Promoting cleaner production in South East Asia: a case study of the DTI/BOI Environmental Unit

Abstract

This article reviews the role of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry/Board of Investment's Environmental Unit in promoting the adoption of cleaner production technologies and practices by Philippine industry. The activities of the Environmental Unit represent a significant shift in policy away from traditional regulatory approaches towards a cooperative, partnership approach to environmental improvement. It remains to be seen, however, whether the considerable ambitions of the Environmental Unit can be matched by the implementation of effective policy instruments. This article examines existing approaches adopted by the Environmental Unit, and uses this as a basis for proposing an expanded role. The focus is on identifying strategies which mesh with overriding policy parameters of the Department of Trade/Board of Investment, such as the desire for alternatives to conventional regulation, the requirement to promote economic growth in tandem with environmental improvement and the need to avoid large drains on the public purse. The lessons drawn have a much broader application and resonate with the challenges faced by a wide variety of agencies in developing countries in the region.