrepreneurial activities has to be created to the neighboring areas in Russia. This system has to maintain close links to research, development, and innovation activities in the field of environment.

In the project a pre-feasibility study of Cleaner Production education structure and strategy (targeted to Northwest Russia) is done. In the project the educational needs, existing courses, and educational actors related to Cleaner production are clarified. In addition, an implementation plan of the future CP education is made.

A pre-feasibility study of Cleaner Production education structure and strategy (targeted to Northwest Russia) was done basing on 39 interviews of Russian universities and other educational institutions and 7 companies operating in Murmansk Oblast, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Republic of Karelia and St.Petersburg. The study showed that several teachers of the universities are qualified to teach in the CP program, the most well-known subjects being Environmental management systems and Environmental laws and regulations. It also revealed that the majority of the interviewed institutions in Russia are interested in international cooperation and ready to offer their knowledge and premises for the upcoming project. Also it showed that despite the availability of distance learning facilities almost at all the institutes, seminars, courses as well as teacher and student exchange should be a part of the program.

The surveys also revealed that all the companies had at least some knowledge of the CP concept. In some firms the management knew the concept very thoroughly, and almost every company regarded strengthening of CP in their production, or achieving environmental certificates as a strategic aim. The companies were interviewed, whether they would be interested to participate in an CP educational program to be organized in the future. All the answers were in favour of such attendance. The firms are committed to the development of the workers’ skills, and thus to the improvement of the company itself, also in the field of CP.

An educational program based on a process engineering/industrial engineering base according to the Bologna process model was built. The main attention was given to provide knowledge on management of environmental affairs within the industry by application of proper methods, tools and technologies.

A preliminary project plan aiming at transferring the Scandinavian cutting-edge Cleaner Production (Sustainable Production) knowledge including environmental management, technology and legislation to Northwest Russia in order to provide the key persons of the Russian universities, regional authorities and companies the sufficient up-to-date Cleaner Production competence was implemented.

Duration:

1.3.2005 - 31.7.2005