Sustainable Consumption in Asia: Asian Case Studies

This report “Sustainable Consumption: Asian Case Studies” is a part of the Asian Review on Sustainable Consumption. Other than a few acquired through a desk research, most of the cases were personally experienced by me during the country review visits. The case studies provide the reader a cross section of activities in Asia as efforts made by various organizations from government to civil society and industry towards capacity building for sustainable consumption. I am overwhelmed by the Asian experience from China to India, Malaysia to Sri Lanka, Indonesia to Bangladesh, Cambodia to Nepal, Thailand to Pakistan, Vietnam to Laos, and eternally grateful for sharing that knowledge, which I in return wish to share with you.

Case Study Summary
1. A Legal Arsenal of the Philippine Environment
2. Ban on Polythene Shopping Bags in Bangladesh
3. Business Performance Rating System & Eco-office Programme
4. Comparison and Analysis of the Efficacy of Applying Chemical Fertilizers and Ecological Fertilizers in Typical Areas in China
5. Campaign to mitigate air pollution from motor vehicles in the Dhaka City
6. Capacity Building and Policy Reinforcement for Waste Management in Cambodia
7. China BELL (Business, Environment, Learning and Leadership in China)
8. China Environmental Labelling Scheme & its Impact on Chinese Society
9. CII Community Development Project in Bihar
10. Comparative Testing of Products in India
11. Community Based Sustainable Tourism Project
12. Consumer Protection Act of 1986, Consumer Protection Council & Consumer Courts in India
13. Consumer Electronic Re-cycling in China
14. “Cotton Bag Program”
15. Deposit Refund Scheme For Battery Treatment
16. Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003)
17. ECOMARK
18. Environmental Court Act, 2000 of Bangladesh
19. Environmental Hygiene Awareness Campaign
20. Essential Health Care Program of BRAC
21. Executive Order No. 301 : “Establishing a Green Procurement Program for All Departments, Bureaus, Offices and Agencies of the Executive Branch of Government
22. Fuel Substitution In The Rural Sector
23. Garbage Bank
24. Grameen Bank Model of Micro Credit for the Poor and the “Struggling Member Programme (for Beggars)”
25. Green Choice Philippines – the National Ecolabelling Programme and the Granting of Seal to the Pride Powder Laundry Detergents
26. Green Community Foundation
27. Green Kampong
28. "Green Label Scheme" and "Green Purchasing Network (GPN)"
29. Green Technology Audit and Implementation
30. Impartial Product Testing Laboratory in India
31. Income Generation from Waste for Waste Pickers in Cambodia
32. Indonesian Livable Communities Initiative
33. IT Waste Re-cycling in China
34. Lead Acid Battery Recovery and Recycling Program —Balik-Baterya (Battery Return) and Bantay Baterya ( Battery Watch )
35. Organic Agriculture Development (Organic standard/regulation and organic certifier body)
36. Nationwide Search for Model Barangays for Eco-waste Management System
37. Nayakrishi Andolon: Planting the Seeds of Joy - An Initiative of Bangladesh Peasants for a Better Living
38. Partnering The Reconstruction And Rehabilitation Work in Gujarat
39. Promoting Circular Economy in China
40. Philippine Clean Air Act (Republic Act 8749)
41. Rain Water Harvesting in Tamil Nadu
42. Republic Act (RA) 9275 (The Philippine Clean water Act of 2004)
43. “Magic Eye”
44. Recycling of flowers offered Gods in Temples in Mumbai
45. Rules And Regulations Implementing The Environmental User Fee System In The Laguna De Bay Region
46. The Dawn or “Rung Arun” Project (Energy and Environmental Education in Thailand)
47. Take back system for lead-acid batteries
48. TARA NIRMAN KENDRAs (TNKs)
49. The Greenest Steel Plant in the World
50. TERI Corporate Awards for Environmental Excellence & Corporate Social Responsibility
51. TOGA: The Green Pharmacy
52. Vehicular Pollution Control In New Delhi, India
53. Waste Not

about the author

Uchita de Zoysa commenced his professional life as an investigative journalist specializing in investigative environmental journalism. In 1991 to lead the then largest environment & development NGO coalition in Sri Lanka called the “Public Campaign on Environment & Development”. This gave him the opportunity to design and conduct a large public hearing process in Sri Lanka and edit the countries first ever “Citizens' Report on Environment & Development”. The report was presented to the UNCED in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, and he also represented Sri Lankan civil society and as a member of the International NGO Steering Committee for UNCED. During the past twenty years, he has travelled widely across the world contributing to the largest United Nations global conferences such as the Earth Summit, Social Summit and Sustainable Development Summit as well as over fifty international conferences related environment, sustainability and social justice, etc. He has served on many international Steering Committees, contributed to many international projects and authored several books and reports related sustainability issues. He recently served as an Advisory Board Member and Head of Asian Review on Sustainable Consumption for “SC.Asia” a project coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme. He wrote the Asian Review on SC in 2004 and was an editorial member of UNEP's "Advancing Sustainable Consumption in Asia: A Guidance Manual”. Currently, he is a member of the SPACES International Working Group, and the SCORE Scientific Advisory Board. Uchita is the Executive Director the “Centre for Environment & Development” and also manages his own CSR communications agency called “D&D Strategic Solutions”. He is a writer, speaker, researcher and thinker for the sustainability movement of the world, and also a social entrepreneur, public mobiliser and creative strategist for corporate and policy programmes. He has over twenty years of journalism and corporate communications experience, and over seventeen years experience in environment & development NGO work at national and international levels. He lives and works towards creating a better and sustainable world.

