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US EPA, US BCSD Announce International Initiative to Foster Sustainable Development Projects

Submitted by: United States Business Council for Sustainable Development

Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Posted: Jul 31, 2007 – 11:15 AM EST

First Projects Slated for China, to Focus on Energy and Climate Change

CHICAGO, IL- July 31, 2007 -In an effort to promote environmentally sustainable economic development worldwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) today announced a far-ranging agreement to collaborate on international sustainable development projects, starting in China.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and Sabrina Watkins, chairman of the US BCSD and environmental technology manager at ConocoPhillips, signed a memorandum of understanding today at the US BCSD Summer Meeting in Chicago to promote cooperation on environmental and sustainable development initiatives around the world, starting in China.

"Promoting clean power solutions and clean energy innovations both domestically and internationally is an EPA commitment," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Through today's MOU signing, we're joining forces with US BCSD to deliver an economically- and environmentally-brighter tomorrow."

The focus initially will be on China, where the parties will build on existing relationships with the China Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Chinese EPA to develop projects that assist in China's transition to a sustainable economy that efficiently uses and reuses materials and is powered by renewable energy and other clean energy sources. Specifically, they will collaborate in three areas:

Creating a more sustainable strategy for cement production in China, the world's leading producer;

Expanding development and deployment of clean technologies to convert biomass waste to renewable energy, and

Implementing by-product synergy, a system that allows companies from one industrial sector to use the wastes, or by-products of another sector as raw materials for other companies.

The EPA has been a supporter of the US BCSD's work in the U.S. for the past ten years, including its highly successful by-product synergy process, which will be on display in Chicago, where the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the Chicago Manufacturing Center and EPA Region 5 are partnered with the US BCSD on a synergy project that has reduced waste by more than 6,000 tons so far this year. The synergy process, which the parties plan to pursue in China, leads to the creation of new markets and resource efficiencies that generate cost savings, new sales opportunities and significant environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

"With raw materials prices escalating rapidly, by-product synergy are a practical survival strategy for the years to come," notes US BCSD Executive Director Andrew Mangan. "Even the leanest manufacturing process does not eliminate the problems of yield loss or the occasional off-specification product. Instead of total loss and disposal of these resources, by-product synergy can identify new uses that can naturally lead to business savings."

Other participants at the announcement included Sadhu Johnson, Chicago Environment Commissioner, and Dr. Gordon Forward, US BCSD Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Chaparral Steel. In addition, the meeting featured an interactive ideation session, a panel on climate change issues and details on regional by-product synergy initiatives, including the Chicago Waste to Profit Network supported by the City of Chicago.

About the Business Council

The business council is a non-profit association of businesses working to create and deliver cost-effective sustainable development projects and partnerships. It is a partner organization of the World BCSD, a network of 180 international companies whose members come from 30 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. More information about the US BCSD is available at www.usbcsd.org

For more information, please contact:

Andrew Mangan US BCSD

Phone: (512) 328-8795

Website: www.usbcsd.org

Mike Merwin Weber Shandwick

Phone: (425) 452-5445

For more from this organization:

United States Business Council for Sustainable Development

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CSR Press Release

US EPA, US BCSD Announce International Initiative to Foster Sustainable Development Projects