Closed Looped Cycle Products,
part of the solution to a trash-free Potomac Watershed?
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Trash Summit 2012, Silver Springs (MD), USA, November 07, 2012
OAS: Background
• The General Secretariat of the Organization of
American States (GS/OAS) is the premier forum for
multilateral dialogue and concerted action in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
• GS/OAS serves 34 member states of the hemisphere
• Representative Offices in most of its member states
• Department of Sustainable Development
– Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Section
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Overarching Programmatic Goal: Increase
productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of Small
and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) in the production
sector of nations in the Americas via the application of
the Closed Looped Cycle Production philosophy.
Closed Looped Cycle Production in Ecuador:
• Introduce and showcase the viability and
applicability of the C2C design method;
• Focus on the production sector of Ecuador;
• Introduce as an innovative business development
tool;
• Improve energy efficiency and environmental
performance;
• Increase the productivity, competitiveness and
sustainability of businesses, in particular Small and
Mediums size Enterprises (SMEs)
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Component 4 – Business Development (Assessing C2C applicability)
Aiming to certify the first packaging product “C2C-Silver” in Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Securing government endorsement
SME assessments
Multi-stakeholder meetings
CLCP Technical Training workshops
Identified pilot host SME (Batery S.A.)
Execute pilot C2C certification project
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Why are talking about “Re-thinking”?
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Example: PV - Cradle to Grave
Extraction
Manufacturing & distribution
Application & use
Application of 4Rs
Disposal
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Need to Re-think manufacturing:
• The existing waste management hierarchy is not sufficient to reduce and
address the waste generation and management problem
• We need to recognize the core problem and re-think the process of
manufacturing of products by tackling the design of such products to guarantee
closing the loop of these products after costumers’ satisfaction.
4Rs
5Rs
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Re-thinking -> Cradle-to-Cradle design?
Sustainable Production and Consumption
Modern business jargon for
Sustainable Manufacturing:
Eco-effective design
A call for the
transformation of the
manufacturing
industry through the
eco-intelligent design
of products
Cradle-to-Cradle design
Industrial Ecology
Product Stewardship
SMART production
Lean Manufacturing
Green Business
Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainable Consumption and
Production
Circular Economy
Braungart & McDonough (2002)
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Tackling the problem at the core:
Biological cycle
Technical Cycle
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What are the benefits of C2C
Certification?
(1) Reduction of dependency and
continuous extraction of increasingly
scarce commodities,
(2) Significantly lower energy and water
requirements and GHG emissions for
manufacturing processes;
(3) Reduced solid waste, waste water
generation and other environmental
impacts;
(4) Improved health and working
environment;
(5) Promote renewable energy use during
product processing, and
(6) Increased profits for SMEs through
cost savings and enhanced
marketability of products.
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Integrating the 5Rs
Sustainable Production and Consumption
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Integrating the 5Rs
We believe that a real solution to waste problems in the
Americas arises from:
(1) Re-thinking the way we go about designing and manufacturing products as
the staring point of finding a structural solution to waste generation; and
(2) The inclusion or integration of the sustainable production and consumption
(SPC) values into National Integrated Waste Management Policies/Plans
(IWMP).
Recognizing SPC as the highest hierarchical goal in the Waste Management
Hierarchy allows on a case-by-case situation assess the suitability of Redesigning (Re-think), Reducing, Re-using, Recycling, Recovery (Waste-toEnergy solutions) and Responsible disposal (sanitary landfills) as solution
to address current, short-term or wastes already in place, while simultaneously
and gradually transitioning towards Sustainable Production and Consumption in
communities throughout the Americas.
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Does this contribute to solving the trash
problem in the Potomac Watershed?
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Potomac Watershed – General Facts
• The watershed covers an area of 14,760 square miles and
encompasses 5 states
• Carrying about 2.6 trillion gallons annually
• To maintain the integrity of the watershed ecosystems and
where 6.1million people (of which 81% living in urban
areas) are dependent on it as a source for drinking water,
recreation, and use in productive activities.
(source: ICPRB)
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Indicators of pollution
Waste Water as Primary Source of Pollution:
• Swimming is not an approved activity in the waters of
the Potomac and Anacostia in the District of Columbia
• Type of pollutants include effluent from wastewater
treatment
plants,
personal
care
products,
pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications,
agricultural pollution, animal feedlots, industrial
byproducts, and biosolids.
• And EPA reviews anywhere from 1,500-3,000 “new”
chemicals annually-- many of which enter Potomac
waterways, undetected by wastewater treatment plants.
(source: Potomac Conservancy)
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Major industries
The basin's major industries include:
• Agriculture and forestry throughout the basin (upstream)
• Coal mining and pulp and paper production (upstream)
• Chemical production and agriculture in the Shenandoah
valley (upstream)
• High-tech, service, and light industry, as well as military
and government installations in the Washington
Metropolitan area; and
• Fishing in the lower Potomac estuary (downstream)
(source: ICPRB)
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Area with highest pollution potential
DC Metropolitan Area:
• About 5.4 million people live in the DC metropolitan area
(about 75% of total watershed population)
• High urban population density with the highest
concentration of products consumption, light industrial
and manufacturing activities in the Potomac watershed
The area representing the highest
potential source for pollution in the
form of waste water and trash
(plastics, metals, paper, etc.)
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Market based solutions
Trash Free Potomac Facility Program:
• The objective is to create an economic incentive for
waste reduction and instill a waste responsible behavior in
residents of the Potomac watershed (source: AFF).
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Recommendation #1
• Assess, Adapt, and Endorse the 5R methodological
framework and formally adopt this in state policies for the
Potomac Watershed protection
Sustainable Production and Consumption
5Rs
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Recommendation #2
• Introduce (“Cradle”) the C2C concept in other sectors, economic
activities, and among the Potomac Watershed business
community
Recommendation #3
Promote Green Procurement
• Market based approach to achieve Economic, Social and
Environmental integration
• Increases profits, enhances business image and grow the
business
• Improves human health and increase productivity
• Prevent pollution and waste water production
C2C Certified Products
Closed Looped Cycle Production and Consumption:
MUCHAS GRACIAS
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
MERCI BEAUCOUP
MUITO OBRIGADO
A systematic and integrated approach to solving waste problems
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THANK YOU
ing. Kevin de Cuba, MSc.
Program Manager,
Closed Looped Cycle
Production in the Americas
T: +1-202-458-6467
E: [email protected]
Energy and Climate Change Mitigation
Department of Sustainable Development - DSD
Executive Secretariat for Integral Development - SEDI
Organization of American States
1889 F St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006, USA
T. 202.458.6467
F. 202.458.3560
www.oas.org/dsd
www.ecpamericas.org
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MEARSK C2C Program
100% RECYCLABLE
& RE-USEABLE