The Application of Chemical Leasing Business Models in Mexico

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.02.294 Background, Aim and Scope. To better address the requirements of the changing multilateral order, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Cleaner Production Programme, in 2004, developed the new Sustainable Industrial Resource Management (SIRM) approach. This approach is in accordance with the principles decided at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Unlike the traditional approaches to environmental management, the SIRM concept captures the idea of achieving sustainable industrial development through the implementation of circular material and energy flows in the entire production chain and reduction of the amount of material and energy used with greater efficiency solutions. The SIRM approach seeks to develop new models to encourage a shift from selling products to supplying services, modifying, in this manner, the supplier/user relationship and resulting in a win-win situation for the economy and the environment. Chemical Leasing represents such a new service-oriented business model and is currently being promoted by UNIDO′s Cleaner Production Programme. Main Features. One of the potential approaches to address the problems related to ineffective use and over-consumption of chemicals is the development and implementation of Chemical Leasing business models. These provide concrete solutions to the effective management of chemicals and on the ways negative releases to the environment can be reduced. The Chemical Leasing approach is a strategy that addresses the obligations of the changing international chemicals policy by focusing on a more service-oriented strategy. Mexico is one of the countries that were selected for the implementation of UNIDO's demonstration project to promote Chemical Leasing models in the country. The target sector of this project is the chemical industry, which is expected to shift their traditional business concept towards a more service and value-added approach. This is being achieved through the development of company specific business models that implement the above-indicated Chemical Leasing concept with the support from the Mexican National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC). Results and Conclusions. The implementation of Chemical Leasing in Mexico has proven to be an efficient instrument in enhancing sustainable chemical management and significantly reducing emissions in Mexico. Several companies from the chemical industrial sector implement or agreed to implement chemical leasing business models. Based on the positive findings of the project, several Mexican companies started to negotiate contents of possible Chemical Leasing contracts with suitable business partners. The project further aimed at disseminating information on Chemical Leasing. It successfully attracted globally operating companies in the chemicals sector to explore possibilities to implement Chemical Leasing business models in Mexico. At the international level, the results of the UNIDO project were presented on 20TH September 2005 during a side event of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Preparation Conference in Vienna. Recommendations and Outlook. To facilitate the promotion and application of Chemical Leasing project at international level, UNIDO is currently developing a number of tools to standardize Chemical Leasing projects. These include, among others, Chemical leasing contract models; Chemical Leasing data base to find partners for chemical leasing; and guidelines to implement Chemical Leasing projects and work programmes.     

Australia's organized response to natural disaster: Background and theoretical analysis

An analysis of organizations involved in response to disaster within Australia is offered. The location of these key organizations within the existing institutional framework, and a discussion of the functions of each, together with the relationships between them is provided. Particular emphasis is placed on the location and role of the State and Territory Emergency Service organizations (S/TES's) within this organizational network. The paper suggests there are a number of constraints that operate upon the S/TES's which prejudice both the effectiveness of this organizational type and that of the entire organizational network. These constraints are analyzed in terms of power and influence variables. The outcome of this discussion is the development of a taxonomy of Australia's counter-disaster organizations that is based on: (1) the ability of individual organizations within the network to determine the role which it will perform; and (2) the potential of the organization to influence the direction of the network.     

两种工业共生组织模式的比较研究

文中对自主实体共生模式和复合实体共生模式这两种生态工业园的工业共生组织模式进行了比较,分析了两种模式的优点与缺点、共性和差异,指出在生态工业园的构建过程中,应将两种模式结合起来考虑。     

The functional organization of resin work in honeybee colonies

Resin is an important building material in the nests of honeybees, but little is known about how it is handled within the nest and how its collection is controlled. We studied the functional organization of resin work to better understand how a colony adaptively controls its intake of resin. Two hypotheses have been proposed for how resin collectors stay informed of the need for additional resin: (1) the unloading difficulty hypothesis (resin need is sensed indirectly by the unloading delay) and (2) the caulking activity hypothesis (resin need is sensed directly while engaged in using resin). A falsifiable prediction of the latter hypothesis, but not of the former, is that resin collectors not only gather resin outside the hive but also regularly handle resin inside the hive (taking it from other bees and using it to caulk crevices). Consistent with this prediction are our findings that in the resin sector of a colony’s economy, unlike in the pollen, nectar, and water sectors, there is no strict division of labor between the collectors and the users of a material. Over the course of a day, bees seen collecting resin were also commonly seen using resin. Moreover, we found that the unloading locations of resin collectors are unlike those of water and nectar collectors, being deep inside the hive (at the sites of resin use) rather than at the hive entrance. This arrangement facilitates the engagement in resin use by resin collectors. We conclude that the caulking activity hypothesis is well-supported, but that the unloading difficulty hypothesis also remains viable, for we found that resin collectors experience variable delays in getting rid of their loads, from less than 15 min to more than an hour, consistent with this hypothesis. The stage is now set for experimental tests of these two hypotheses. Both may be correct, which if true will imply that social insect workers, despite their small brains, can acquire and integrate information from multiple sources to improve their knowledge of conditions within the colony.     