about the organization

Centre for Environment and Development (CED) is a legally incorporated non-profit making Non-Governmental Organization that operates as a think tank and concept builder, research & policy institute, watchdog and campaigner at local, national and international levels. Its main work areas evolve around the concept of "Creating a Better World" and work around the main thematic areas of Sustainable Development and Social Justice. CED is based in Sri Lanka and works intensely in Asia and network intimately with other regions and is a regular contributor at leading international events on sustainability and social justice. Currently CED works on issues related to Sustainable Consumption & Production, Community Empowerment & Poverty Eradication, Consumer Protection & Social Justice, and Corporate Social Responsibility. In 2004-5 CED teamed with UNEP & CI for the project SC.Asia and formulated “The Asian Review in SC” and was a co-author of the UNEP published “Advancing Sustainable Consumption in Asia: A Guidance Manual”. Now CED has launched an “Asian Expert Resource Centre for Sustainable Consumption & Production”. CED's “From Poverty to Sustainability” is practical action programme to eliminate poverty using SCP tools.

list of participants in the Asian Review on SC

China: Centre for Environmental Education & Communication of State Environment protection Administration, Environmental Certification Center of State Environment protection Administration, PRCEE of State Environment protection Administration, China National Cleaner Production Center, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing Energy Center (BECon), Peking University – College of Environmental Science, Research Centre for Eco-environmental Science Chinese Academy of Sciences, CK Life Science Int’l Inc, China Consumer Association, Professional Association for China's Environment, India: Ministry of Environment & Forest , Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution , Bureau of Indian Standards, Consumer Unity & Trust Society, Consumer Coordination Council , Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE), Development Alternatives, Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), Chamber of Indian Industries (CII), National Cleaner Production Centre, Consumers Forum, Safety Action Group, Consumer Education and Research Centre, Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), Kalpa Wruksha Organic Farm, Maharashra Industrial Development Zone, CAG (Citizen, consumer and civic Action Group), Federation of Consumer Organisations Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (FEDCOT), Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board , Consumer Protection, Government of Tamil Tamil Nadu, Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu , Rural Development, Government of Tamil Tamil Nadu, Indian Management Institute Indonesia: Capacity Development of Environmental Supporting Institution - Ministry of Environment, Bureau for Planning and International Cooperation - Ministry of Environment, Indonesian-German Environmental Program (Cleaner Production Centre) - Ministry of Environmen, Energy Utilization Division - Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Centre for Standardization and Accreditation - Ministry of Agriculture, National Agency of Drug and Food Control (NADFC), Yayasan Lembaga Konsumen Indonesia (YLKI), Friends of the Environment Fund (Dana Mitra Lingkungan), Bangasari Community Organization, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Indonesian Eco-label Agency Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WAHLI), Pelangi Foundation, Konpalindo, BioCert Thailand: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Natural Resources, Environment Science, and Technology Planning Office (NESDB), Consumer Protection Board, Environmental Management Division - Kenan Institute Asia, Thailand Environment Institute (TEI), Nation Group, Foundation for Consumers, United Nations Environment Programme (ROAP) – Thailand Cambodia: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry Mine and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fishery, Phnom Penh Municipality, COMPED Organization , SCARO Organization, Royal University of Phnom Penh Philippines: Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), National Solid Waste Management Commission, Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Asia Pacific Round Table for Sustainable Consumption & Production (APRSCP), Environmental Management Programme for Industry Competitiveness, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Product Standards, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Laguna Industrial Science Park-1, Philippine Recycles Incorporated, Clean and Green Foundation Inc., Environmental Broadcast Circle, United States-Asia Environmental partnership (US-AEP), Nationwide Association of Consumers Inc., Consumers Federated Groups of the Philippines, Inc. (CFGP) Bangladesh: Ministry of Environment & Forest (MOEF), Department of Environmental (DOE), Bangladesh Standards & Testing Institution (BSTI), Nature Alliance, Striving Towards Environmental Protection (STEP), UBINIG, Grameen Bank, BRAC, Waste Concern, Ministry of Commerce, International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), University of Dhaka, The Financial Express Sri Lanka: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Central Environmental Authority, Ministry of Trade Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Consumer affairs Authority, Centre for Environment and Development Malaysia: Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (FOMCA), ERA Consumer, Third World Network, Consumers Association of Penang, Consumers International – Regional Office for Asia Pacific Nepal: International Consumers Union, SEWA Vietnam: State Committee for Science and Technology, Vietnam Standards & Consumers Association (VINASTAS), Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre, National Environment Agency Lao PDR: Department of Environment Science, Technology & Environment Agency STEA

Sustainable Consumption in Asia

Asian Case Studies

Uchita de Zoysa

about the author

about the organization

list of participants in the Asian Review on SC

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