The Norwegian Government finances transfer of know-how programmes in cleaner production strategies and assessment in the North-West of Russian federation. The programmes aim to implement economically profitable and environmentally favourable restructuring of industrial processes.

This program uses the advantage of the fact that during the reforms many industrial companies face to start production of new products in demand inside and outside the country; sharp increase of power resource coast and transportation coast; breach of traditional channels of delivery of spare parts between Russia and fourteen independent states formed after disintegration of the USSR; transformation of financial system and complete reconstruction of the bank structure and other economic, social and political factors.

In each territory (region or republic) the Program is realised as a separate regional program. Alongside with regional program local programs were organised for some large companies such as: Joint Stock Company "Pechenganickel" (Murmansk region), metallurgical combine "Severstal" (Cherepovets, Vologda region), State Centre of Nuclear Ship Building (Severodvinsk, Archangelsk region), Octyabrskaya Railway (St.Petersburg).

Main results and achievements of this program are presented at the http://www.deol.ru/users/edcentcp/rz09.htm

The WWW site reports about significant environmental effects as results of the program activity.

• Virtually local banks financed no CP projects. Due to unattractive lending conditions, very few companies use this mechanism
• On the demand side, enterprises (especially SMEs) in Russia have insufficient experience in preparing applications for project financing. Lack of knowledge in evaluating the financial aspects of investments often blocks implementation of CP projects. Even when capital exists, CP is one among a range of investment options.
• On the supply side, there are obstacles in capital markets: banks are weak, there is a lack of environmental expertise and loan rates are unattractive to enterprises. Also, costly administrative requirements result in international financial institutions establishing loan thresholds, which are significantly higher than costs of CP investments; it is difficult to receive financing for small projects.
• Generally, there is little experience with the implementation of economically viable CP projects.
• many CP programmes have had a strong technological character; there is a need also to explain the benefits of CP activities in economic and managerial terms, and to mainstream environmental management into the overall management in enterprises;
• further efforts are needed to integrate environmental management principles more systematically into university curriculum, both in engineering and in business/ economic courses;