INTRODUCTION

This Final Report on the Project “Environmental Audit of the Open Join-Stock Company Starodub (Briansk Oblast) Creamery for the Certification of Environmental Management Systems” was developed by the expert team of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services under Briansk Oblast Committee for Natural Resources headed by I.Baliasnikov.

The Project is aimed to reduce the environmental impact (loading) of an industrial enterprise in the Dnipro River Basin by establishing an environmental management system.

Starodub, ancient town on the right bank of the Desna River (the Dnipro Basin), is a center of agricultural product processing industry with the population of about 35 thousand people.

The Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery is a dairy production enterprise typical for the district administrative centers of the Dnipro Basin. The enterprise discharges its waste water into the town water treatment facilities, exceeding the MAC for waste water incoming into the town collector. The excessive amounts of organic discharges impedes the work of the town water treatment facilities resulting in the deteriorated quality of water treatment and, eventually, in discharging insufficiently treated waste water into the Babinets River (the Dnipro Basin). The establishment of the environmental management system at the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery will improve the operation of the town water treatment facilities and ensure the compliance with the current ecological standards.

RESUME

The Report summarizes the principles of developing and implementing the Environmental Management System in cheese and butter making industry based on the example of the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery located in the south of Briansk Oblast.

In the course of creating the environmental management system, priority measures and long-term policy of addressing environmental problems of cheese-and-butter making industry were developed; non-compliances with the environmental legislation were identified and a series of steps to remove such non-compliances were proposed; the personnel’s responsibilities for environmental aspects of the enterprise operation were distributed; and a system capable of controlling the environmental efficiency of the enterprise was set up.

Besides, major factors preventing the application of the Cleaner Production Principles in the Russian part of the Dnipro River were revealed.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Project title: Environmental Audit of the Open Joint-stock Company Starodub (Briansk Oblast) Creamery for the Certification of Environmental Management Systems

2. Developed by: Open Joint-stock Company Starodub Creamery

Number of employees: 502

Enterprise annual turnover: 301,016 (thousand rubles)

3. Industry: Dairy production

4. Project Manager at the enterprise: A. Ye. Anikid, Chief Engineer, Office phone: 2-27-79

5. Consultant: A. V. Mokrousova

6. Total labour-intensiveness of the project: 93 man-days, which is an approximate estimation of the time spent by the working group members and other enterprise employees developing and implementing the project

7. Process under examination: Dairy production (tons per year)

Technological lines producing:

- pasteurized milk – 1,908 tons;

- butter – 815 tons;

- soft and brine cheeses – 863 tons;

- hard cheeses – 2,573 tons;

- processed cheeses – 1,257 tons;

- whey – 27,325 tons.

8. Measures taken to implement a Cleaner Production Program (The detailed list of measures is provided in Section 5).

It was proposed to take the following measures conducive to implementing the program:

- stopping the leakage from shutoff equipment and pumps for milk and whey transmission (currently in progress);

- environmental impact – reduced discharges into the sewerage system;

- working environment characteristics – improvement of production standards in workplaces;

- financial savings        550,000 rubles per year

- investments              90,000 rubles

- pay-back period        one year.

- equipping separators with additional appliances (currently in progress);

- environmental impact – reduced discharges into the sewerage system;

- working environment characteristics – improvement of production standards in workplaces;

- financial savings         10,000 rubles per year

- investments                250,000 rubles

- pay-back period          two years.

- installing the neutralizer-collector before the treatment facilities (currently in progress);

- environmental impact – prevention of volley discharges into the sewerage system;

- financial savings        75,000 rubles per year

- investments               350,000 rubles

- pay-back period         five years.

- changing the product (redesigning the shop producing lactose (milk sugar) from whey to produce forage) - design stage;

- environmental impact – reduction of volley discharges into the sewerage system;

- financial savings        370,000 rubles per year

- investments              1,500,000 rubles

- pay-back period        five years.

