The document discusses various sustainability initiatives and certification programs for green industries. It provides details on certification programs like Fairtrade Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, SMBC Bird Friendly, UTZ Certified, and the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C). It also discusses corporate sustainability programs from Nespresso and Starbucks. Finally, it outlines the benefits of developing green industries, including economic benefits like innovation and growth, and environmental benefits like more efficient resource use and reduced waste and pollution.

1. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY,
CHENNAI
DEPARTMENT OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY
Sustainable Production
Assingment-1
Sustainable Initiative
GREEN INDUSTRY INITIATIVE
BY
UNITED NATIONS
SUBMITTED BY-
Abhishek raj
b/ap/12/227
DFT-vI
SUBMITTED to-
Dr. DIVYA SATYAN
ASSOCIATE professor
Nift, chennai

2. Sustainability Initiatives:
Many countries stressed the importance of taking an integrated approach to the
four thematic issues, addressing in a balanced way the economic, social and
environmental pillars of sustainable development to enhance effectiveness,
influence lifestyle changes and assist in the realization of complementary and
mutually reinforcing policy options and actions. Cross-cutting issues needed to
be mainstreamed into policy approaches, programmes and development
cooperation activities, including through public participation and in particular a
strong role of women in decision-making. The means of implementation were
critical to turning commitments into actions.
Certification and verification schemes can be powerful tools for value addition,
access to a fast-growing market segment and the dissemination of good
agricultural, environmental and social practices.
Sustainability Programmes:
The main sustainability programmes are:
Fairtrade Certified -
The Organic standard was developed in the 1970s and is based on IFOAM
Basic Standards. IFOAM stands for International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements and is the leading global umbrella organization for the
organic farming movement.
The IFOAM Basic Standards provide a framework of minimum requirements,
including the omission of agrochemicals such as pesticides and chemical-
synthetic fertilizers. The use of animal feeds is also strictly regulated. Genetic
engineering and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are
forbidden.
Fairtrade Labelling is an international system of standards for producers and
terms of trade for their goods that ensure the world’s most marginalised
farmers, workers and their families in 59 developing countries are adequately
protected and can build a more sustainable future. The FAIRTRADE Mark
gives assurance to retailers and consumers that Fairtrade producers in the

3. developing world are getting a fair deal for their work. Fairtrade certification
also ensures adherence to strict social standards that foster healthy working
conditions and prohibit child labour. Their environmental standards ensure that
natural ecosystems are not degraded and cultivated land is used sustainably.
Rainforest Alliance Certified -
The Rainforest Alliance was created in the late 1980s from a social movement
and is committed to conserving rainforests and their biodiversity. One key
element of the standard is the compulsory elaboration and implementation of a
detailed plan for the development of a sustainable farm management system so
as to assist wildlife conservation. Another objective is to improve workers’
welfare by establishing and securing sustainable livelihoods. Producer prices
may carry a premium. Yet instead of guaranteeing a fixed floor price, the
standard seeks to improve the economic situation of producers through higher
yields and enhanced cost efficiency.
Many coffee farms are in areas regarded as high priorities for conservation. The
Rainforest Alliance and its partner groups in the Sustainable Agriculture
Network (SAN) have demonstrated that traditional, forested coffee farms are
havens for wildlife. Rainforest Alliance certification aims to maintain
biodiversity in the production areas, while at the same time striving for
sustainable living conditions for farmers, plantation workers and the local
population.
The certification also guarantees that farmers are assisted with improved farm
management, negotiation leverage and access to premium markets; farm
workers are treated with respect, paid fair wages, are properly equipped and
given access to education and Medicare. By implementing the SAN sustainable
farm-management system, farmers can control costs, gain efficiencies and
improve crop quality.
SMBC “Bird friendly” -
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s shade-grown coffee certification
program promotes the growth of coffee that is economically, environmentally
and socio-culturally viable. Coffee grown in the shade of tree canopies, rather

