ABSTRACT
The activities of international agencies in promoting cleaner production can be categorised into the areas: Influencing national policy and administrative environments to encourage the accelerated implementation of cleaner production measures by industry. The potential contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to strategies promoting sustainable development—cleaner production, eco-efficiency, pollution prevention, and green productivity. SMEs are usually small in capital and staff resources, frequently dependent on simple, labour-intensive and outdated technologies, and focused on short-term quick profit—if not day-to-day survival. The neglect of SMEs by some critical influences on their behaviour, however, has left them ill-informed and ill-equipped to respond to mounting pressures to improve environmental performance. The reputations of large industry and the success of international voluntary and business initiatives are closely related to SMEs. The growing prevalence of ISO 14001 certification among SMEs in developing countries, particularly Asia, is going some way to indicate to existing and potential trading partners that environmental management is being addressed within the company.
