Development Aspects Impressum Editors

The UNIDO TEST methodology

The Environmentally Sound Technology methodology was developed by UNIDO in 2000 and is aimed at improving environmental management and competitive- ness of companies in developing countries and with transition economies (De Pal- ma and Dobes, 2004).

1. The five management tools

The TEST methodology consists of five management tools at company level with the aim of changing management practices in a holistic manner in order to ensure the sustainable introduction of green practices. The management tools introduced concern the whole management pyramid (see figure 1) (De Palma and Dobes,

2004) and, therefore, the whole chain of command in a company is trained and capacitated in the various tools. This ensures true ownership of the changes in- troduced and the sustainability of their adoption. Moreover, the TEST relies on the application of the double learning cycle, involving continuous movement from “plan” to “do” to “check” and to “act”. The concept ensures the proper record- ing of the changes introduced and the measurement of their effects. Applying the double learning cycle continuously leads to constant improvement of the produc- tion process.

Figure 1: Management pyramid of a company

Products


Production


Systems


Strategies


Vision and goals


Stakeholders

The various tools affect different levels of the management pyramid and it is their coordinated implementation that ensures the success and sustainability of the changes introduced. These tools are technological and managerial (De Palma and Dobes, 2004):

1. Cleaner production assessment (CPA)

The cleaner production assessment focuses on systematically identifying potential applications of preventive techniques for pollution sources (where pollution is seen as a symptom of process inefficiency). The adopted pollution prevention meas- ures reduce not only pollution but also operational costs. The cleaner production measures identified are classified in two categories: on the one hand, the low-cost measures such as good housekeeping and limited production changes; and on the other hand, the measures which require additional investment. CPA affects mostly the product and production levels of the management pyramid.

2.