4. than on land cleared of other vegetation, provides a habitat for a number of
species, including not only migratory birds but also orchids, insects, mammals
such as bats, reptiles and amphibians.
Shade trees protect the coffee plants from rain and sun, help maintain soil
quality, reduce the need for weeding and aid in pest control, while organic
matter from shade trees reduces erosion, contributes nutrients to the soil, and
prevents metal toxicities. Shade-grown coffee is given the Smithsonian's Bird
Friendly label if the growing conditions meet organic standards, as well as other
criteria such as canopy height, foliage cover and number of bird species.
The Smithsonian trains certification agencies to recognize these criteria and
carry out Bird Friendly evaluations at the same time as they inspect farms for
organic standards. Farmers volunteer for the inspection and pay nothing to the
Center.
UTZ Certified -
Utz Certified (formerly Utz Kapeh) was co-founded by the Dutch coffee roaster
Ahold Coffee Company in 1997. It aims to create an open and transparent
marketplace for socially and environmentally responsible agricultural products.
Instruments include the UTZ Traceability System and the UTZ Code of
Conduct. The traceability system makes certified products traceable from
producer to final buyer and has stringent chains of custody requirements. The
UTZ Code of Conduct emphasizes both environmental practices (e.g.
biodiversity conservation, waste handling and water use) and social benefits
(e.g. access to medical care, access to sanitary facilities at work).
The UTZ CERTIFIED Code of Conduct establishes a set of social and
environmental criteria for responsible coffee growing practices and efficient
farm management, including standards for recordkeeping, minimized and
documented use of agrochemicals for crop protection, protection of labour
rights and access to health care and education for employees and their families.
Coffee producers who are UTZ CERTIFIED are subject to annual inspections
by independent certifiers to ensure they comply with the requirements of the
Code of Conduct. A web-based Track and Trace system follows the UTZ
CERTIFIED coffee through the chain from grower to roaster. This gives buyers
insight into where their coffee really comes from.

5. Multi-stakeholder/Sector initiatives
The Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) -
The 4C Association is an open and inclusive membership association involving
coffee producers, trade and industry and civil society. The 4C Code of Conduct
embraces 28 social, environmental and economic principles for all players in the
green coffee supply chain - farmers, plantations, producer organizations, estates,
mills, exporters and traders - establishing baseline requirements for the
sustainable production, processing and trading of coffee and eliminating
unacceptable practices.
The code facilitates a dynamic improvement process by providing guidance for
and commitment to continuous improvement. 4C helps growers, especially
small-holders, and their Business Partners to step up from the sustainability
baseline to more demanding standards.
Corporate Programmes:
Nespresso ecolaboration - Nespresso has been working to protect coffee
ecosystems by promoting sustainable agricultural best practices in ecosystem
conservation, wildlife protection and water conservation. Sustainable
agricultural training for farmers is provided by Nespresso agronomists, coffee
suppliers and experts from the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) - a
coalition of leading conservation groups. The Nespresso AAA Sustainable
Quality Coffee Program sets out to ensure the cultivation of highest quality
coffee in ways that are environmentally sustainable and beneficial to farming
communities.
Starbucks C.A.F.E Practices - Starbucks defines sustainability as an
economically viable model that addresses the social and environmental needs of
all the participants in the supply chain from farmer to consumer. The Starbucks
C.A.F.E. program evaluates the sustainable production of coffee according to
four categories: Product Quality, Economic Accountability, Social
Responsibility and Environmental Leadership. The programme was designed to
establish quality criteria for growers, processors, and vendors in order to
encourage cooperation and shared responsibility throughout the supply chain. It
addresses critical issues such as water conservation, worker conditions,
including hiring practices and policies, and conservation of biodiversity
amongst others matters.

6. trustea
The trustea code is designed to evaluate rthe social, economic, agronomic and
environmental performance of Indian tea estates, smallholders and Bought Leaf
Factories (BLFs).
It is expected that the compliance with the code not only improves
competitiveness of the tea farms but also facilitates the tea farms in achieving
compliance with national regulations and international sustainability standards
in a step-wise approach. The applicable control points under eleven chapters are
required to be adhered to within a four year period, resulting in full compliance
in a step wise approach by end of year 4. The India tea code allows producers to
show that they operate responsibly – producing quality tea according to strict
social and environmental standards. The verification under the code provides
manufacturers with the assurance of responsible production and provides
opportunities to credibly demonstrate this to their customers.
Other examples
United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS)
It is a joint initiative of FAO, UNEP, ITC, UNCTAD and UNIDO on
Sustainability Standards.
Case 1:
Green Industry Platform:
The Green Industry Platform is a global, high-level, multi-stakeholder
partnership and forum to catalyze, mobilize and mainstream action on Green
Industry around the world. It provides a framework to bring governmental,
business and civil society leaders together to secure concrete commitments and
action in support of the Green Industry agenda, i.e. greening the manufacturing
process and creating green industries for production of goods and services for
domestic use or export.
Partner(s) : United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Global
Compact (UNGC)

