Business and the UN: Partners in Sustainable Development 1999

A central factor in achieving sustainability in business and industry is the improvement of production processes through the introduction of technologies that use resources more efficiently and minimize environmental impacts. If such cleaner production technologies are to be widely adopted without costly regulations, they must be cost-effective and fit into normal business decision making. The purpose of the Industry and Technology Exhibits and Presentations organized during the sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was to examine, through case studies, the process of transfer of cleaner production technologies from enterprises in developed countries to enterprises in developing countries.

This publication explores the motivations of companies involved in nine cases of successful transfer of cleaner production technologies to enterprises in developing countries. These companies presented their stories during the Industry and Technologies Exhibits and Presentations.

Part I offers a summary of the case studies.
Part II presents the case studies as written by the companies themselves.
Part III describes the organization of the exhibits and selection of participants.
Part IV contains background documents.
Part V contains the official United Nations documents of the sixth session.