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Cleaner Production/Eco-efficiency
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Cleaner Production and Eco-efficiency
In an ever more competitive globalised world, businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to excel. Environmental issues are conventionally seen as an unwelcome additional cost to the business with no benefits. However, modern business management of environmental issues can often provides benefits that flow straight to the bottom line. Eco-efficiency is a management strategy to increase business efficiency while improving environmental performance. In its simplest terms, it means doing more with less - less use of resources, less waste and less pollution. Companies can improve eco-efficiency by, for example, (WBCSD, 2000):
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reducing material intensity of goods and services
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reducing energy intensity of goods and services
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reducing toxic emissions
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enhancing material recyclability
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maximising the use of renewable resources
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extending product durability
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increasing the service intensity of goods and services.
Eco-efficiency is achieved with a systematic evaluation of existing practices, and utilises a number of other environmental management tools such as cleaner production, environmental management systems, life cycle assessment and design for the environment.
For further information on any of these topics, contact us, or have a look at the websites below.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development, for more information about Eco-efficiency
United Nations Environment Programme, for more information about cleaner production and other related concepts
PPRC, for sector-specific examples of cleaner production
P2Pays.org, for more sector-specific examples of cleaner production
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that compares products/services in terms of their environmental impacts over their entire life cycle. LCA is therefore a useful decision making tool for considering many of the environmental impacts associated with a product - from cradle to grave.
For further information on LCA, contact us, or have a look at the following websites:
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS)
Alternatively, a useful introduction into LCA is provided by:
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Weidema, B. (1997) Environmental Assessment of Products - A Textbook on Life Cycle Assessment, The Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers TEK, Helsinki, Finland.
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Baumann, H. and Tillman, A-M (2004) The Hitch Hikers Guide to LCA - An Orientation in Life Cycle Assessment Methodology and Application, Studentlitteratur AB, Lund, Sweden.
Further detail can be found in:
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Guinée, J. (2002) Handbook on Life Cycle Assessment: Operational guide to the ISO standards, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, USA.
References
WBCSD (2000), Eco-efficiency - Creating more with less impact, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva, Switzerland.
http://www.wbcsd.org