7. Description/achievement of initiative:
The Green Industry Platform is a global, high-level, multi-stakeholder
partnership to catalyze, mobilize and mainstream action on Green Industry
around the world. The Platform provides a framework which brings together
governmental, business and civil society leaders around concrete commitments
made to ‘green’ global manufacturing and create new green industries. By
encouraging the more efficient use of energy and raw materials and promoting
more environmentally sound modes of consumption and production, the
Platform will contribute both to cleaner and more competitive industrial
development, and will help reduce pollution and reliance on unsustainable use
of natural resources.
Implementation methodologies
The Platform will facilitates development of a green industrial approach in a
number of ways:
• Informing: by sharing information on enabling conditions, best available
technologies and practices and benefits, etc;
• Networking: by assisting with introductions to possible investors,
manufacturers, Green Industry specialists and other relevant stakeholders;
• Strategizing: by offering advice on how to develop a strategic roadmap and
possible policies, benefits, etc;
• Convening: by providing assistance in convening meetings of relevant
members and stakeholders on specific issues;
• Researching: by offering assistance in identifying research and research
providers
The Need for Green Industry:
Volatile energy, raw material and food prices, documented increases in climate
variability, and a global decline in the health of ecosystems have brought issues
of energy, productivity, and resource security increasingly to the forefront of the
international political agenda [1]
. At the same time, the international community
continues to struggle with the challenges of widespread poverty and economic
1
United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

8. disparity. Policy makers, therefore, find themselves in the difficult position of
wanting economic growth and its concomitant rise in living standards but in
parallel, also needing to scale back the unrestrained resource consumption and
consequential environmental damage that has been the main driver of past
growth.
However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the developed world’s
systems of production and consumption have contributed to rapid resource
depletion, the degradation of ecosystems, and the threat of climate change.
Intensified competition for scarce resources, desertification, biodiversity loss,
rising sea-levels, more frequent severe weather events, and freshwater shortages
are manifestations of these trends. In a worst case scenario, these could lead to
resource related conflicts and wide-scale migration [2]
.
One reason for this is the lack of progress in improving resource productivity.
While labour productivity has increased markedly in line with technological
advances over the past 50 years, resource productivity has seen only a marginal
increase. Similarly, technological progress has been seen primarily in relation to
labour productivity.
Limited focus has been placed on technological innovation for using resources
more efficiently. The realization of the importance of resource productivity is
increasing. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that enhanced resource
productivity addresses all three dimensions of sustainability – protection of the
environment, promotion of economic growth, and social development [3]
.
The need for environmentally sustainable modes of production and a more
efficient use of resources i.e. Green Industry, is becoming increasingly evident.
This is especially so in the developing world, which has the unique opportunity
of avoiding the environmental pitfalls that the developed world has fallen into in
the course of its industrial development; it can use past experience to build a
Green Industrial infrastructure at the very outset.
2 UNIDO 2008
3
Bleischwitz, R., Welfens, P.J.J., and Zhong Xiang Zhang 2009:
ch. ‘Introduction’

9. The Benefits of Green Industry:
The development of Green Industry presents benefits on three fronts —
economic, social and environmental.
Economic Benefits –
More Innovation and Growth; Increased Resilience Green Industry provides
significant economic value by developing the skill-sets necessary for businesses
to start working proactively on improving their environmental performance.
Economic diversity is enhanced in developing countries through the creation of
businesses that engage in new value-adding processes and produce a wider
range of more sophisticated products [4]
by becoming green enterprises in
developing countries to improve their performance and comply with
sustainability standards and customer demands, thereby enabling increased
access to global markets.
Improving environmental performance is associated with the generation of
income and jobs through improved efficiencies in existing industries. This can
occur, for example, through the recovery of valuable materials from waste
streams and the subsequent creation of new products or production techniques
that incorporate these former wastes, enabling access to new markets and
improved market penetration.
As enterprises become more efficient in their production and waste management
processes, they are also less reliant on virgin materials, saving additional
income. Further benefits from improved environmental performance include
increased labour productivity due to improved working conditions, as well as
increases in product quality, reduced likelihood of accidents, decreased risk of
liability, restitution or remediation costs, and reduced insurance costs.
Calculations show that investments in clean technologies typically have
relatively short payback periods and lead to lower annual costs [5]
. This means
that, after an initial cost, these investments help enterprises save money through
decreased resource use or generate more money through improved productivity.
4
UNIDO 2010
5
von Weizsäcker et al. 2009; IEA 2010

10. Additionally, sustainable production also provides impetus to the development
of Green Industries i.e. green service and technology provision. The potential
market for environmental goods and services is growing rapidly and could
develop into a major source of employment, particularly for small- and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries.
Furthermore, while 98% of agricultural production in high-income countries
undergoes industrial processing, barely 30% is processed in developing
countries. At the same time, agro-industries in developing countries generate
40% to 60% of manufacturing added value, and agro-industrial products
account for half of all exports from most developing countries. Post-harvest
losses and waste levels are high, largely due to inefficiencies and lack of basic
processing technologies [6]
. Green Industry approaches can transform and
modernize these food production systems (e.g. by waste reduction through
technology improvements, process optimization and the utilization of by-
products). This improves food security, increases revenues and creates jobs.
Because Green Industry development counteracts dependence on the extractive
sectors and unsustainable commodity export, it increases the resilience of
developing economies, making them less vulnerable to global commodity price
shocks. And especially where Green Industry targets the growth of small and
medium enterprises (SMEs), in rural and remote settings, it can generate
locally-rooted economic activity, making local economies more robust and
resilient to various shocks and pressures from the global economy and regional
economic forces.
Environmental Benefits– More Efficient Resource Use; Less Waste and
Pollution:
Projections indicate that global industrial production will increase by a factor of
four between now and 2050 [7]
. Globally, the industrial sector uses more energy
than any other end-use sector, currently consuming more than one third of the
world’s total delivered energy.
Nearly a third of all CO2 emissions are attributable to manufacturing [8]
.
Similarly, manufacturing accounts for almost 20% of global water use (World
6
UNIDO 2008a
7
UNIDO 2010d
8
International Energy Agency 2007

