Department of Trade and Industry

The dti's contribution to the national objective of sustainable development focuses on making production patterns more sustainable. These initiatives are captured in the department's environmental implementation plans and reports (EIP).

South Africans have a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. Internationally, South Africa actively participates in the development of multilateral environmental agreements (MEA). South Africa's world-class environmental laws testify to government's resolve to implement the MEAs that Parliament has ratified.

The dti and other departments, as well as social partners in industry and labour, influence the formulation of environmental policies and legislation, mostly led by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). The dti aims to contribute to a tailor-made portfolio of environmental, social and economic policies to meet our country's needs.

Based on the principle of 'Think globally, act locally' South Africa regularly proposes national positions at multinational conferences. Although the dti is not mandated to drive MEA related initiatives, the department is a key participant in the formulation of such national positions. With the inclusion of environmental issues on the WTO agenda, the dti's International Trade and Economic Development Division (ITED) calls on our social partners to influence and add value to our positions at the WTO.

The dti has taken the lead in coordinating a national response to the issue of 'Chemical Management', which is led internationally by the OECD. The dti has also identified a number of common MEA implications and obligations for the chemical sector. Chemical Management activities include facilitation to enable participation in international debates by setting national priorities and formulating national positions.

A common requirement of chemically based MEAs is that countries should establish systems to control the importation and exporting of hazardous chemicals. The dti and other departments advise and inform our International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) in this regard.

In terms of waste minimisation, the dti financially supports the work of the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC). In a synergistic new approach, NCPC and the Trade and Investment South Africa Division (TISA) are embarking on sector-focused projects to establish Cleaner Production as a common practice in the rollout of the Customised Sector Programmes (CSP).

Eco-Logical Sponsors

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