Pollution prevention for sustainability

Prevention, in a broad sense, can be understood as “actions taken to influence potential causes of adverse effects and thereby avert those effects” (Hirschhorn, Jackson and Baas, 1993). This is just one of the countless definitions and terms related to sustainable development that may cause confusion since many of them may be synonymous or be strongly related with slight differences depending on context or the geographical area in which they are used (Glavič and Lukman, 2007).
This article aims to describe the basic elements of the pollution prevention concept and how it has evolved over time to its current position in sustainable development. Through a literature review, the root of the concept is first underlined, including its evolution from the control approach through key periods of time. The development of pollution prevention is then depicted, including a basic framework and how it relates to other approaches. Finally, the main elements and tools of a pollution prevention program are described