沈阳经济技术开发区管委会建立环境管理体系的环境责任分析

介绍了沈阳经济技术开发区管委会为建立 ISO140 0 0环境管理体系对主要机构的职责和环境责任进行识别的目的 ;概述了管委会各主要机构职责并对照 ISO140 0 1标准分析了其环境责任。本文认为 ,管委会所属职能部门的机构职责、环境责任与 ISO140 0 1标准对照 ,完全可以在此基础上建立一套环境管理体系 ,以规范政府部门的行政管理活动 ,树立政府新形象 ,增强招商引资力度     

Organizational prerequisites for the implementation of systematic health, environment and safety work in enterprises

The Norwegian internal control (IC) regulation, which was set into force in 1992, has received attention because preventive health and safety systems have become mandatory for every enterprise, regardless of size and business. Enterprises are expected to implement proper systematic actions to ensure that the enterprise operates in accordance with requirements specified in laws and regulations in the health, environment and safety (HES)¹ domain. The present study was conducted in order to find out what organizational factors are feasible in predicting success in managing systematic HES work. The study focuses on enterprises' experiences in their efforts to implement IC of HES. The results showed that 45% of the companies in Norway had implemented IC 4 years after the onset of the regulation. A total of 36% were under way, while 19% had not started yet. In 1993 the corresponding figures were 8%, 25% and 67%, respectively. Available internal HES competency with professional training was the strongest predictor for success in managing systematic HES work. Thereafter followed factors like external push and pull factors (customers, labor inspection and business partners). Time elapsed since implementation of the regulation was also of importance.     

WTO对与环境有关的贸易争端的解决机制

环境与贸易的联系日趋紧密,与环境有关的国际贸易争端将越来越多.WTO为解决这类争端做出了有益尝试和不懈努力,并初见成效.该组织的争端解决机制包括法律渊源、参与争端解决的机构、解决纠纷的程序三个方面,其中解决纠纷的程序包括磋商、成立专家小组、专家小组工作、专家小组报告、上诉、复审、仲裁,已有明显的司法化特点.这一机制仍有许多不足之处,应从多方面进行完善和发展.但它使国际贸易法史上有了一个能有效进行国际环境、贸易争端处理的超国家机构,具有重大意义.中国入世后,更要研究这一机制,利用其规则维护国家环境权益.     

青岛“上合峰会”期间夜间臭氧增长成因分析

针对青岛“上合峰会”保障期间出现夜间臭氧（O₃）浓度增长的现象,本文利用地面常规观测资料和污染物浓度数据对其进行分析和研究.结果表明,在6日20：00~23：00,青岛出现O₃浓度持续性增长,峰值浓度达194μg/m³,浓度增长速率达10.7μg/（m³·h）.结合NCEP/FNL再分析资料可知,在夜间西南风的作用下,江苏、安徽等地排放的O₃及其前体物向青岛传输,并在边界层内下沉运动作用下,将其传输至近地面.通过计算边界层内通风量可知,6日边界层内最大风速区高度逐渐降低,达到低空急流的标准,且在夜间1000m以下的通风量呈现出波动性增长,500m和500~1000m高度的通风量峰值分别为3900和5892m²/s.另外,本研究基于CAMx空气质量数值模式中的O₃来源追踪方法（OSAT）对其进行了模拟分析,结果显示在夜间O₃增长时段（20：00~23：00）,青岛地区的主要贡献来源分别为江苏、安徽以及上海,上述3地的贡献比例平均为62.3%、16.6%和8.6%.     

ILO职业安全卫生标准体系现状综述

为了解国际组织职业安全健康标准状况,收集了国际劳工组织职业安全卫生标准有关资料,对国际劳工组织职业安全卫生标准进行了梳理,按照标准属性、适用对象和范围,对标准进行了分类归纳,梳理形成了国际劳工组织职业安全卫生标准体系的整体框架,并对标准体系构成要素的主要内容作了简要的阐述,总结了国际劳工组织职业安全卫生标准及标准体系的特点。     

First report on development of quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity relationship models and exploring discriminatory features for rodent carcinogenicity of diverse organic chemicals using OECD guidelines

Different regulatory agencies in food and drug administration and environmental protection worldwide are employing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to fill the data gaps related with properties of chemicals affecting the environment and human health. Carcinogenicity is a toxicity endpoint of major concern in recent times. Interspecies toxicity correlations may provide a tool for estimating sensitivity towards toxic chemical exposure with known levels of uncertainty for a diversity of wildlife species. In this background, we have developed quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity correlation models for rat and mouse [rodent species according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines] based on the carcinogenic potential of 166 organic chemicals with wide diversity of molecular structures, spanning a large number of chemical classes and biological mechanisms. All the developed models have been assessed according to the OECD principles for the validation of QSAR models. Consensus predictions for carcinogenicity of the individual compounds are presented here for any one species when the data for the other species are available. Informative illustrations of the contributing structural fragments of chemicals which are responsible for specific carcinogenicity endpoints are identified by the developed models. The models have also been used to predict mouse carcinogenicities of 247 organic chemicals (for which rat carcinogenicities are present) and rat carcinogenicities of 150 chemicals (for which mouse carcinogenicities are present). Discriminatory features for rat and mouse carcinogenicity values have also been explored.