January 2010 Update: See Progress in Industrial Ecology Journal guest edited by Karl-Henrik Robert (below).
 
Executive summary: This research seeks to define when the concept of eco-efficiency (EE) is the most strategic.  This will be done by assesing EE with the rigour of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) through various case studies across several industries.
 
Background :

• Eco-efficiency (EE), the unit of value generated per unit of environmental impacts added, is promoted as the overall objective and vision of sustainable development by OECD, EU, WBCSD, numerous national governments and private corporations.
• Events over the last few years have clearly shown that when actions towards sustainability are undertaken without a clear definition of sustainability a systems approach, the solution to one problem can easily be the cause of another (eg. The use of corn as a biofuel led to global food shortages in 2007-08).  For this reason, a rigorous definition of sustainability is required that encompasses all the potential causes for unsustainability such as the sustainability principles within the FSSD.
• Industrial Ecology (IE) is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the sustainable combination of environment, economy and technology. The central idea is the analogy between natural and socio-technical systems. The word 'industrial' does not only refer to industrial complexes but more generally to how humans use natural resources in the production of goods and services. Ecology refers to the concept that our industrial systems should incorporate principles exhibited within natural ecosystems.

Purpose of Study:  To assess the concept of eco-efficiency against the four Sustainability Principles and the rest of the FSSD to ensure that measures of EE are strategic in moving toward sustainability.

FSSD Integration: The FSSD is most useful to address the sustainability question on a global systems level taking into account both short-term and long-term issues.  The rigour of the FSSD will be used to ensure that the actions taken from EE measures are strategic.
Implications for Managers:  More strategic use of the EE concept and measurement in planning processes, producsts and services.
Implications for Researchers:  Development of the EE concept in the literature and further rigour brought to it’s application internationally.

Methods:  Our Consortia undertook a qualitative assessment of the EE concept against the four FSSD principles (system conditions) and the rest of the FSSD. EE applications that are not strategic and lead to problem shifting were observed. These limitations let us to formulate six hypotheses on the possibility to use eco-efficiency in a strategic manner. ‘What if?’ scenarios with the forest, pulp and paper and energy industries are being studied and case study data from VTT Finland, Statistics Finland and Finland Futures Research Centre are employed to explore the opportunities and risks of practical EE applications.

Project Contact:
Dr Jouni Korhonen   jouni.korhonen@abo.fi
 
Project Team:
Jouni Korhonen, Research Director, Adjunct professor, Åbo Akademi University
Kaisa Pihlatie, Project manager, Åbo Akademi University
Pekka Kauppi, Professor, University of Helsinki
Jarmo Vehmas, Senior researcher, Turku School of Economics, Finland Futures Research Centre
Jukka Hoffrén, Research Director / Adjunct professor, Statistics Finland / University of Helsinki
Ilkka Savolainen, Research Professor, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Johanna Kirkinen, PhD Student, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Matti Melanen, Research Professor, Finnish Environment Institute
Laura Sokka, PhD Student, Finnish Environment Institute
Ari Nissinen, Senior Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute
Rupert Baumgartner, Dr., University of Leoben
Richard Welford, Professor, Hong Kong University