Seven years of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production in Serbia: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward

Cleaner Production (CP) is a preventive environmental strategy that can be applied to processes, products and services to reduce risks to humans and the environment and improve the efficiency of resource use. Numerous national, regional and international CP initiatives have since then been initiated, including the UNIDO-UNEP establishment of the National Cleaner Production Programmes (NCPPs). This paper outlines the role of the Serbian National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPCS) in the identification and implementation of efficient and cleaner production (RECP) opportunities and business cases. RECP is an extension Cleaner Production (CP), and aims at continuous application of integrated preventive environmental strategies. The NCPCS was established in 2007. One of its main objectives is to foster the implementation of RECP through workshops, and training of national experts and company employees. A key result from the NCPCS’s activities is the potential saving of up to 257 MEUR for the Electrical Power Company of Serbia by developing more than 140 RECP options between 2010 and 2012 (number is an estimate based on evaluation of 50% of the options). The paper discusses the advantages of the NCPC being based at a university, such as increased credibility and client contacts. The paper provides an outlook on planned developments and NCPCs chances to become a self-sufficient entity in the near future.