US-AEP recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) to promote the concept of environmental due diligence in Asian bank lending practices. The MOU was signed on August 4 in Manila, Philippines, by US-AEP Executive Director Peter Kimm and ADFIAP Secretary General Orlando Pena.

Under the agreement, a structured training curriculum of environmental risk management courses, seminars, and workshops will be implemented jointly in key Asian cities by ADFIAP and US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program. US-AEP and ADFIAP will also investigate a wide range of activities with multilateral organizations having mutual objectives. The agreement supports ADFIAP's "Greening of DFIs (development financing institutions)" program which encourages member banks to adopt a written environmental policy and designate staff responsibility for their operations.

At the signing ceremony, Mr. Kimm said the combined training program from ADFIAP and US-AEP "represents a prime opportunity for banks to gain from powerful profit tools while also helping Asia improve industrial environmental performance."

The Malaysian Cleaner Production Network, with assistance from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR), held the First Malaysian Cleaner Production Conference in Kuala Lumpur on July 14. NPPR, a US-AEP partner, has been supporting the network since October 1997. The conference was an effort by the CP Network to boost cleaner production awareness among a wide range of stakeholders in Malaysia.

Over 75 participants attended the event, hailing from industry, government, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Dr. Puan Hajah Rosnani Ibarahim, director-general of the Malaysia Department of Environment, delivered the keynote address. NPPR Board Chair Parry Burnap also spoke at the event. Topics covered included risk management and The Natural Step, a set of tools for incorporating environmental considerations into business decisions.

Due to the discovery of leaking landfills, which are creating a risk to the safety of the groundwater, the Korean government is planning to build 21 new landfill sites by the year 2000. To help Korean cities better prepare for these new sites, US-AEP�s Environmental Exchange Program sent three municipal government representatives from the cities of Kwangju and Sunchon to the U.S. to examine efficient landfill sites and landfill technology. The delegation traveled to California to meet with representatives of the Puente Hills Landfill, Orange County Water District, and Irvine Ranch Water District about their solid waste management programs. The delegates then traveled to Houston, Texas, where they met with Gundle/SLT Environmental, Inc. (GSE). GSE manufactures geosynthetic clay liners, concrete protection liners, and vertical barriers as well as lining systems. These systems line or cap hazardous and nonhazardous waste landfills, contain water and liquid waste, and prevent leaks through a vacuum leak detection system. A potential partnership between GSE and the municipalities was discussed to create sustainable landfills in their respective cities. [Note: EEP is administered by the Institute of International Education.]

As part of the contract extension for the NGO-Business Environmental Partnership program, flagship nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were chosen to share their success stories and partnership tips with other Asian NGOs and businesses. At a May meeting of the flagship organizations (as reported in the June 7 UPDATE), the NGOs identified cooperative activities for the coming year, some of which are already underway.

For example, Clean Wheels Nepal is putting the finishing touches on a quantitative assessment of actual waste reduction and cost savings attained through their NGO-Business project with automotive workshops in Nepal. Through the use of the locally fabricated Kerosene Recycling Unit, 460,000 liters of kerosene is saved per year in Kathmandu, totaling over $40,000 in savings. The technology is being shared with four more cities in Nepal, as well as with Indian and Bangladesh NGOs. The complete assessment report will be made available through US-AEP and The Asia Foundation, which administers the NGO-Business Environmental Partnership program.

Senior staff from the Centre for Resource Education (CRE) and the Society of Development Alternatives (DA), two flagship NGOs from India, made presentations at a recent workshop on pollution in the electroplating industry�one of India�s major pollution problems. The July 12 workshop, "Clean Technology and Environmental Management (CTEM) in the Electroplating Industry," focused on topics such as the present status of electroplating industries, the role of financial institutions, waste minimization and wastewater treatment, and pollution control measures and regulations.

Dr. Subba Rao, president of CRE and Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi, senior scientist of DA, gave presentations on their successes in environmental improvement through their NGO-Business projects. DA initiated pollution prevention in the electroplating industrial area around New Delhi, and hopes to assist CRE in replicating their success with the Hyderabad electroplating companies. Dr. Rao stressed "the need for self-regulation among the [electroplating] units themselves, as in-house environmental management is very bad." The two NGOs will also continue to improve environmental management in the New Delhi electroplating companies as well, where the majority of the industry is located.

The workshop was sponsored by CRE in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization-Technology Bureau for International Industrial Partnerships (UNIDO-TBIIP), part of the National Institute of Small Industry Extension Training (NISIET) in India.