9. Overall project evaluation

Major (the lowest) waste flow: whey discharges into the sewerage system.

The major waste flow has been reduced by 20,000 cubic meters per year, as compared to the baseline situation.

Total financial savings due to the project implementation make up 915,000 rubles.

The sum required for the realization of the above measures (investments) is 2,190,000 rubles.

The average pay-back period of the project is 4 years.

Total savings on discharge management are equal to 415,000 rubles.

Total savings on the process amount to 500,000 rubles.

10. Impact on the expected investments into the “end-of-pipe” technologies

Four-fold reduction of the capacity of local water treatment facilities (from 200 м 3 /day to 50 м3 /day).

11. Comments

The project can be replicated at other dairy producing enterprises located in oblast and district administrative centers.

12. Key-words

Reduction of water bodies contamination in the Dnipro River Basin.

1.1. Cleaner Production (CP)

Is a permanent use of a comprehensive integrated preventive environmental protection strategy for processes, products and services in order to increase their efficiency and to limit their adverse effect on human beings and the environment.

CP for production processes envisages a more effective and sustainable use of raw materials and power supplies, of toxic and hazardous materials and the prevention of industrial waste and contaminants appearing in water sources.

CP for products and services targets the mitigation of their environmental impact during their life cycle, from raw materials extraction to their use and final removal.

(the UNEP definition)

1.2. Chart of environmental management system implementation on the basis of the Cleaner Production Program

2.1. Enterprise Background Information

The enterprise address, organizational form, telephone:

243, Briansk Oblast, Satrodub, 115 Krasnooktiabrskaya St.

Tel.: (08348) 2 22 08, Fax: (08348) 2 28 5

Agricultural manufacturing cooperative

Director General:

Mokrousova Aleksandra Vassilyevna

Number of employees: 502

The enterprise annual turnover: 301,016 thousand rubles

2.2. Project Management Group and Project Implementation Unit

Project Manager:

Baliasnikov Igor Aleksandrovich, Head of the Main Department for Natural Resources in Briansk Oblast

Project Implementation Unit:

Akimenkov Nikolay Veniaminovich, Candidate of Geology, Director General of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services

Nizovtseva Nadezhda Vladimirovna, Engineer of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services

Anikid Aleksandr Yemelyanovich, Chief Engineer of the Agricultural Manufacturing Cooperative Starodub Cheese

Goncharova Tatyana Aleksandrovna, Engineer of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services

Other employees participating in the project:

Akimenkova Tatyana Vladimirovna, Engineer of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services

Dodina Yeva Borisovna, Engineer of the Public Institution Center for Environmental Works and Services

Lun’ Valentina Yuryevna, Deputy Director for Quality Control of the Agricultural Manufacturing Cooperative Starodub Cheese

2.3. State of the Enterprise and Environment

The Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery is a typical enterprise of dairy industry to be found in many district administrative centers of the Dnipro Basin.

Involved in the major production are about 300 people.

Its average annual volume of milk processing is 20,000 tons per year.

Main products:

- pasteurized milk;

- butter;

- soft and brine cheeses;

- hard cheeses;

- processed cheeses;

- fresh buttermilk;

- lactose (milk sugar).

By-products and waste products of this production are:

- whey;

- molasses.

Product output by shops:

- Butter-making Shop:

- butter;

- fresh buttermilk;

- Shop of Whole-milk Production:

- cow milk;

- soft and brine cheeses;

Cheese-making Shop:

- hard cheeses;

- whey (by-product and waste product);

- brine (waste product);

Sugar (Lactose) Shop:

- albumin curd;

- lactose (milk sugar);

- molasses (by-product);

Processed Cheese-making Shop:

- processed cheeses.

2.3.1. Analysis of environmental conditions

The production is accompanied with whey-contaminated flows and solid waste (molasses), which have the most considerable environmental impact. The analysis of the environmental conditions revealed that the sources of the greatest environmental impact are located:

- in the shop of whole-milk production in the process of manufacturing milk, soft and brine cheeses;

- in the cheese-making shop in the process of manufacturing hard cheeses;

- in the sugar (lactose) shop.

