Product innovation and eco-efficiency : twenty-three industry efforts to reach the Factor 4

Prefaced by __Björn Stigson__, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, this book is one of the few that treats this topic by putting representatives of industry at centre stage. The book systematically addresses the drivers, the tools, and sector-specific elements that play a role in this process. The five chapters in Part I are devoted to a general introduction to eco-efficiency and the related challenges to industry in its implementation. Part II contains 23 case studies, almost all written by industrial experts who tell how they deal with the challenge: what the motivators are, what tools can be used and how they can be implemented, and what are the specific elements in sectors like building, electronics and packaging. These contributions come from multinationals like Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Akzo Nobel, Philips and Ciba-Geigy, as well as small and medium sized enterprises from such sectors as the building and furniture trades. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-4 Issues: driving factors....Pages 5-11 Instruments: the toolbox for product innovation and eco-efficiency....Pages 13-23 Industries: sector-specific developments....Pages 25-27 The challenge....Pages 29-30 Front Matter....Pages 31-31 The reduction of waste in metal machining....Pages 35-39 Smart cements....Pages 41-49 Coextruded pipe: an ideal product for recycled PVC pipes and fittings....Pages 51-54 Future energy services....Pages 55-65 Future protein foods....Pages 67-77 Disassembly analysis of consumer products....Pages 81-93 LCA of the utilization processes of spent sulphuric acid....Pages 95-101 Environmental analysis of wooden furniture....Pages 103-119 Application of LCA in environmental management in Statoil....Pages 121-132 The environmental improvement process in Unilever....Pages 133-138 Using LCA in environmental decision-making....Pages 139-153 LCA as a decision-support tool for product optimization....Pages 155-163 Possibilities for sustainable development in the chemical industry....Pages 165-174 Towards eco-efficiency with LCA’s prevention principle: an epistemological foundation of LCA using axioms....Pages 175-185 Product innovation and public involvement....Pages 187-195 Front Matter....Pages 31-31 Experiences with the application of secondary materials in the building and construction industry....Pages 199-211 Ecodesign for building materials and building construction....Pages 213-223 ‘Apparetour’: national pilot project collection and reprocessing of white and brown goods....Pages 225-231 Ecodesign at Bang & Olufsen....Pages 233-240 Eco-efficiency and sustainability at Philips Sound & Vision....Pages 241-251 Use of recycled PET for soft drink bottles....Pages 253-261 Optimising packaging: fitness for purpose, together with ecological and economic aspects, must be part of the equation....Pages 263-271 Paper packaging designed for recycling....Pages 273-282 Back Matter....Pages 283-296

Prefaced by Björn Stigson, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, this book is one of the few that treats this topic by putting representatives of industry at centre stage. The book systematically addresses the drivers, the tools, and sector-specific elements that play a role in this process. The five chapters in Part I are devoted to a general introduction to eco-efficiency and the related challenges to industry in its implementation. Part II contains 23 case studies, almost all written by industrial experts who tell how they deal with the challenge: what the motivators are, what tools can be used and how they can be implemented, and what are the specific elements in sectors like building, electronics and packaging. These contributions come from multinationals like Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Akzo Nobel, Philips and Ciba-Geigy, as well as small and medium sized enterprises from such sectors as the building and furniture trades.