Report 07 2008

Abstract

The present survey was prepared in the framework of the GREENOLYMPICS project, a joint initiative by the International Centre for Science and High Technology of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO) and the Office of the Science and Technology Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOSTEC). The GREENOLYMPICS project, commenced in December 2006, and is focused on capacity building and promotion of industrial production of sustainable and eco-friendly materials, such as environmentally degradable plastics (EDP) in China. The action is closely linked to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games taking the opportunity of this popular event to promote sustainability awareness among the general society and decision makers in China and, consecutively, aims to promote similar initiatives in other developing countries, as follow-up actions of this project. One of the project goals is to provide a necessary information base (survey) for the evaluation of industrially available EDP materials and applications (products) and to develop a set of criteria for the assessment and selection of such products to be used during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This survey combining a collection of background information, publicly available data on commercially available EDP, and a collection of producer provided information on EDP materials and products was designed to lay a basis for the selection process. The survey overviews various aspects of the available materials, such as their technical properties, vendor information, application data, certification, cost estimates, etc. The document in preparation will be published and made available to the stakeholders involved in the selection processes, such as decision makers and other partners from S&T community, SMEs/industry, educational institutions, and other specialized organizations.