11. Business Council for Sustainable Water Development 2009) and most of the
raw materials used (according to a UNIDO-commissioned pilot study under the
Green Industry Programme, by the Sustainable Europe Research Institute and
Wuppertal Institute for Climate Environment and Energy in 2010 on ‘Resource
use and resource efficiency in emerging economies’).
Current industrial production systems are characterized by wide-scale
inefficiencies with regard to the use of materials, water and energy. Less than
10% of the resources extracted or harvested end up in final products, as per this
study. Many enterprises, particularly in developing countries, use more
materials, energy and water than production processes require because of
obsolete and inefficient technologies and inability to adopt proper management
systems (UNIDO 2008a). Globally, more than billion tons of waste (including
industrial and municipal waste) is produced each year, approximately 10 million
tons per day.
For instance, the recycling of waste materials back into industrial production
reduces requirements for the extraction and processing of virgin natural
resources, which can carry a considerable environmental burden; it saves much
of the energy used for extraction and processing, reduces the amount of waste
and pollution (ibid.), and decreases the need for investments in end-of-pipe
treatment systems. Using scrap steel is associated with 60-70% lower overall
energy consumption, with recycled aluminium coming in at 95%, paper 65% ,
and plastics 80-88%.
In some cases, recycled materials also decrease energy requirements in
production processes. For instance, recycling glass lowers overall energy
consumption by 70%, water use by 50%, and also leads to decreased pollution,
with reductions of 20% in emissions and 50% in water pollution [9]
. Calculations
indicate that the cost of inefficiency from waste, i.e. non-product output, can be
as high as 10-30% of the total cost of production as for instance at e.g. GTZ–
Profitable Environmental Management. By decreasing waste and inefficiencies
in all forms, enterprises can reduce environmental impacts while making
considerable savings.
9
von Weizsäcker et al. 2009

12. CASE 2:
Aim For All Our Cotton To Come From More Sustainable
Sources By 2020:
Partner(s): H&M
Description/achievement of initiative:
By 2020 UNIDO aim for all our cotton to come from more sustainable sources
that require less water, pesticides and fertilisers and also helps farmers and
communities to improve their standard of living.
Implementation methodologies:
Better Cotton Initative is a multi-stakeholder initiative that includes NGOs like
WWF, clothing companies, cotton producer groups and trade and industry
bodies.
H&M have been involved with the BCI since its inception in 2004 and are an
elected member of the organisation's council.
H&M invests in farmer training in the BCI system. H&M and other project
members have committed to using the Better Cotton from the 2009–2012
implementation phase as well, even though the minimum requirements might
not yet be met. The BCI follows a strategic implementation plan until 2012,
after which the system will be reviewed. It follows 10 major goals to be
achieved during this period. Among them is the aim to produce 300,000 tonnes
of cotton lint as Better Cotton, in Brazil, India, Pakistan and West and Central
Africa.
Up to this stage H&M have invested approximately 20 million SEK into Better
Cotton Initiative.
We will continue to support increases in global production of organic cotton,
but we do expect growth rates to normalise (our average growth from 2007–
2010 amounted to 130%). In 2010 we became the number one user of organic

13. cotton worldwide, according to Textile Exchange`s Global Market Report on
Sustainable Textiles. In 2011, we further increased our use of organic cotton by
more than 20%. It now represents 7.6% of all the cotton we use.
We expect the amount of Better Cotton we use to increase considerably in the
coming years. For 2012, our target is for
Better Cotton to represent about 5% of our total cotton use. It is one of the key
initiatives towards achieving our goal of using more sustainable cotton only by
2020. As a member of the council of the Better Cotton Initiative we are actively
engaged in working towards its success.
The success of this committment requires internal collaboration between
different functions within H&M such as our sourcing organisation and
sustainable department.

14. References
 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1253
 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=1006
&menu=1348&nr=2304
 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/resources.html
 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=1006
&menu=1348&nr=635
 http://www.greenindustryplatform.org/?page_id=1092
 http://www.ico.org/sustaininit.asp
 http://www.sustainablescale.org/AttractiveSolutions/SustainableBusiness
Practices.aspx