![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081111044550im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Other Sector Programs
Sector approaches are increasingly common. Successful sector programs are found in EPA's voluntary and regulatory functions and in all program offices and regions. They are used throughout EPA and by state, local, and tribal coimplementers to achieve better environmental protection. Effective partnerships between EPA and government co-implementers are crucial for success in implementing sector approaches. Collaboration with stakeholder and community groups further strengthens these programs.
The following links point to additional resources regarding specific industry sectors and allow for a broader search of sector-based information.
- Sector-Based Assistance Programs and Resources
- Sector-Based Partnerships and Resources
- Other sectors that work with EPA
Sector-Based Assistance Programs and Resources
![[logo] Compliance Assistance Centers](auxfiles/i/ca.gif)
EPA has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic institutions, environmental groups, and other agencies to launch sector-specific Compliance Assistance Centers 
. Each Center helps businesses, local governments, and federal facilities understand federal environmental requirements and save money through pollution prevention techniques.
Sector-based assistance resources include sector-based compliance assistance materials, plain language booklets that describe environmental problems associated with major US industries, and the sector facility indexing project. Environmental management systems have proven to be effective tools for industry sectors.
More sector-based assistance programs:
- Environmental Management Systems for Sectors: Sector-based EMS tools.
- Hospitals for a Healthy Environment : Educating health care professionals about pollution prevention opportunities in hospitals and health care systems
- Sector Facility Indexing Project: Compiles environmental data from a number of systems to produce facility-level profiles for five industry sectors (petroleum refining, iron and steel, primary nonferrous metal refining and smelting, pulp manufacturing, and auto assembly).
- Small Business Industry Sector Assistance : The Small Business Environmental Home Page (funded in a cooperative agreement with the EPA Small Business Program) maintains links to industry sector web sites, national compliance assistance centers, and trade association web sites and contact information.
- Virtual Sector Guide: Pulls together relevant publications and links to technical, policy, and programmatic resources from sources around the world. The Virtual Sector Guides have not been updated for some time.
Sector-Based Partnerships and Resources
![[logo] SmartWay Transport](images/smart.gif) |
SmartWay Transport is a voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. |
 |
The Resource Conservation Challenge is a national effort to find flexible, yet protective, ways to conserve our national resources. |
 |
Design for the Environment facilitates the identification and adoption of clean products, processes, technologies, and management systems. |
| Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership | Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership improves aluminum production efficiency while reducing perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions. PFCs are potent greenhouse gases that remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years. |
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
The Common Sense Initiative, 1995-1998: The Common Sense Initiative (CSI) was an innovative experiment with a goal of developing cleaner, cheaper, smarter approaches to protecting the environment and public health. This EPA initiative addressed environmental management by industrial sector rather than by environmental medium (air, water, land). Six subcommittees representing six industries, automobile manufacturing, computers and electronics, iron and steel, metal finishing, petroleum refining, and printing, were formed to address environmental issues facing their specific sector. The subcommittee members consisted of representatives from industry; environmental justice organizations; labor organizations; environmental organizations; and federal, state, and local governments.
On December 17, 1998, the CSI Council conducted its final meeting. The CSI Council presented 28 formal recommendations to the Agency. The recommendations were the result of work from the six Sector Subcommittees and the Council. Many of the 45 projects from CSI continued after the official end of the program.
For more information, please see the publications page.