Policies to improve human resource capacity include: several policies centre on training and education, such
as financial and fiscal incentives for students pursuing studies in green technology disciplines at both the under-
graduate and graduate levels; retraining and apprenticeship schemes for green jobs; a grading and certifica-
tion mechanism for green technology-related skills; and brain gain programmes to strengthen local expertise.
Source: Kementerian Tenaga Teknologi Hijau Dan Air, “The national green technology policy”, PowerPoint presentation (2010). Available
from http://portal.ppj.gov.my/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=17335&folderId=27605&name=DLFE-4709.pdf (accessed 06 March 2012).
Box 1: Recent developments in eco-design in Europe
Eco-design, which is often referred to as cradle-to-cradle design (C2C), is a policy tool aimed at improving the
environmental performance of products throughout their lifecycle by introducing specific requirements in their
design stage. Eco-design can take a variety of forms, such as guidelines, checklists, indicators and life-cycle
assessment. While eco-labelling helps to disclose information on the products in order to assist consumers in
making informed decisions, eco-design, in contrast, directly influences the way the product is designed, manu-
factured, packaged, transported, used and disposed. Eco-design can play a critical role in greening markets by
singling out inefficient products and pulling them out of the market.
In the European Union, concerted efforts are being made to establish and update eco-design through the
Ecodesign Directive. The Ecodesign Directive sets minimum energy efficiency requirements and other environ-
mental standards for 32 indicative product groups, including electronic appliances and office lighting, based on
a life-cycle approach.
4
The implementing measures vary depending on the respective product groups. Nine
new broad product groups may be added for the period 2012 to 2014, depending on their energy saving poten-
tial and market volume. These groups under consideration include windows, steam boilers (less than 50MW),
power cables, enterprises servers, storage and ancillary equipment, and smart appliances/meters. According to
the working plan, these priority product groups are estimated to achieve energy savings of 1,157 TWh per year
by 2030.
Source: European Commission,
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: Establishment of the
Working Plan for 2012-2014 under the Ecodesign Directive, Draft (Brussels, 2012). Available from
www.ebpg.bam.de/de/ebpg_medien/wp2_2011-12_wd_kom.pdf (accessed 06 March 2012).
