Eco-Efficiency and its Role in Industrial Transformation

The ecological efficiency of industrial production has become the focus of a range of innovative and promising research and implementation activities. Eco-efficiency promises to achieve a less polluted environment at lower costs than pollution control and ensure human well-being with less detrimental effects than adaptation and remediation. At the same time, it is less radical and therefore offers a higher promise for success than service efficiency or sufficiency. This paper reviews a broad range of activities that are of interest to the “industrial transformation” focus of the International Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Program. It offers a framework in which eco-efficiency is organized in five categories: pollution prevention, cleaner technology, design for environment, loop closing, and environmental management systems. Pollution prevention focuses on changes to existing equipment and technology and includes input substitution and improved maintenance. Cleaner technology aims to develop new technologies. Design for environment includes environmental considerations as criteria for the design process for products and manufacturing. Material loops can be closed using remanufacturing, recycling and industrial ecosystems. Environmental management systems try to change the day-to-day management practice to address and document factors influencing the environmental performance of companies. Life cycle assessment and environmental impact evaluation are tools useful for all of these efforts. This paper has identified a range of research needs that fit the agenda of the human dimensions program: a better understanding of the decisions in industry that affect the 1 Published in 1997 as a working paper of the Institute for Environmental Studies, Free University of