The purpose of this report is to explain to leaders in government and industry that cleaner production is likely to lead to economic benefits as well as environmental ones, that there is now an important window of opportunity that should be seized, and that cleaner production is the best way of fulfilling the requirements of Agenda 21; to emphasize the importance of developing strategies and policies to implement cleaner production; to spell out an effective overall strategy in beginning a cleaner production programme; and to describe some of the instruments that are available to governments for implementing cleaner production policies. Cleaner production is an evolving concept, and experience of strategies and policies that have helped promote cleaner production is limited. As more experience is accumulated, UNEP will revise and expand this publication to outline effective strategies for initiating cleaner production programmes.