A Case Study of Cleaner Production Opportunities in Small and Medium Enterprises on the Island of Mauritius

Abstract

Small Islands Developing States provide a special case in development, largely due to special characteristics of their natural, economic and social environment. Understanding and implementing strategies for sustainable development become critical issues for islanders. The island of Mauritius has evolved from an agricultural to a semi-industrialized country over the past three decades. Small- and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the economic development of the island but they also contribute significantly towards overall industrial pollution. Large-scale industries produce more pollution than SMEs but because of their preferential access to capital investment and to new technologies, it is comparatively easier and more economical for them to control their pollution. In the case of SMEs a number of factors hinder them from the planning and implementation of pollution control actions. These factors include: lack of access to resources allowing for investments in pollution control, low level of technology, lack of space, non-availability of trained personnel, and the unwillingness of management to invest in environmental protection. The environmental management approach adopted by large-scale industries and SMEs differ considerably. The aim of this research was to highlight these differences through case studies of a large-scale industry (brewery) and a small-scale industry (tannery). The author carried out waste audits to identify cleaner production opportunities. Emissions could be effectively controlled by a combination of Cleaner Production (CP) and pollution control options. Most of the opportunities are not pursued by the factories because of a lack of skills on how to build cleaner production projects, lack of top management commitment, lack of time, and lack of allocation of responsibilities for project conception and engineering. This article concludes with recommendations for a national strategy for the implementation of the Cleaner Production concept in SMEs. The island of Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean at about 800 km to the east of Madagascar (see Map 1). It is 1865 km2 in area and volcanic in origin. As of December 2001, the population was estimated at 1.2 million. Mauritius is the sixth most densely populated country in the world, and it has one of the lowest cropland per capita ratios. In less than three decades, Mauritius has changed from a poor developing country with uncontrolled population growth, high infant mortality, and declining or stagnant growth per capita income, to a rapidly industrializing country. Small islands like Mauritius provide a special case in development, largely due to the special characteristics of their natural, economic, and social environment. Understanding and implementing strategies for sustainable development become critical issues for islanders. Over the past 15 years, Mauritius has achieved an 5-6% annual growth in the economy and steady growth in per capita income. During this time the economy has diversified from being dominated by sugarcane to a mixture of industry, agriculture, tourism, and financial services. This change is associated with a greater demand for resources, greater consumption of products, and increased volume of wastes. It is estimated that there are approximately 5,000 industrial enterprises in Mauritius (National Environmental Strategies, 1999). Of these, some 900 employ 10 or more persons and are referred to as large-scale, employing a total of over 100,000 people. The small and medium scale manufacturing establishments employ somewhere between 14,000-15,000 people. Most of the large industries in Mauritius are well organised and structured and are sometimes backed up by internationally reputable mother companies. On the other hand, SMEs in Mauritius are mostly family owned or owned by a small group of shareholders. The environmental management approaches adopted by these two types of industries differ considerably. …