Eco-efficiency

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Eco-efficiency is the quotient of the economic value of a product and the effects caused by the manufacturing process on the environment, measured in a suitable unit.

Eco-efficiency differs from the concept of eco-effectiveness , which was coined by the German chemist Michael Braungart and the American architect William McDonough , and is seen as complementary to consistency and sufficiency .

The term was in 1991 by the Business Council for Sustainable (Development Business Council for Sustainable Development , today World Business Council for Sustainable Development - WBCSD) into the business world. The motivation for this was that negative ecological effects and the resource intensity should be brought to a level over the entire life cycle (of the product) that is compatible with the earth's carrying capacity.

Eco-efficiency is achieved when goods and services are competitively priced , meet human needs and provide quality of life .

The Economic Council for Sustainable Development defines eco-efficiency using the formula:

Eco-efficiency = (economic value of a product) / (influence or impact on the environment)

This concept calls for the maximization of the value (utility) per unit of “ environmental pollution ”. The manufacturing process as well as the use / benefit and the subsequent disposal (in the case of products) are included in the balance (“from the cradle to the grave”). The reduction in the material and energy intensity of products and the reduction in pollutant emissions , together with increasing the recyclability of products and the maximum use of reused materials, should result in the lowest possible environmental impact.

Eco-efficiency is a key figure that is used to make production processes and products more economical. The increase in environmental compatibility is a positive side effect.

The reduction of the various environmental pollution to a scalar divisor requires the combination of various factors such as carbon dioxide emissions and heavy metal emissions, which must necessarily be carried out as an arbitrarily chosen calculation method.

The eco-efficiency indicator does not make any statement about the fundamental sustainability (viability of the ecosystem).

See also

literature

  • M. Lehni: Eco-efficiency Indicators: A Tool for Better Decision-Making. World Business Council For Sustainable Development, Geneva 1999.
  • Timo Busch, Christa Liedke: Material efficiency . Assess potential, promote innovation, secure employment . Munich: Oekom, 2005, ISBN 3-936581-81-9 .
  • Thorsten Pitschke, Wolfgang Rommel, Udo Roth, Sarah Hottenroth, Martin Frede: Eco-efficiency of public waste disposal structures. In: Garbage and Garbage. 36, 9, 2004, pp. 420-429, ISSN  0027-2957 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joseph Huber: Sustainable development through sufficiency, efficiency and consistency . In: Peter Fritz et al. (Ed.): Sustainability from a natural and social science perspective . Stuttgart, S. 31-46 .
  2. ↑ Manfred Linz: Neither shortage nor excess: about sufficiency and sufficiency research . In: Wuppertal Institute . 2004.