This special double issue of Industry and Environment covers the Seventh International
High-level Seminar on Cleaner Production (CP7), which took place on 28-30 April
2002 in Prague. It was organized by UNEP and the Ministry of Environment of
the Czech Republic, and hosted by the Czech government.
One key point made at CP7 was that cleaner production and sustainable consumption
together form one of the most important building blocks of sustainable development.
UNEP has been working to ensure that these concepts are properly integrated.
The importance of combining the two concepts was underlined earlier in 2002
when, as part of preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD), UNEP facilitated reporting by 22 industry sectors on their progress
towards sustainability and work that remains to be done. Among the findings
of this project is that, while industry has made environmental improvements,
such progress is neutralized as consumption grows. In advance of WSSD and CP7,
UNEP also issued status reports concerning progress to date on cleaner production
and sustainable consumption. Advances and challenges highlighted in the reports
are summarized below.