Online version: PDF - DTIE
Online version: PDF - DTIE
Online version: PDF - DTIE
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SECTION 5:<br />
INTRODUCING THE CORE CONCEPTS<br />
OF ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT<br />
This section introduces cleaner production, eco-efficiency, industrial ecology and<br />
life-cycle assessment, which will provide the reader with a greater appreciation of<br />
the EMS philosophy.<br />
5.1 Cleaner Production<br />
While traditional environment action has focused on cleaning up waste and<br />
pollution after it has been created, cleaner production aims to avoid the generation<br />
of waste and pollution in the first place. Strategies for cleaner production<br />
include:<br />
• Reducing the use of raw materials and energy;<br />
• Reducing the use of toxic raw materials;<br />
• Reducing toxic waste output;<br />
• Reducing environment impacts during the lifecycle of products and<br />
services – from raw material extraction to manufacturing, production,<br />
storage, distribution, consumption and recycling and/or final disposal.<br />
In economic terms, cleaner production means reducing material and energy<br />
use and related costs, auditing, adopting more efficient production processes,<br />
lowering waste volumes and disposal costs, eliminating clean-up costs, fines and<br />
charges, and producing higher quality goods and services.<br />
Cleaner production is the continuous application of integrated preventive strategies<br />
applied to processes, products and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks<br />
to humans and the environment.<br />
(UNEP <strong>DTIE</strong> 1996)<br />
5.2 Eco-Efficiency<br />
Eco-efficiency is about doing more with less – using the same or a lesser amount of<br />
materials and energy to deliver a higher quality or quantity of goods and services.<br />
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) provides the<br />
following definition:<br />
Eco-efficiency is reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and<br />
services that satisfy human needs and bring quality to life, which progressively<br />
reduces ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle, to<br />
a level that is at least in line with the earth’s carrying capacity.<br />
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5.3 Industrial Ecology (Systems Thinking)<br />
Industrial ecology refers to business operations that mimic the natural ecosystem,<br />
where an industrial system is managed like an ecosystem - a continuous and<br />
sequential flow of materials, energy and information.<br />
The two major concepts of industrial ecology are sealing the material cycle and<br />
dematerialisation:<br />
• Sealing the material cycle means carrying out production in closedcircuits,<br />
in the same way as an ecosystem. For example, through