Page 7 - Economy_CSR

7

1.2 Resource management, impact and different phases of eco-efficiency

Eco-efficiency implies better resource management and reduced use of resources such as energy, water
and virgin materials and the reduction in waste.

In their study “Eco efficiency and beyond” Seiler Hauffman et al (2004) identify five phases of the
eco- efficiency development of a company.

Output oriented: management is focused on output rather than on processes. In this phase, errors are only
recognized once the event happened. Companies are in a reactive mode.

Process oriented: Focus shifts to the production process. Errors can be corrected in the basis of knowledge
and measurement.

System oriented: The entire company focuses on impact measurement and supports eco efficiency. In this
phase, the company sets up a system to control production and applies preventive measures or corrective
measures if an error occurs.

Chain oriented: Beyond the internal focus on previous phases, during the chain-oriented process, focus
becomes more external and takes into consideration the external effects within markets and considers how
different companies of a same sector interact in a cooperative way creating win-win situations and creating
value in the entire chain.

Stakeholder oriented: In this ultimate phase, companies base their vision and policy on stakeholder expec-
tations acting with a sense of responsibility towards society.

In practice, here are different tools that can guide your eco-efficient business model:

• Life-cycle assessment and ecological foot print
• Environmental performance evaluation
• Material flow analysis
• Resource efficiency accounting
• Cost benefit analysis
• Eco-efficiency analysis
• Eco-marketing
• Eco-efficiency benchmarking