KNCPC Background Information

The Kenya National Cleaner Production Center (KNCPC) is registered as a Trust within the Government’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. It was founded by the Government of Kenya through the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in July 2000 under the Country Co-operation Framework of (1999-2003) between the Kenyan Government and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

It is one of the over 35 National Cleaner Production Centers (NCPCs) that were solely established to help industrialists and businesses in developing countries and those ones with transition economies to remain competitive and increase their profitability by reducing their water and energy consumption, pollution emissions and waste volumes whilst improving on their product quality and work place safety. In other words, it is to assist industrial and other business enterprises to meet the emerging challenges of the free market economy and globalization by improving on their competitive performance.

Guided by our self styled motto Committed to Cleaner and Greener Enterprises, KNCPC has endeavored to ensure that Kenyan industrialists remain competitive in the globalized market economy through waste minimization /pollution prevention strategies. Cleaner Production is based on the proactive philosophy of anticipate-and-prevent as opposed to the reactive end-of-pipe approaches. It is always stated that one gram of prevention is better that one kilogram of cure. Our experience has shown that successful adoption of Cleaner Production will always lead to both economic and environmental savings. In the language of Cleaner Production, Waste is Money down the Drain and the Best Place to Prevent its Generation is at Source. It is this waste that eventually becomes the liability of the company though environmental pollution. It therefore presents a “Win-Win” strategy for the economy and for the environment.