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Sustainability
Published in Louis Theodore, R. Ryan Dupont, Water Resource Management Issues, 2019
Louis Theodore, R. Ryan Dupont
Finally, responsible businesses can begin moving toward sustainability by taking seven “simple” steps: Foster a company culture of sustainability.Initiate voluntary performance improvements.Apply eco-efficiency (material, water and energy conservation, toxic use reduction, recycling, etc.) concepts.Grasp opportunities for sustainable business growth.Invest in creativity, innovation, and technology for the future.Reward employee commitment and action.Encourage thinking “outside the box.”
Towards sustainable supply networks
Published in Thomas E. Johnsen, Mickey Howard, Joe Miemczyk, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, 2018
Thomas E. Johnsen, Mickey Howard, Joe Miemczyk
Another concept used to guide decisions on sustainability in business is that of eco-efficiency. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is known to have first used the term eco-efficiency in the book Changing Course (Schmidheiny, 1992) which states that ‘corporations that achieve ever more efficiency while preventing pollution through good housekeeping, materials substitution, cleaner technologies, and cleaner products and that strive for more efficient use and recovery of resources can be called “eco-efficient” ’. The purpose of eco-efficiency is to maximize value creation while at the same time minimizing the use of resources and emissions of pollutants (Bidwell and Verfaillie, 2000). Measuring eco-efficiency is important in order to measure the decoupling of economic growth and environmental pressure. Eco-efficiency is in most cases expressed by the following ratio: Eco-efficiency = Product or service value/Environmental influence
Sustainability in engineering design
Published in Riadh Habash, Green Engineering, 2017
Eco-efficiency is based on the concept of creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution. It is measured as the ratio between the added value of what has been produced (GDP per capita) and the added environment impacts of the product or service (pollution emissions (energy or water used; environmental burden) (Yadong 2013). Therefore, eco-efficiency can be described as the effective use of material and natural resources in processes that maximize efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. Organizations that consider eco-efficiency for assessment improve their effectiveness and productivity by reducing energy consumption, solid waste, wastewater, and GHG and air emissions. Figure 10.12 provides the conceptual definition of eco-efficiency. It may be derived by looking at the intensity of resource-use, intensity of environmental impacts, or both.
Processes for environmentally friendly and/or cost-effective manufacturing
Published in Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 2021
Companies should be environmentally and socially responsible for benefiting the society, which would help them to enhance their reputation, gain legitimacy, increase financial benefits and benefit their stakeholders.[3] Manufacturers may be concerned with the uncertainty of the economy and market regarding energy costs and availability,[4] and also product sustainability, which is imperative to enhance competitiveness in the global market. Eco-efficiency enables the transition to sustainable developments from unsustainable developments.[5] Manufacturers employing environmentally friendly technologies can benefit from sustainable economy growths,[6] and have the remarkable benefit of efficient production and low material consumption.[7]
Application of environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies for an automotive component
Published in International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 2019
RM. Thirupathi, S. Vinodh, R. Ben Ruben, Jiju Antony
Eco-efficiency aims at building a sustainable environment by creating more goods and services using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution. In this module, LCA is being used as an evaluation and improvement strategy as it provides scope for both capturing and improvising the overall environmental impacts. The potential environmental impact for each phase was found based on the obtained values. Initially, the environmental impact for 10 categories was found out for the production phase and its total impact was calculated. Later, the impacts pertaining to use and disposal phases are also calculated. On analysing the result, it is found out that use phase is the most impactful phase followed by production and disposal phases. The use phase has the highest impact due to the functioning of the product throughout its useful life. The disposal phase has minimal impacts due to recycling of the component.
Going green? Investigating the relationships between proactive environmental strategy, GSCM practices and performances of third-party logistics providers (TPLs)
Published in Production Planning & Control, 2021
Issam Laguir, Rébecca Stekelorum, Jamal El Baz
Proactive environmental strategies (PES) are becoming important to a growing number of firms. This is largely due to the increasing scarcity of natural resources, ecological deterioration, and pressure from customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. PES are the environmental goals, plans and procedures that go beyond elementary compliance with environmental regulations. Organisations that have implemented PES are able to anticipate new ecological concerns, investigate new opportunities, and more effectively address public issues (Ateş et al. 2012; Gonzalez-Benito, 2008). They are more likely to reduce their environmental footprint while achieving higher economic outcomes (Macchion et al. 2018; Sharma and Sharma 2011). The extant literature has highlighted the importance of distinguishing between the PES orientations and the eco-practices of firms (Journeault, De Ronge, and Henri 2016; Mintzberg and Waters 1985; Mintzberg 1978), and scholars have identified two key competitive environmental strategic orientations: eco-efficiency and eco-branding (Journeault, De Ronge, and Henri 2016; Marchi et al. 2013). Eco-efficiency is a process-focussed orientation that aims to decrease costs by improving production processes and reducing waste, energy consumption, material use, and the litigation burden related to ecological liabilities (Journeault, De Ronge, and Henri 2016; Sharma and Vredenburg 1998). Eco-branding, on the other hand, is a market-focussed orientation that aims to provide firms with a competitive market advantage by ensuring an ecologically differentiated product and image from those of competitors (Marchi et al. 2013; Orsato 2009; Shrivastava 1995).