IRVINE, CA, November 1, 1998: The world's leading experts on industrial environmental performance measurement will convene in Irvine, California, on November 1-4, 1998, as part of an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) symposium on "The Use of Industrial Performance Indicators by APEC Economies."

The four-day event is being organized by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering/U.S. National Research Council (NAE/NRC) with assistance from the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) -- an interagency program led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) -- and the Council of Academics of Engineering and Technological Sciences.

The objective of this conference is to assemble an international group of researchers, industry experts, decision-makers, and policy specialists to discuss new developments in the area of environmental performance indicators and to provide direction for future efforts. The long-term goal: Develop a set of standardized environmental performance indicators across industries and economies.

Worldwide interest in environmental performance indicators, as gauged by measures such as pollution intensity per unit of output, has accelerated in recent years since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio endorsed the concept of eco-efficiency as an important way for businesses to contribute to sustainable development.

Last year, US-AEP commissioned the NAE to study the use and potential improvement of industrial environmental performance indicators in the American industries of automobiles, chemicals, electronics, and pulp and paper. The results of these studies will be presented at the symposium.

Similarly, 10 other APEC economies will present the results of parallel studies on environmental performance metrics in the food-processing, housing-construction, textiles, and energy sectors. Participating APEC economies include: Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, and Chinese Taipei. APEC economies participating as observers include Malaysia and Thailand.

The conference will feature formal presentations, discussions, and break-out sessions. Emphasis will be placed on identifying global best practices, determining how metrics can be used to spur both environmental and economic improvement, evaluating the opportunities and challenges associated with the development and implementation of improved metrics, and investigating industry's role in the drive toward sustainability.