Of major environmental concern are waste waters contaminated with whey. The waste water with excessive BOD concentrations flows to the town water treatment facilities where, under anomalous conditions, they damage aero-tanks and other facilities.

2.3.2. Environmental aspects of different production stages

The following types of considerable impact have been identified for different production processes:

- for all processes:

- leak of milk from milk pipes at shutoff cocks;

- leak of milk at loose contacts of pumps for milk and whey transmission;

- whole-milk production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

- soft and brine cheeses production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

- at the stage of clot ripening, clot dehydration and cheese making in the molding machine, big amounts of whey are formed and leak;

- hard cheese production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

- at the stage of clot formation in cheese-making starter vats, clot dehydration, cheese molding and pressing, whey leaks at loose contacts of technological equipment;

- milk sugar (lactose) production:

- insufficient capacity of the shop does not allow for the processing of all by-produced whey, which leads to volley discharges of whey into the town sewerage system;

- the environmentally harmful by-product of the milk sugar production – molasses – is dumped in the environment.

2.3.3. Causes of waste

Outdated types of shutoff cocks and valves are installed on milk and whey pipes in the shops. They require appropriate maintenance, timely repair and replacement, which is not always the case. All in all, over 300 such cocks and valves are in operation at the enterprise.

Pump cups are not replaced regularly at the milk and whey transmitting pumps. The pumps are reconnected manually to different parts of milk pipes, which also causes early wear of threaded fasteners.

The used separator models are not equipped with the system of the unloaded discharge utilization.

Numerous leakages from the equipment occur in the process of production of soft, brine and hard cheeses as there is no control of leakages and there are no requirements in place concerning leak prevention or timely leak stoppage.

Whey is not used for manufacturing any utilizable secondary products (by-products).

3.1 Setting Priorities

According to the data of the oblast water channel enterprise (oblvodokanal), enterprises of dairy industry constantly discharge their waste water wherein the content of contaminants exceeds many-fold the maximum admissible concentrations allowed by the oblast authorities (administration). The preliminary analysis showed that the production is accompanied with waste water contaminated with whey and solid waste (molasses), both being the factors of most considerable adverse environmental impact.

Thus, according to the Municipal Institution Brianskoblzhilkomkhoz, in the period of 06.07.01-07.16.01 the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery discharged into the town water treatment facilities waste water with the contaminant concentrations exceeding the MAC by 3 - 9 times.

Results of the analysis of waste water discharges by the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery

Table 3.1-1

The рН level of waste water discharged by the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery is very low, which results in the overloading of water treatment facilities, and, ultimately, leads to the death and decay of microorganisms, breakdown in the technological process of waste water biological decontamination. Not once did the third line of the town water treatment facilities break and untreated waste water flow into the Babinets River.

3.2. Defining Project Aims

Given the priorities, the project aim is to reduce the concentration of return flow, to create the environmental management system and to prepare the enterprise for the environmental certification for the international standard ISO 14001 - 96, adhering to the Cleaner Production Principles.

3.3. Selecting Indicators

The indicators for assessing the change in the scope (toxicity) of contamination are selected on the basis of the laboratory data of the State Environmental Enterprise Starodub Inter-regional Engineering Networks.

3.4. Describing the Site under Analysis

The Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery is a dairy production enterprise typical for the district administrative centers of the Dnipro Basin.

The major production involves about 300 employees.

The average annual volume of milk processing is 20, 000 tons per year.

Main products:

- pasteurized milk;

- butter;

- soft and brine cheeses;

- hard cheeses;

- processed cheeses;

- fresh buttermilk;

- lactose (milk sugar).

By-products and main waste products:

- whey;

- molasses.

