PROGRESOS COMPARADOS EN LA ECOEFICIENCIA DE LOS PRODUCTOS INDUSTRIALES

Abstract

An eco-efficient organization manages to produce high-quality, profitable goods and services, with an environmental impact compatible with the Earth's carrying capacity. Ecoefficiency is currently in a phase of expansion; numerous tools, support initiatives, and application cases now exist. To understand how this strategy is being developed and which driving forces promote its implementation, a comparative analysis of case studies both directly and indirectly related to eco-efficiency is presented in this work. These case studies are from Canada, United Kingdom, Holland, Finland, Spain and Latin America. In addition, an assessment of the status of eco-efficiency in small and medium enterprises in Venezuela has been conducted. The first results of this assessment in Venezuela and their comparison to the other case studies are presented in this paper. The comparison enables us to reach conclusions regarding the driving forces of eco-efficiency which are: the training and motivation of human resources, the market (costumers, suppliers, and competitors), the legislation, the production technologies and the infrastructure, among others. The conclusions of this research highlight the differences and similarities between regions, establishing relationships of cause-and-effect between the driving forces and the evidence of eco-efficiency found, allowing a better understanding of how to promote eco-efficiency in businesses. Keywords: Eco-efficiency, Cleaner production, Ecodesign, EMAS