Eco Efficiency Indicators example essay topic

270 words
Introduction to Environmental Indicators Indicators are an information tool which allow us to measure environmental and other trends. Indicators can provide both a snapshot of a current situation, and the means to observe changes over time. Over the past few years, interest in the use of indicators for monitoring change has increased. Environmental indicators are being developed at many different levels - from the individual company, to sectoral and national indicators. Indicators may also focus on different aspects of the environment, depending on their use.

For example, sustainability indicators need to incorporate the three pillars of sustainable development, that is, economic, environmental and social concerns, whereas state of the environment indicators focus more strongly on environmental issues. Eco-Efficiency Indicators At the company level, eco-efficiency indicators can be used to provide a measure of a business' resource efficiency, that is, how efficiently such resources as energy, water and key materials are being transformed into saleable product. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has released a guide to eco-efficiency reporting for companies. The WBCSD suggests that eco-efficiency be expressed as a ratio of product or service value per environmental influence.

As eco-efficiency increases, so should this ratio, with a ratio of 1: 1 indicating that zero waste has been produced. Indicators can be used not only to monitor change, but also to identify inefficiencies in current practices or processes, set priorities for future work, evaluate the effectiveness of measures for improvement, and report to stakeholders on progress. They can provide an invaluable tool for companies in improving their efficiency.