Product output by shops:

butter-making shop:

- butter;

- fresh buttermilk;

shop of whole-milk production:

- cow milk;

- soft and brine cheeses;

cheese-making shop:

- hard cheeses;

- whey (by-product and waste product);

- brine (waste product);

sugar (lactose) shop:

- albumine curd;

- lactose (milk sugar);

- molasses (by-product);

processed cheese-making shop:

- processed cheeses.

3.5. Gathering Data on Material Balance

The production is accompanied with whey-contaminated flows and solid waste (molasses), which have the most considerable environmental impact.

The analysis of the environmental conditions revealed that the sources of the greatest environmental impact are located:

- in the shop of whole-milk production in the process of manufacturing milk, soft and brine cheeses;

- in the cheese-making shop in the process of manufacturing hard cheeses;

- in the sugar (lactose) shop.

Of major environmental concern are waste waters contaminated with whey.

The waste water with excessive BOD concentrations flows to the municipal water treatment facilities where, under anomalous conditions, they damage aero-tanks and other equipment.

The following types of considerable impact have been identified for different production processes:

for all processes:

- leak of milk from milk pipes at shutoff cocks;

- leak of milk and whey at loose contacts of pumps for milk and whey transmission;

whole-milk production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

soft and brine cheeses production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

- at the stage of clot ripening, clot dehydration and cheese making in the molding machine, big amounts of whey are formed and leak;

hard cheese production:

- at the stage of milk separation from admixtures (skimming) when separators are unloaded, whey spills uncontrollably;

- at the stage of clot formation in cheese-making starter vat, clot dehydration, cheese molding and pressing, whey leaks at loose contacts of technological equipment;

milk sugar (lactose) production:

- insufficient capacity of the shop does not allow for the processing of all by-produced whey, which leads to volley discharges of whey into the town sewerage system;

- the environmentally harmful by-product of the milk sugar production – molasses – is dumped in the environment.

4.1. Program of Environmental Management System Implementation

The Program of implementing the environmental management system envisages the following stages:

- initiation of the Cleaner Production Program, a respective decision being taken at the administrative level;

- environmental review;

- generation and evaluation of the Cleaner Production ideas;

- development and implementation of the environmental management system.

4.2. Program Initiation

The implementation of the Cleaner Production ideas at the enterprise faced a number of obstacles characteristic of small enterprises of the Russian Federation in general.

Among the most critical ones were the following:

- government policy and legislative framework based on reducing contamination at the end of pipe that does not encourage the search of new ways of contamination reduction;

- technical constraints and lack of access to information on state-of–the-art environmental technologies;

- insufficient financial resources for the implementation of the Cleaner Production principles and methods;

- lack of information and access to required knowledge;

- absence of legal mechanisms facilitating the introduction of the Cleaner Production methods and principles;

- underdeveloped system of economic stimulation of improving the methodology of contamination prevention.

The enterprise administration was to give a written consent and permission to develop and implement the environmental management system (EMS) based on the Cleaner Production principles. The incentives for them to do so were:

- assistance to the enterprise in reducing the discharges to water treatment facilities and direct economic benefits related to it;

- in meeting environmental norms and standards;

- in improving working conditions at the enterprise;

- in decreasing the environmental impact and in improving the good stand of the enterprise. 

The absence of established fees for the use of natural resources in the Russian Federation, in fact, neutralizes all benefits from companies’ observing the Cleaner Production principles in their industrial and economic activities. At the same time, the fees for the use of natural resources that existed in the former time did not reflect the actual cost of natural resources and cost of their contamination.

Moral obligations remain the only driving force of environmental activities but they are not seen as such by all of industrial enterprise leaders.

One of the most essential factors (and hopeful signs) is the presence in the working group of several representatives of state power bodies, since many enterprise leader still perceive the methods of command economy as the only effective and binding tools of enterprise management. However, as soon as the administrative levers stop bringing expected results, enterprise managers, as a rule, terminate all programs that are of no personal interest to them. Social interests, international standards and rules are not among the major values of Russia’s businessmen of today.

