Tackling Challenges in Measuring and Communicating Eco-efficiency

Abstract

This study discusses how to stimulate the development of the eco-efficiency assessments in the Korean electronics industry. It surveyed best practices related to the eco-efficiency assessment and communication around the world. The applicability and usefulness of eco-efficiency assessments was tested through discussions with the Korean electronics industry. The semi-structured interviews with corporate managers revealed that an eco-efficiency has an appeal for the companies as a philosophical concept denoted as "doing more with less", while a lot of effort need to be made to get companies to actually initiate eco-efficiency assessments. There is an urgent need to increase the simplicity in the eco-efficiency assessment framework and to clarify its implications to the business operation. In addition, the role of the government related to capacity building is very important