Tokyo Green Industry Conference 2011

Green Industry is central for achieving industrial growth in developing and emerging economies, while at the same time resolving today’s most pressing environmental and resource challenges. These challenges include mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change; environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes; and security of supply of energy, water, materials and other natural resources.

Green Industry is a two-pronged sector-strategy for green growth of the manufacturing and related sectors.

Firstly, it aims to continuously improve the resource productivity and environmental performance of all industries, orgreening of industries, through proven methods and techniques such as cleaner production, industrial energy efficiency and sound management of chemicals and wastes.

Secondly, it fosters the development of a vibrant supply of innovative environmental goods and services, through thecreation of green industries, that develop, deliver and/or deploy environmentally sound technologies -- for example for pollution control, renewable energy and/or Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) of wastes.

The Green Industry initiative was launched at the 2009 Green Industry Conference in Manila. The Conference was hosted by the Government of the Philippines, and organized by UNIDO, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The Initiative aims at scaling-up and mainstreaming Green Industry policies, methods and techniques, as agreed in the Manila Green Industry Declaration, which was signed by 21 Asian countries. Now that a consensus is emerging on the urgency of Green Industry, a strong focus on practical solutions is required, which can be replicated, in a scalable manner, in developing and emerging economies in Asia and worldwide.