Partner’s News
Report Demonstrates Over $6.6 Billion in Economic Benefits from Pollution Prevention
A Result of Waste Reductions, Resource Conservation, and Cost Savings
A Cornerstone of Environmental Sustainability: Pollution Prevention Results from 2007 to 2009 presents
available information on the achievements of state and local P2 programs for the calendar years 200 7 to
2009. The Report was produced by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) based upon the
results shared by 90 pollution prevention (P2) programs in the United States.
The Report shows that there were almost $6.6 billion in economic benefits and more than 7 billion
pounds of pollution minimized or eliminated during the three year period. 7 billion pounds of waste is
equivalent to the amount of waste generated by 350 thousand households, the approximate size of
Columbus, Ohio. This study affirms that pollution prevention results in conservation of valuable
resources and significant waste reductions, as well cost savings that were four times greater than the funds
used to support the various P2 programs.
The Report is a product of the P2 Results Task Force, whose membership includes representatives from
State P2 programs, EPA Headquarters and Regions, , as well as NPPR. The Task Force has developed a National Pollution Prevention Results Data
System, (the System). The System aggregates data that is collected, managed, and synthesized by state
and local P2 programs, non-profits, companies, and other organizations.
The Report documents additional benefits of P2 activities, including: approximately 16 billion gallons of
water conserved; almost 2.5 billion kilowatt hours of reduced energy usage; more than 33 billion pounds
of greenhouse gases (GHG) no longer being released into the atmosphere.
NPPR will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, February 21 at 2 ET to provide an overview of the report.
Register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2030884086456328960.
To view the Report, go to http://www.p2.org/wp-content/uploads/p2-results-2007-9-final.pdf.
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the largest
membership organization in the United States devoted solely to pollution prevention (P2). The mission of
the Roundtable is to provide a national forum for promoting the development, implementation, and
evaluation of efforts to avoid, eliminate, or reduce pollution at the source.
Launch of NPPR Safer Chemistry Challenge Program
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) has launched the 2025 Safer Chemistry Challenge Program (SCCP), a voluntary initiative to motivate, challenge, and assist companies to reduce the use of chemicals of concern to human health and the environment. The SCCP also rewards companies for finding safer alternatives and builds on ongoing business efforts to make toxic chemical reduction a business reality.
Forward thinking companies are focused on achieving high levels of environmental performance through sustainable business practices, including moving toward safer chemistries in the products companies manufacture and consume. It is also a way to address the ever-changing chemicals regulatory landscape. “Participating in the SCCP challenge not only gives companies an opportunity to cut costs but also a chance to become an industry leader in managing environmental responsibilities, reducing and preventing pollution, eliminating the use of toxic compounds, and substituting safer alternatives.” Jeffrey Burke, NPPR Executive Director.
The SCCP seeks to target reduction or elimination of the most toxic compounds that can be achieved by industry through pollution prevention or source reduction approaches. Companies have the flexibility to select chemicals for reduction to meet specific business objectives to focus reduction efforts on, or use the SCCP list of priority chemicals as guidance.
Companies that participate will be asked to reduce their use of chemicals by:
- Moving toward cleaner processes, including adopting greener, more sustainable technologies
- Using green chemistry tools and designs that avoid the use and generation of toxic chemicals
- Selecting and using safe alternatives, such as benign or low toxicity materials or those that degrade into innocuous substances
Another value of the SCCP is that companies are encouraged to partner with state and local technical assistance programs to help identify effective ways to reduce waste and emissions and adopt safer substitute chemicals.
The SCCP offers industry a unique leadership opportunity for public and private sector collaboration that fosters a cleaner environment, new market opportunities, improved competitive advantage, while enhancing corporate image Additional resources and application information can be found at www.p2.org/challenge.
