A programme to be run jointly with the state pollution control board will enable the units to become more competitive.
A study conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has found that many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in and around Bangalore lack awareness about sustainable industrial ecology — a worrying finding, because the enormous growth of industry in the state is posing a serious challenge to the region’s ecological balance.
The KSPCB study found that 51 per cent of the state’s highly polluting industries are concentrated in four districts — Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Bellary and Mysore. These districts also account for a large concentration of SMEs, which are ill-equipped to meet increasingly stringent national and international regulations and as a result are losing their competitive edge.
To help SMEs reduce pollution levels and improve working conditions as well as their quality management, TUV Rheinland, a provider of technical services and certification based in Cologne, Germany, had launched a pilot programme in association with KSPCB and DEG (Deutsche Investitions und Entwicklungsgesellschaft), a KFW banking group firm in Bangalore.
Under the public private partnership (PPP) project, known as ‘Comprehensive Programme for Enhanced Productivity and Sustainable Industrial Ecology’, 10 highly polluting SMEs in Bangalore were selected and put through a 14-month programme to create awareness and implement environmental as well as occupational health and safety standards.
M Bhaskar, director, finance & general administration, at TUV Rheinland India, said the programme had helped make the participating companies more aware of the need to adopt globally accepted certifications such as Occupational Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001), social accountability (SA 8000) and environment management (ISO 14001) systems.
“The SMEs are now aware that they can become competitive and gain better international acceptance if they improve their manufacturing processes,” he said.
The programme focused on mass awareness of environmental concerns and the alignment of the companies’ systems with international standards. The initiative was called SHINE (Systematic and Holistic Programme for a Balanced Industrial Ecology). It was funded by DEG and is assisted by ECC International.
The aim of the project is to develop best-practice examples of environment, health, safety, and social accountability, focusing on SMEs. KSPCB extended support to ‘train the trainer’ activities, which were part of the awareness campaigns.
“We conducted a CEO Forum to bring together top decision makers from various SMEs in the region, trained the selected CEOs and their employees and provided them with information about management systems like ISO 14001, OHSAS and SA 8000, among others. We will now audit these firms and come out with a rating shortly,” Bhaskar said.
The project addressed issues on three levels. First, an information campaign was conducted to inform entrepreneurs about the necessity of environmental concerns. Second, a group of 15-20 experts were identified to train the trainers and set up activities such as workshops and seminars. As a third step, the 10 companies will serve as best-practice examples to demonstrate the benefits of an environmental management system. The programme will also be able to help design and launch a comprehensive new system to assist in changing to a more sustainable form of production, even in SMEs, Bhaskar said.
He said TUV Rheinland is looking to replicate the Karnataka model in many other states and in other countries such as Vietnam and Brazil. In Bangalore itself, the project will be taken up on a full-time basis next year, he said.
“We will organise mass mobilisation programmes, and create multi-stakeholder expert pools to train and build capacity in groups to switch to sustainable industrial production,” he added.
As part of the project, the 10 companies will be audited and rated on three dimensions – social, environmental, health and safety – before and after the implementation phase. These companies can use the rating to obtain international acceptance and recognition.
To sustain the project initiatives, an e-learning kit on international standards (EMS, OHSAS and SA) and best practices governing sustainable industrial production will be developed and distributed to over 200 enterprises.
