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Beyond eco‐efficiency: a resilience perspective
Author(s) -
Korhonen Jouni,
Seager Thomas P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
business strategy and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.123
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1099-0836
pISSN - 0964-4733
DOI - 10.1002/bse.635
Subject(s) - sustainability , adaptability , spare part , eco efficiency , resource efficiency , resilience (materials science) , environmental economics , business , sustainable development , environmental resource management , reuse , risk analysis (engineering) , economics , engineering , marketing , political science , management , ecology , physics , waste management , law , biology , thermodynamics
Business strategy with regard to sustainability is currently dominated by an eco‐efficiency approach that seeks to simultaneously reduce costs and environmental impacts using tactics such as waste minimization or reuse, pollution prevention or technological improvement. However, in practice, eco‐efficiency optimization rarely results in improved diversity or adaptability and consequently may have perverse consequences to sustainability by eroding the resilience of production systems. This editorial article contrasts a resilience approach with an eco‐efficiency approach as they relate to strategic sustainable development. In some cases, the system attributes that are critically important to resilience – such as spare capacity, reserve resource stocks and redundancy – are in opposition to eco‐efficiency. Our most important insight is the realization that investments in what may seem counter to eco‐efficiency can nonetheless be important for sustainability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.