Business news from Ukraine

UKRAINIAN ENTREPRENEURS WORKING TO IMPROVE RESOURCE EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION

28 December , 2015  

Ukrainian businessmen and scientists continue to cooperate with foreign partners and international organizations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), to adapt and implement resource-efficient and cleaner production in the country. A number of initiatives are being implemented through a UNIDO project in Ukraine, in which such universities as “KPI” and NP “Kyiv Polytechnics,” as well as the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE) have created a Center for Resource-Efficient and Cleaner Production.

It serves as a platform for conferences and research events, and one of them was the presentation of the results of such activity at enterprises located in Kyiv region.

The conference was aimed at expanding the number of participants in the UNIDO project, attracting new businesses and raising awareness of the public, companies, scientists and other entities that are interested in resource-efficient production. In the two years, the Center has examined 50 companies in four regions of Ukraine (Kyiv, Vinnitsa, Odesa and Zaporizhia), it has prepared more than 40 certified experts in this field. In 2015, the Center’s offices have opened in Lviv and Kharkiv regions.

Deputy Head of the Mission at the Austrian Embassy in Kyiv Klaus Iro stressed that improving energy and resource efficiency in the industry is currently a challenge of global character. The agenda of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris proves this. For Ukraine, the diplomat said, these issues are of particular relevance in view of the fact that the Ukrainian economy has one of the world’s highest indicators of energy consumption in production.

This time, six companies located in Kyiv region joined the initiative. Following their comprehensive technical audit, the Centre proposed technical solutions that provide annual savings of natural gas by 4,403 m3, electricity by 128,464 kWh, and a reduction in the use of materials by 94 tonnes and CO2 emissions by 64 tonnes.

The overall economic impact that can be achieved from the introduction of the proposed solutions is about UAH 2.1 million per year.

“The significant results that have been achieved by the participating enterprises demonstrate the need to spread this experience to other regions and involve new companies in the project. The significant scientific potential of the Ukrainian universities and educational institutions will be conducive to the success of the project in Ukraine,” Director of the ULIE’s Corporate Security Department Serhiy Hudobin said.

Director of the Center for Resource-Efficient and Cleaner Production Ihor Shylovych says that most of the technical solutions proposed by the Center do not require additional investment, but the effect of their implementation can be a tangible reduction in inefficient resource and energy consumption.

Reference. The Center for Resource-Efficient and Cleaner Production was established in 2013. Its main purpose is to provide services to improve resource and energy efficiency, make production more environmental friendly. It conducts comprehensive engineering and technical assessments of production processes at enterprises. The project is implemented with financial support from the governments of Austria and Switzerland.