A new voluntary technical guide provides guidelines on water and energy efficiency in new buildings being built in Costa Rica.
This Technical Guide is of voluntary use, and the aim is for both professionals and the general public to start to introduce the concepts of sustainable construction in their projects.
The project consists of three sections: implementation matrix, energy efficiency and water use efficiency (effective cost-saving measures for social housing, single-family housing, multi-family housing, shops, hospitals and hotels).
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has presented a guide on the technical criteria for the design and construction of butchers and slaughterhouses and the management of wastewater and solid waste.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment (MARN):
Slaughterhouses are the first link in the meat industry, because it is in them that meat for human consumption is obtained, therefore they need to operate using quality standards and all facilities must meet the requirements of proper operation, in order to ensure the health of the population and environmental protection.
The FDA has released a new version of its guidelines on good manufacturing practices for the cosmetics industry, with the aim of standardizing procedures.
From an article by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a guide that provides guidance on good manufacturing practices in the cosmetics industry, with the goal of helping identify the standards and factors which have an affect of the quality of products.
CIDEA will verify compliance with good practices in aquaculture and fisheries, helping to ease access to export markets.
With the endorsement of the Institute for Training, Environmental Research and Development (CIDEA by its initials in Spanish), the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will award companies with a certificate of good aquaculture practice.
Environmental Regulations and Social Practice have been issued by the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters of Costa Rica.
The Social and Environmental Management System for Sustainable Production of Pineapple (SG-PSP) is the standard of good environmental and social practices, to carry out the Environmental Responsibility Commitment, established by Canapep on June 5, 2008.
The regulating body has certified the Nicaraguan Shrimp Enterprise, and the Carlos Fonseca Amador and Santa Fe Cooperatives as having Good Aquaculture Practices
A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR) declares: “Good aquaculture practice and traceability consists of changing the ways of cultivating shrimp, improving animal health, developing environmental programs, improving the working conditions for employees, and ensuring safe and healthy products for consumers.”
Any projects in Category 1 will no longer require environmental impact studies (EISA for its Spanish acronym), those studies will be substituted by the use of "Good practices guides".
For the approval and execution of constructions in Categories 2 and 3, the environmental impact studies will stay.
Kerem Pérez, in his article about the subject in Martesfinanciero.com, outlines that "according to the International Union for the Conservation of the Nature (UICN for its acronyms in Spanish), good practices guidelines are being used because the Studies of Environmental Impact should be only carry out in projects where humans could be directly affected."
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