Page 28 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

L1644_C01.fm Page 4 Monday, October 20, 2003 11:46 AM

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICAL
EFFICIENCY FEASIBILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

SOCIAL
ACCEPTANCE

FIGURE 1.2 The three elements of sustainability.
…reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human
needs and bring quality of life while progressively reducing ecological impacts and
resource intensity throughout the life-cycle to a level at least in line with the earth's
estimated carrying capacity.

Based on this definition, eco-efficiency may be understood as a philosophy aimed
at setting a framework for measuring the degree of sustainable development attained
and for which indicators are developed. The WBCSD (1999) has identified seven
actions to attain eco-efficiency:

1. Reduce material intensity of goods and services.
2. Reduce energy intensity of goods and services.
3. Reduce toxic dispersion.
4. Enhance materials’ ability to be recycled.
5. Maximize sustainable use of renewable resources.
6. Extend product durability.
7. Increase service intensity of goods and services. This philosophy can be
applied at a business level; for instance, Dow Chemical has developed a
six-point eco-efficiency compass for its eco-innovation efforts that chal-
lenges its managers to:
• Dematerialize to achieve reduction of raw materials, fuels and utilities
in the product-service system.
• Increase energy efficiency to determine where larger quantities of
energy are consumed.
• Eliminate negative environmental impact and reduce and control dis-
persion of pollutants related to the system’s end of life.
• Redesign products or their use for significant reduction of energy,
material consumption and pollutant emission.
• Close the loop by means of effective and efficient recycling.
• Mirror natural cycles by designing the system as a part of a longer
natural cycle in which materials taken from nature can be returned to
it (UNEP and WBCSD, 2000).

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