Therefore, it is extremely difficult to stimulate and maintain the Russian business community’s interest in the Cleaner Production Program and, especially, in the ISO 14001 environmental standards. The realization of numerous grant-funded programs foreseeing the environmental management implementation commonly ends with the end of grant investments. It will hardly be possible to cultivate new societal environmental values unless long-term partnership is established between environmental auditors and enterprise leaders.

The implementation unit of the project “Environmental Audit of the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub (Briansk Oblast) Creamery for the Certification of Environmental Management Systems” operates under a long-term (five-year) contract. Lectures on the cleaner production principles and methods and the ISO 14001 standards had been read at the enterprise for three years before the project started. As a result, the enterprise leaders took a positive realistic stance towards the introduction of the environmental management based on the Cleaner Production principles.

4.3. Environmental Review

During the preliminary environmental analysis at the enterprise, information of three types was collected: recording of visual observation data; documentation; recording of interviews.

Certain difficulties were associated with the procedure of mass balance forming, which determines what materials and substances take part in the production process.

The following sources were used in the course of information gathering:

- analysis of production, processes, discharges and waste formed at the enterprise;

- statement of raw material purchase;

- material inventory data;

- product specifications;

- material balance report;

- reports on waste, discharges and emissions.

The data of analytical measurements by controlling inspection services play an important role in the selection of main chains of material movement, causing the major contamination flows. It was the analysis of the results of measuring emissions, discharges and waste that showed that the greatest environmental impact of enterprises of dairy industry is caused by waste water discharges in the municipal sewerage systems. Based on this information, the mass balance was formed for the flows determining the waste water discharges.

Mass of all input materials = Mass of finished product + Mass of by-products + Mass of all waste.

Milk 34,741 tons per year = Product: 7,416 tons per year + Whey (raw material for milk sugar production) 18,216 tons per year + Waste water: Whey 9,108.3 tons per year.

The general diagram describing the main components of the mass balance is presented in Picture 4.3-1 below: 

Picture 4.3-1. General diagram of the mass balance components

The main components of the mass balance examined within the project are shown in diagram 4.3-2 below.

Pic. 4.3-2. Main components of the mass balance of raw materials and production determining the waste water composition and amount.

Objectives of the environmental review were as follows:

- to analyze the requirements of effective legislative and regulatory framework;

- to identify the main environmental aspects of the enterprise;

- to ensure compliance with internal and external standards, rules, principles and regulations;

- to identify the existing procedures and practices of environmental management;

- to examine the current economic policy;

- to define the implications of violating norms and standards and the consequences of accidents;

- to identify the aspects of the enterprise activities that are capable of facilitating or preventing the improvement of the environmental situation.

4.4. Generation and Evaluation of Cleaner Production Ideas

Upon identifying the sources and nature of waste, the working group brainstormed for ideas of reducing the amount of waste (discharges) and preventing their formation.

The Cleaner Production ideas were then evaluated against technical, environmental and economic criteria.

5. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The project work resulted in the development and introduction of the environmental management system, as well as in the creation of conditions for the OJSC Starodub Creamery for the ISO 14001 standards.

The following work was done:

1. The enterprise environmental policy was defined. The environmental policy is based on the results and findings of the preliminary environmental analysis (review). The environmental policy content relies on the following principles:

- assuming responsibility for environmental impact caused by the enterprise;

- creating systems that provide the fullest possible control of the environmental situation;

- commitment to constantly improve the enterprise environmental activities (ISO 14001 compliance with subsequent certification).

2. A training seminar was held to raise environmental awareness of the enterprise personnel, which is an obligatory stage in the development of environmental way of thinking.

3. At the stage of distributing environmental responsibility, the following instruments were developed and documented: organizational structure (organogram); the personnel’s job descriptions; target performance indicators for the enterprise units and individual employees; procedures determining responsibility for certain environmental actions and events.

