Knowing how to reach all parts of the South

The economic contribution of small and medium scale industries (SMI) in the South is considerable. However, the pollution they generate is considered to be generally greater per unit of output than for the equivalent large-scale enterprises. The SMI sector in the South is a sector of two parts. There is the part which reflects the type of industry and organisation found in the North. There is the part which is the informal sector comprised of micro-enterprises (although definitions vary, an indication of size can be gained by using less than 10 "employees" - who may be family members involved on a non-contractual basis.) and cottage industries. Unlike in the North, there is little enforced urban planning which ensures separation of industrial activities from residential areas. Indeed many enterprises are located within the household. Unfortunately, the significance of these statements was not reflected in Greening98 neither in the amount of attention devoted to SMI in the South, nor the number of participants from developing countries. This workshop will attempt to address how these industries can also address greening issues. · What type of support do SMI need? · How can SMI be reached? · What motivates SMI to take greening their industry on board? · Who is the best agent for change? · What North-South exchanges are possible? All too often solutions are expressed in terms of generalities; for example, awareness raising is the means to motivation. However, good examples of tried and tested innovation in approach are needed, for example, many people in micro-enterprises are illiterate so brochures are irrelevant. The format will be interactive. The workshop would not have presentation of papers, followed by question and answers. Instead participants would work on generating answers to these questions or identifying where there are gaps in knowledge or approach (if there are sufficient numbers of participants they can break up into sub-groups). Papers could be submitted as background material. The aim is try to bring together those who have experiences with those who need answers. The long term objective would be to develop a book for practitioners working specifically with SMI in developing countries.