The Committee on the Challenges to Modern Society (CCMS) was established by the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1969. The mission of CCMS is to develop meaningful programs to share information among countries on important environmental and societal issues that complement other international efforts and to provide leadership in solving specific problems facing modern society. A fundamental role for CCMS is the transfer of technological and scientific solutions among nations facing similar environmental challenges. The goal of reaching sustainable development, where human activities, including industrial manufacturing and commercial services, exist in harmony with the natural environment, including conservation of resources and energy, is an increasingly important aspiration for the nations of the world. With increasing populations demanding improved standards of living comes increasing industrialization and production. Also, with an expanding global marketplace and the explosion of information technology, social pressures on industries to become 'greener' are increasing. The challenge to nations and industries is the achievement of sustainability while successfully competing in a global marketplace. We established this CCMS pilot study on Clean Products and Processes to create an international forum for open discussion on applying cleaner industrial processes and producing cleaner products around the globe. By discussing, debating, and sharing current trends, developments, and expertise in use of cleaner technologies and production of cleaner products, we hope that this pilot study will simulate productive interactions among international experts, with the end result being effective technology transfer.

"EPA/625/R-01/002"--Cover. "Number 242"--Cover. "March 2001"--Cover. "www.nato.int/ccms" --Cover "This report was produced as a result of a cooperative agreement with U.S. EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory, under the direction of E. Timothy Oppelt, and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)."--P. ii.