In June 1998, ECOLOGIA launched an 18-month project with Russian partner organization Ecoline to introduce and promote EMS concepts in the Russian Federation. The project was funded by IREX/USAID.

Community Initiated Voluntary Management Systems as a New Tool to Reduce Environmental Pollution as a Threat to Public Health

Final Report - Executive summary

The substantive goal of the collaborative SPAN project undertaken by ECOLOGIA and ECOLINE was to increase the capacity of local and regional governments, enterprises, and NGOs to collectively deal with environmental pollution as a threat both to public health and natural resources. Additionally, the SPAN project was expected to contribute to and strengthen the ECOLOGIA/ECOLINE partnership. These goals were both successfully met within the scope of the project.

ECOLINE and ECOLOGIA worked with local communities, enterprises and governments to promote the use of environmental management systems as a sustainable, appropriate approach to pollution reduction in the Russian Federation. Over an 18-month period, ECOLINE and ECOLOGIA conducted numerous public workshops and trainings on voluntary environmental management systems (EMS) in the project's three key regions (Vladimir, Leningrad and Chita), as well as other regions of the Russian Federation. More than 15 enterprises received consultative assistance on EMS - at least five of these enterprises are now using EMS principles in their daily operations. A glass factory in the Vladimir region has already shown significant improvements after working with project staff to develop the fundamental aspects of an environmental management system.

The project placed particular emphasis on the role and value of public participation in the creation of incentives, development, implementation and evaluation of voluntary EMS. ECOLINE/ECOLOGIA worked with a network of regional NGOs in the Russian Federation and the US to assist in promoting project activities and disseminating information on EMS. ECOLINE provided valuable EMS-related information on their publicly accessible website. In addition, enterprises participating in pilot project activities were encouraged to communicate EMS-related developments with stakeholder groups in the community. Several public meetings were held between stakeholder groups and enterprises in the Vladimir and Leningrad regions. These meetings allowed stakeholders (such as community groups, local government representatives and regulatory officers) and enterprise management to discuss issues of concern and helped stakeholders clearly understand EMS principles. As a result of one such meeting in the Leningrad region, industry and NGOs are now working together to create a network for collecting and recycling lead batteries - a serious source of pollution.

Within the scope of the project, ECOLINE and ECOLOGIA also sought to work with government representatives in the Russian Federation at the regional and federal level, as well as representatives from regulatory agencies. Project staff participated in numerous government-hosted round table discussions and workshops on EMS. Working with members of various governmental and administrative bodies allowed ECOLINE/ECOLOGIA to educate governmental bodies about the effectiveness of environmental management systems in a voluntary (not mandatory) capacity, to provide greater understanding about the applicability of EMS for sustainable development in a transitional economy such as the Russian Federation, and to promote discussions on how regulators can work with enterprises to develop incentives for improving environmental performance. As a result of these project activities, ECOLINE experts have been invited to work jointly with Goscomecologia to prepare recommendations for Russian industries seeking to implement EMS based on the ISO 14000 model.

ECOLINE and ECOLOGIA used their experience in the field of voluntary EMS in the Russian Federation to present documentary evidence of both the opportunities and challenges for such systems in transition economies at international meetings. Representatives from ECOLOGIA and ECOLINE actively participated in the annual plenary meeting of the International Organization for Standardization (or ISO, the institution responsible for creating the ISO 14000 series of voluntary environmental management standards). Their contributions at the meeting were key factors in getting the ISO leadership to acknowledge the fact that transition economies are under-represented in this international body. Additionally, ECOLINE/ ECOLOGIA collaborated with other NGOs at the meeting to urge the ISO leadership to examine how public groups can contribute to the development and implementation of effective environmental management systems. An ECOLOGIA representative is now leading a work group that will research NGO participation in EMS development and present these findings at the next ISO meeting.

The Russian economic crisis in the autumn of 1998 presented some initial challenges to the project's progress, particularly in the already economically fragile Chita region. Due to economic hardship, industries in Chita were working at such low capacity that finding businesses prepared to participate as pilot projects in EMS implementation was nearly impossible. Accordingly, project staff chose to hold three information workshops on EMS principles in the region and work to educate local NGOs on the applicability of EMS in the Russian Federation. Pilot project activities were also expanded to the nearby Buryat Republic, where several enterprises were eager to participate. ECOLINE/ECOLOGIA coordinated with participants in the Baikal Regional Biodiversity Strategy (a project of the Global Environment Facility and the Russian government). As a result, the use of EMS as a means to help enterprises control pollution is now part of this important strategy to protect the unique biodiversity of the Baikal region.

Overall, both ECOLOGIA and ECOLINE consider the result of their joint project activities to be a success. The two groups have met, and in some cases, exceeded the goals and objectives of the SPAN project. Working collaboratively with international partners is always a challenge but thanks to an enduring history, open communication and mutual respect between the two organizations, ECOLOGIA and ECOLINE manage to take occasional obstacles in stride. This project has further enhanced what was already a well-established partnership by illustrating the unique strengths and expertise that each organization can contribute to collaborative work. We look forward to continuing and expanding our SPAN project activities to promote effective environmental management systems in the Russian Federation and solid environmental management standards in the international arena.