4. At the final stage of project implementation, environmental procedures were developed. The environmental procedures were integrated in the production processes and instructions. The main procedures are: control of the input parameters; control of the major activities; control of the output parameters; monitoring of environmental parameters.

5. In order to keep the regional administration, businessmen and general public adequately informed of the enterprise environmental policy, the environmental impact of production and its minimization due to the project implementation, three round table discussions were organized with the participation of the local government representatives and the population.

6. The project implementation results were presented and discussed at the working meeting of the Cleaner Production experts of the UNDP-GEF Dnipro Basin Environmental Program in the city of Briansk.

7. In the course of creating the environmental management system priority measures were designed and long-term environmental policy aimed at resolving pressing environmental problems of butter-and-cheese making industry was developed. Besides, non-compliances with the effective environmental legislation were detected and a series of corrective actions to eliminate them was proposed; the personnel’s responsibility for environmental aspects was defined and the system capable of controlling the enterprise environmental efficiency was put in place.

8. The specific measurable results of introducing the environmental management system are listed below:

- improvement of the environmental situation at the enterprise;

- adoption of the enterprise environmental policy;

- identification of essential environmental impact;

- training of 55 enterprise specialists in the Cleaner Production principles;

- development of a five-year environmental management program ensuring compliance with ISO 14001;

- improvement of the enterprise production standards;

- raising the population’s awareness of the enterprise environmental policy;     

- putting regulatory documentation on environmental management in order;

- improvement of the company’s reputation on the domestic and international market;

- normalization of flows discharged into the municipal sewerage system (the first stage of implementing no-cost activities ending in September 2003).

9. The expected measurable impact of the results is as follows:

- reduction of organic discharges into the municipal water treatment facilities;

- improved quality of treatment of all municipal discharges flowing to water treatment facilities;

- improvement of water quality in the Desna River (the Dnipro Basin) receiving waste water discharged from the municipal water treatment facilities;

- tightened control of discharges from the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery into the municipal water treatment facilities;

- on-going improvement of the environmental management system efficiency at the OJSC Starodub Creamery;

- prevention of volley discharges of whey.

6.1 Environmental Policy

Effective environmental management is based on a gradual approach that starts with a realistic environmental policy. The environmental policy is the company’s statement of its principles and intentions in the sphere of environmental protection. It should determine the major areas of the enterprise environmental activities, and provide the basis for further work and for setting more specific aims and objectives. The environmental policy establishes the target environmental performance indicators characterizing the basic requirements to environmental parameters and to the enterprise environmental efficiency. 

Voluntary declaration of its environmental policy is a serious step on the company’s part, though not every enterprise is ready to make it. The greatest difficulty in developing the enterprise environmental policy was connected not with the environmental policy development, but rather with its voluntary declaration. 

Any publicity at the regional level makes an enterprise widely discussed, so the enterprise leaders have to overcome a number of psychological barriers to decide to make a public declaration. Various options of the problem solving are put forward to avoid such public declarations. Therefore, the overcoming of this psychological barrier can be regarded as the auditors’ great victory. 

The following principles are reflected in the environmental policy of the OJSC Starodub Creamery:

- assuming responsibility for the enterprise environmental impact;

- ensuring compliance with the legislation;

- providing for the development of standards at the enterprise;

- creating systems guaranteeing the fullest possible control of the environmental situation (including risks);

- commitment to constantly improve the enterprise environmental activity;

- commitment to prevent contamination in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard;

- development and updating of procedures for assessing the enterprise environmental activities;

- application of the product life cycle concept;

- performing activities aimed at sustainable development;

- commitment to provide resources necessary for the introducing and maintaining the environmental management system.

