Impact of Different Factors on the Pollution-Reduction and Resource-Saving Effects of Cleaner Production

Cleaner production (CP) is one of the most important tools to propel sustainable development. This research investigates the influences of pollutant and resource type, industry sector, time, and region on CP implementation, and understanding these influences is conducive to further CP implementation. More than 241 CP cases in China were selected as the data source, and the reduction rate (rr) of pollutant generation or resource consumption was used to quantify the pollution-reduction and resource-saving effects of CP. Time and region cannot affect CP spontaneously. However, the positive attitude of the regional government is instrumental to CP promotion. Statistical inferences indicate that rr is significantly influenced by the pollutant and resource type, and industry. Because of the adoption of suitable technologies, the rr of heavy metals is higher than that of resources and pollutants. The rr of resources was found to be lower than that of pollutants. However, because of the cost reduction caused by resource saving, relevant cleaner technologies were more easily adopted by enterprises. The significant impact of industry was caused by the different resources and pollutants of different industries. CP should be implemented on the basis of the specific resource and environmental issues that the industry confronts.