This document provides guidance on using brainstorming to generate cleaner production options. It explains that brainstorming is a technique where a group generates as many ideas as possible in a short period without criticism. Anyone can participate, and combining different perspectives leads to more innovative ideas. Brainstorming can help identify problems, solutions, plans, and ideas for change. The document outlines best practices for conducting a brainstorming session, such as explaining the objective, encouraging free flowing ideas without judgment, accumulating all ideas, and later clarifying and combining similar concepts. It also discusses barriers to creativity and provides an example of brainstorming to generate cleaner production options for reducing waste in the pineapple industry.

1. Generation of Cleaner
Production Options through
Brainstorming
Samantha Kumarasena
Deputy Director
National Cleaner Production Centre,
Sri Lanka

2. It is easier to tone down a wild idea
than to think up a new one”
Alex F. Osborn Coin the term ‘brainstorm’

3. Brainstorming - What is it?
Brainstorming is a lively technique
that helps a group generate
as many ideas as possible
in a short time period

4. Who uses it?
The team members, the management,
and the users can all participate in
brainstorming
If you invite people with different
perspectives to brainstorm together,
you are more likely to see innovative
ideas generated by the group

5. Why use it?
It can help you to
identify problems,
analyze causes,
select alternative solutions,
do strategic planning,
generate ideas for marking change,
and
handle many other situations

6. Why Brainstorm ?
• Determine possible
causes /solutions
to a problem
• Planning out
project steps
• Deciding which
problem to work on

7. When to use it?
In the facility,
with community or user groups,
in meetings

8. How to use it:
• Explain the objective of the session:
for example, to select problems, analyze
causes, or generate ideas.
• Explain the technique to the group.
Tell them that you are looking for a lot of
ideas, and that you want their thoughts
and ideas to flow freely. There is no right
or wrong answer. The idea of
brainstorming is to produce as many
innovative ideas as possible!

9. How to use it:
• In countries where participation in
meetings is structured, brainstorming
takes practice. (For many with no real
experience in expressing their opinion,
being asked to do so in a meeting with
many levels of staff can produce a
silence.)

10. How to use it:
• Silent reflection.
Ask the participants to think about the
proposed objective or topic for a few
minutes
Time: approximately 5 minutes

11. How to use it:
• Brainstorm
The participants call out their ideas and add
those that come to mind during the discussion.
Annotate the ideas on a flip chart in the order
they are mentioned
Write down the ideas using the words of the
speaker
Ask for clarification only if the meaning is not
clear
Time: approximately 20 minutes.

12. How to use it:
(For groups with little or no experience in
brainstorming, it is often useful to have
them practice in small subgroups before
convening the entire group.)

13. How to use it:
• Once the list is finished, discuss it with
the group to
– clarify the meaning of unclear ideas
– combine similar ideas that are worded in
different ways
– eliminate those ideas that are not related to
the objective of the session

14. How to use it:
Do all this by group consensus
Time: 5-15 minutes
At the end of this stage, you will have
reduced the ideas to those that represent
most of the major ideas of the group

15. How to develop CP options
• Information sources:
1.Brainstorm in project team
– overcome obstacles, encourage innovative
thinking
1.Solicit ideas outside project team
– encourage all players in enterprise
1.Example options
– data bases, manuals, earlier CP reports etc.
1.Technology surveys and benchmarks

16. Conduct brainstorming for
Cleaner Production
Option Generation!

17. Identify the
brainstorming group

18. Identify the Location

19. Arrange the Place

20. Refine & Define the topic

21. Generate ideas as
many as possible!

22. • Promote and facilitate free flow of ideas
• Encourage wild & exaggerated ideas
(Creativity)
• Do not edit or CRITICIZE
• Try not to arrive at a decision
• Accumulate as many ideas as possible.
• Get everybody to participate
• Do not try to filter at the beginning
• Link or Build on the ideas of others
Generate
ideas!

23. Record the
Ideas!

24. List of CP
options!

25. We come together like feathers on a bird!

28. Brain Storming!!!
• Taking Part
• Facilitation

29. Types……
• Freewheeling
-share ideas all at ones
-list all ideas as they are “shouted out”
• Round robin
-everyone takes a turn
-anyone can pass
-continue until there are no more
-all ideas are listed

30. Barriers for being Creative
• Fear of making mistakes
• Many problems in mind: - pre occupied
• Unrest
• Culture / teaching
practices/ education
• Convergence
• Fear of being not accepted
• Not given opportunity
• Food

31. Barriers for being Creative
Continued …….
• Perceptions
• Response analysis
• Language
• Complexes (superior / inferior)
• Fear of getting penalties
• Environment
• Reluctant to change
• Slave mentality
• Lack of motivation

32. Group Exercise V
• Identify waste causes and generate CP
options for the loss of economic value
through wastage of Pineapple Juice in the
case of Pineapple industry through
brainstorming

33. CP Potential of the
Pineapple Industry
Waste Stream Loss of
Economic value
(Rs) per batch
Loss of
Economic value
(Rs) per annum
Group
Bad fruits 300 900000
(0.9 Million)
A
Juice washed
away
1767.22 5301660
(5.3 Million)
B
Juice with fibre 857.23 2571690
(2.57 Million)
C
Juice spillage 1140.06 3420180
(3.42 Million)
D
Broken bottles 400.80 1202400
(1.2 Million)
E
TOTAL 4465.3 13395900
(13.4 Million)