Early in 1998 the NATO Committee for Challenges to Modern Society (SPS) (Science for Peace and Security) approved the Pilot Study on Clean Products and Processes for an initial period of five years. The pilot was to provide a forum for member country representatives to discuss the problems and opportunities of cleaner production. The pilot did not sponsor projects nor try to create policies. The main aim was to examine tools, extant and in development stages, for assessing, preventing and reducing pollution. While western nations have made significant gains in cleaning up the environment through regulations, enforcement, public disclosure requirements, and emerging new technologies, an increased knowledge of health and environmental impacts of pollutants has heightened the need for doing more on cleaner products and processes. Environmental concerns have accompanied the accelerated industrialization occurring throughout the developing world. The proposed objective of the NATO SPS Pilot Study on clean products and processes was to facilitate further gains in pollution prevention, waste minimization, design for the environment, and sustainability. It was anticipated that the free exchange of knowledge, experience, data, and models would foster innovations, collaborations, and technology transfer on improving the environment worldwide. Through this pilot- provided forum for sharing our experiences with tools for cleaner products and processes, it was thought we could educate ourselves with the latest technical knowledge that would benefit each country.