Achieving eco-efficiency through design for environment

“Eco-efficiency” is a term that does not yet appear in dictionaries but has already gained considerable force in shaping the environmental policies and practices of leading corporations. The Business Council on Sustainable Development (BCSD) sounded a trumpet call with their 1992 manifesto, “Changing Course.” Due to the credibility of the companies that constitute BCSD's membership—including Dow Chemical, 3M, Northern Telecom, Ciba-Geigy, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and many others—their message has had a substantial influence on the strategic thinking of company executives around the world, BCSD's concept of eco-efficiency suggests an important link between resource efficiency (which leads to productivity and profitability) and environmental responsibility. Eco-efficiency makes business sense. By eliminating waste and using resources wisely, eco-efficient companies reduce costs and become more competitive. As environmental performance standards become commonplace, eco-efficient companies will be at an advantage for penetrating new markets and increasing their share of existing markets. This article describes the business practices companies are adopting to increase their eco-efficiency and improve their competitive advantage. “Corporations that achieve ever more efficiency while preventing pollution through good housekeeping, materials substitution, cleaner technologies, and cleaner products and that strive for more efficient use and recovery of resources can be called eco-efficient.” Declaration of the Business Council on Sustainable Development, 1992.     

Highlights from a new aerospace industry report

Environmental Information Services, Inc. (EIS) publishes detailed reports and offers custom research related to the full spectrum of environmental issues facing corporations. This article highlights several key sections from EIS's new 1998 Aerospace Industry Report. It details the environmental performance, policies, and expenditures of the largest companies in the aerospace industry. EIS industry reports contain data on five key performance criteria—toxic waste management, hazardous waste generation, penalties and enforcement actions, spills, and Superfund sites. Here we examine one of those—penalties and enforcement actions—and the policies of the three largest companies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Highlights from a new chemical industry report benchmarking performance,policies, and expenditures

Environmental Information Services Inc. (EIS) publishes detailed reports and offers custom research related to the full spectrum of environmental issues facing corporations. This article highlights several key sections from EIS's new 1997 Chemical Industry Report. It details the environmental performance, policies, and expenditures of the largest companies in the chemical industry. EIS industry reports contain data on five key performance criteria—toxic waste management, hazardous waste generation, penalties, spills, and Superfund sites. Here we examine one of those—penalties—and the policies of three of the largest companies in the chemical industry. In the full report, which can be obtained from EIS, 15 corporations are analyzed based on all the performance criteria.     

Highlights from a new electrical equipment industry report

Environmental Information Services, Inc. (EIS) publishes detailed reports and offers custom research related to the full spectrum of environmental issues facing corporations. This article highlights several key sections from EIS's new 1998 Electrical Equipment Industry Report. It details the environmental performance, policies, and expenditures of the largest companies in the electrical equipment industry. EIS industry reports contain data on five key performance criteria—toxic waste management, hazardous waste generation, penalties and enforcement actions, and spills. Here we examine one of those—penalties and enforcement actions—and the policies of the largest companies.     

Highlights from a new petroleum industry report benchmarking performance,policies, and expenditures

Environmental Information Services, Inc. (EIS) publishes detailed reports and offers custom research related to the full spectrum of environmental issues facing corporations. This article highlights several key sections from EIS's new 1998 Petroleum Industry Report. It details the environmental performance, policies, and expenditures of the largest companies in the petroleum industry. EIS industry reports contain data on five key performance criteria—toxic waste management, hazardous waste generation, penalties, spills, and Superfund sites. Here we examine one of those—penalties—and the policies of the three largest companies. In the full report, which can be obtained from EIS, 15 corporations are analyzed based on all the performance criteria.     

Corporate waste accounting at PSE&G: Bringing a companywide system on-line

Waste accounting has become a necessary practice for companies endeavoring to track their wastes toward realizing discrete waste minimization and pollution prevention objectives. Measurement systems and program initiatives certainly must be tested to find out what will repeatedly work for and best serve a company. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) has committed to revolutionizing the processes of managing materials, wastes, and their associated information. In laying out their strategic plan, company representatives specified the need for a companywide waste accounting system to enable them to monitor progress toward achieving two important short-term waste management targets by the close of 1995. Together with the Electric Power Research Institute, PSE&G is implementing a four-year program to install such a system. The results of the first year-and-a-half's work are reported in this article. The purpose of this article is to discuss the results of implementing a waste accounting system on a utility companywide basis. We will address the experience of bringing such a system on-line at PSE&G. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) previously developed a framework and approach for measuring the performance of utility pollution prevention programs called waste accounting, including the development of a software program called Accounting Software Application for Pollution Prevention or ASAPP.¹ These programs were devised to assimilate detailed information from the facility up through the corporate levels.     

