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UCPC was established in October 2001 with funding from the Governments of Austria and Norway as part of the 35 family members of over the 35 NCPCs worldwide. Since its establishment it has now developed into a centre of excellence for promoting CP in the country. The programme aims at building national CP capacities, fostering dialogue between industry and government and enhancing investments for transfer and development of environmentally sound technologies. CP has widespread application at all decision-making levels in industry, with the chief focus on adoption of cleaner technologies and techniques within the industrial sector. Costly end-of-pipe pollution control systems are gradually replaced with a strategy that reduces and avoids pollution and waste throughout the entire production cycle, from efficient use of raw materials, energy and water to the final product.
UCPC is situated on Plot M217, Jinja Road, Nakawa and is hosted by the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI). Since its establishment, UCPC has worked with about 120 enterprises and 45 hotels in the service sector through different programmes such as the Eco-Benefits Programme, the EMS/ISO 14001 certification Programme and Eco-Design Programme.
Some of the areas and sectors covered include but not limited to:-
Pulp and Paper manufacturing
Metal industries steel rolling mills and hoe manufacturing
Service sector 45 hotels in Uganda
Food Processing -Breweries, Fruit processors, Milk processors, Fish processors all in Uganda and some beverage companies in Rwanda, Tea processors, Poultry processors in Uganda
Meat processing industries
Chemicals and Battery manufacturing Industry in Uganda
Textile - Phoenix Logistics (Uganda),UTEXRWA(Rwanda)
Introduction of cleaner production in Maseru(Lesotho)
Schools and hospitals.
The role of National Cleaner Production Centres is to promote the Cleaner Production strategy in enterprises and government policies, in harmony with local conditions,
and to develop local capacity to create and meet Cleaner Production demand throughout the country. NCPCs’ aim primarily to
transfer know-how, not just to transfer technology. The Centres and the Cleaner Production assessors trained by them do not deliver
ready-made solutions.They train and advise their clients on how to find the best solutions for their specific problems.Other activities
undertaken by the centres typically fall under the following categories: awareness raising, information exchange, education and
training, commitment & partnership building, policy advice & development, technical assistance.
NCPCs Provide Six Basic Services
1. Raise awareness of the benefits and advantages of Cleaner Production:
In countries where there is little awareness of Cleaner Production
2. Demonstrate that Cleaner Production works through in-plant Cleaner Production assessments and demonstration projects:
Through in-plant demonstrations, a NCPC can show that the concept of Cleaner Production can be applied to any industrial sector and that waste avoidance can be turned into profit.
3. Train local experts and build local capacity for Cleaner Production:
Training in the Cleaner Production methodology is an
essential NCPC activity to build local expertise and capacity. Training may be:
1) in-plant training, as a part of in-plant demonstration projects
2) outside plant training, conducted through workshops and seminars for specific target groups.
4. Help to obtain financing for Cleaner Production investments:
The Centres also create a core capacity in the promotion of Cleaner Production investment projects to facilitate the transfer of Cleaner Production technologies to developing countries. This activity is closely linked to the in-plant assessments and in each country a number of national experts are being trained in identifying and formulating Cleaner Production investment projects.
5. Disseminate technical information:
One of the key advantages of being part of an established international network, is greater access to the latest Cleaner Production information. NCPCs are thus able to obtain and share Cleaner Production information nationally and internationally.
6. Provide policy advice to national and local governments:
Governments, particularly in developing countries and economies in transition, play an important role in providing the overall policy and economic framework for a country's development. NCPCs thus have an important role in helping governments to identify and develop the policy tools and economic instruments suitable
to their country's context which would encourage industry to favor Cleaner Production over end-ofpipe treatment.
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