The term "Cleaner Production" was coined by the United Nations Environment Programme, and is defined as:

"the conceptual and procedural approach to production that demands that all phases of the life cycle of a product or process should be addressed with the objective of prevention or minimisation of short and long term risks to humans and to the environment."

In other words, cleaner production means:

• avoiding or reducing the amount of waste produced
• using energy and resources efficiently
• producing environmentally sound products and services
• achieving less waste, lower costs and higher profits.

The goal of cleaner production is to reduce the adverse impact of production and service activities on the environment.

Understanding Cleaner Production (United Nations Environment Programme)