6.2. Determining the Scope of Environmental Impact

The assessment of the scope of environmental impact is impeded because of practical absence of measuring and other controlling equipment at the enterprise. The enterprise managers do not view milk and whey leakages as a grave contamination factor. A method of visual observation and measuring of milk and whey flowing into the sewerage system was used to determine the scope of leakages. A vessel (bucket) was placed under the cock (tap), and the time period over which it filled with leaking milk/whey was measured. Leakages at 200 cocks (taps) along milk pipes, pumps for transmitting milk products and separators were measured. It was found out that washing of milk tankers used for transportation has the smallest environmental impact, whereas the controlling bodies have traditionally considered washing to be one of the most dangerous contamination sources of waste water. As the result of the above work, a list of essential impacts (in terms of waste water contamination) was compiled, and later measures to reduce contaminated flows were developed (see 4.5).

6.3. Distribution of Environmental Responsibility.

Integration of environmental responsibility into day-to-day duties and responsibility of all personnel, from the director to a worker, is a key factor in the successful development of the environmental management program and implementing the enterprise environmental policy.

Before the project started the enterprise had had no distribution structure of environmental responsibility in place. In the whole list of the staff members, it was only the environmental engineer (ecologist) who dealt with the basic environmental control. A program of the environmental situation improvement was non-existent. The need to enlarge the list of people in charge of the enterprise environmental policy was perceived inadequately. The management and personnel tended to believe that any additional loading on the employees would lead to the drop in output and deteriorating quality of products.

As the result of project implementation, job descriptions of all employees whose activities are related to environmental aspects were amended to include a provision on environmental responsibility. The enterprise Chief Engineer has been made accountable for the system of controlling environmental responsibility.

The organization of environmental responsibility enabled the enterprise to reduce the toxic flows by 10% over the last five months, without bearing any additional costs.

6.4. Training and Information Exchange

At the initial stage of project implementation, the enterprise leaders did not seem to realize the need for a wide coverage of the enterprise personnel with training programs. Abiding by environmental standards at each and every working place is an integral part of the general labour culture. Yet the level of labour culture, even at this enterprise of food industry, was rather low. Nobody could hope to cultivate a high environmental culture in every employee over six months.

The schedule was elaborated of training different groups of employees with the account of their job specifics. At the same time it is doubtful that the program of internal training will be continued after the project withdraws from the enterprise.

6.5. Environmental Audit

Periodical audit of the enterprise environmental activities shows how successful the environmental management system is and what changes are to be made in it. The audit assesses the scale of the environmental management system operation, the effectiveness of its introduction and how conducive it is to the environmental policy implementation.

The project provides for an annual external audit of the environmental management system However, it is doubtful that the enterprise management will volunteer to undergo regular external audit, given the current environmental policy of the state at large.

7. CONCLUSIONS

A group of specialists headed by I.Baliasnikov made an attempt to conduct environmental audit of the Open Joint-Stock Company Starodub Creamery in Briansk Oblast in order to create conditions for reducing contamination in the Dnipro River Basin and for the company’s subsequent certification for the ISO 14001 standard. .

The work envisaged the application of the Cleaner Production principles and methods and simultaneous development of the environmental management system (EMS).

The analysis of production processes and environmental situation testified that under the command-administrative methods of management there is little motivation for the development of the Cleaner Production principles and the introduction of the environmental management system.

The decisive factor is a long-term support to the environmental projects rather than their design and development. The lack of interest in cleaner, environmentally friendly technologies is caused, primarily, by insufficient information about them. Besides, even middle-cost environmental activities need external investments.

In order to enliven the interest of small and middle businesses of food industry in environmental innovations, it seems necessary to do the following:

- continue environmental training and educational programs;

- create conditions for a better access of the Russian entrepreneurs to cleaner technologies;

- use the Cleaner Production Centers for promoting the best environmental equipment and cleaner technologies onto the Russian market.

Appendix I.

TECHNOLOGICAL DIAGRAM OPEN JOINT-STOCK COMPANY "STARODUBSK CREAMERY"

Appendix II.

SAMPLE CHECK FORM OF EMS FOR THE OPEN JOINT-STOCK COMPANY "STARODUBSK CREAMERY"