VOLUNTARY PLEDGE SIGNING CEREMONY BY FOUR CFC PRODUCING ENTERPRISES IN INDIA ON 2ND MAY

Shri P.V. Jayakrishnan, Secretary, Ministry for Environment and Forests will preside over the Voluntary Pledge Signing Ceremony by four major Chlorofluorocarbons-producers of India, namely, SRF Ltd., Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd., Naveen Fluorine Industries and Chemplast Sanmar Ltd. reiterating their commitment to phase out Ozone Depleting Substances. Dr. Klaus Topfer, Executive Director, UNEP will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. Funds aggregating to US $ 82 million was negotiated by the Government of India as a grant for achieving the proposed phaseout. The World Bank is the implementing agency responsible for supervising this project. Voluntary pledge programme is supported by UNEP to encourage enterprises producing and consuming ODSs to phaseout production and consumption of these environmentally harmful substances. This goes beyond any legally binding agreements by including commitment by enterprises to adopt cleaner production practices and technologies. This event is being organized jointly by UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, Paris, Refrigerant Gas Manufacturers Association and Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. This event, the first of its kind in the developing countries will help in bringing more organizations in India, producing and using ODSs, to commit themselves to protecting the ozone layer by phasing out production and consumption of ODSs. This will also serve as a model for similar initiatives for enterprises producing and consuming ODSs in other developing countries.