Pollution Prevention Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Metal Finishers

The recent incorporation of pollution prevention provisions into environmental legislation are leading companies large and small – alike to work towards developing and implementing pollution prevention practices. In order to respond to the challenges of pollution prevention within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this paper analyzes pollution prevention practices incorporated by four SMEs in the Metal Finishing Sector to gain insights into why and how they embraced the concept of pollution prevention. A qualitative research study was conducted to obtain viewpoints of SME representatives on the challenges and benefits they encountered during the implementation of pollution prevention practices, while exploring the incentives that prompted them to implement proactive measures. The data compiled for the analysis were gathered through a Questionnaire provided to the Environmental Managers of SMEs, and from semi-structured interviews with them. According to the SME representatives, their top three incentives for implementing P2 practices were: 'Improve Environmental Performance', 'Knowledge of Benefits' (e.g. cost reductions), and 'Regulatory Pressure'. Not only did the participants link pollution prevention practices to their obvious benefits to the environment, but also recognized the value-added benefits of such practices to the business bottom line. Furthermore, the experiences of four SMEs suggest that their top two challenges for implementing P2 practices are 'Unavailability of Technology' and 'Longer Payback Periods'. Major findings indicate that SMEs within the Metal Finishing Sector had unique interests and thus handled their pollution prevention activities differently. All the participating SMEs had implemented pollution prevention measures to some extent. However, their methods and approaches varied due to differences in company size, their management practices, unique culture and behavior, availability of knowledge, and financial capabilities of each SME metal finisher.