Strategic environmental product planning within Philips sound & vision

Until now no structured methodology existed for attuning environmental considerations to the business strategy of companies. The Environmental Competence Centre of Philips Sound & Vision in The Netherlands has developed and tested a methodology for this purpose. This methodology, called Selection of STRrategic Environmen Tal CHallenges (STRETCH), has proven to lead to promising results and should therefore be actively promoted. In this article, the authors show how the application of STRETCH provides the possibility of meeting three main objectives: First, focusing on the incorporation of environmental aspects into the company's business strategy can elicit innovations that may enhance the competitive position of the company by cost reduction and/or higher market shares. Second, the environmental opportunities and threats to be expected in the future can be anticipated in an earlier phase. Through this proactive approach a company can avoid external criticism and take the lead in environmental priority setting. Third, by applying the STRETCH methodology even higher eco-efficiencies are expected to be reached than through incremental, step-by-step environmental improvements.     

发达国家和地区危险废物名录管理实践

危险废物名录制度是危险废物环境管理的基础。2016年6月14日,环境保护部、国家发改委、公安部联合公布了《国家危险废物名录》(2016年版),对2008年版危险废物名录进行了调整。本文介绍了主要发达国家和地区危险废物名录制度的基本情况,对其优缺点进行了对比分析,以期为更好的理解新版危险废物名录提供参考。主要发达国家和地区的危险废物名录管理体系具有以下优点:一是完善的危险废物豁免排除制度加强了企业和管理部门的责任意识。二是危险废物和一般固体废物共享分类体系便于对废物的统筹管理,废物代码内容翔实,增加了名录的可操作性。三是基于不同处理责任主体进行分类,避免了名录方式或列举方式造成的"漏分"现象。四是根据环境风险实行分级管理,重点突出。同时存在几点不足:一是鉴别程序繁琐,降低了危险废物处置效率;二是存在部分行业产生的废物遗漏、同类危险废物分类过细等问题;三是部分国家危险废物分类过于笼统,不利于企业对危险废物种类及属性的识别。     

The environmental quality business plan: A step-by-step guide

Companies that have the most effective environmental programs are those that have integrated environmental management into the business process. In order to take an environmental program to a higher level, we must determine a way to get business leaders to acknowledge the business benefit of environmental programs. Business integration becomes more likely when you speak the language of management and present tools that they regularly use. Most companies use business plans, therefore the use of an environmental quality business plan is a segue into the business. To catch management's attention, we must present cost improvement projects that will be part of the environmental quality business plan that affect the bottom line. Examples of the types of projects that could potentially save the company millions of dollars are reducing the cost of remediation, or pollution-prevention projects such as minimizing packaging and the elimination of chemical use and waste. Once we catch management's attention, we can get them involved in developing an environmental quality business plan and thus get more business integration and support.     

中国大型发电上市公司ESG评价体系开发与分值研究

如今,世界各地上市公司正将利润最大化这一短期目标转向环境、社会及管治(ESG)可持续发展这一长期目标,更加清楚地认识到ESG已经构成了企业风险的重要来源之一,并可能影响公司的财务绩效。本文基于状态、压力、响应与层次分析(PSR-AHP)指标分类与权重配比方法构建中国大型发电上市公司ESG评级体系,并应用该评价体系对中国大型发电上市公司ESG绩效进行研究。结果发现,其ESG综合得分波动性大,在研究期最后两年走势不甚理想,其中社会绩效得分及其趋势表现优于环境及管治绩效;在环境及社会绩效方面,响应性指标表现优于压力性指标,而状态性指标走势较为稳定。最后,本文从披露深度及质量、第三方介入、奖惩及强制性披露措施等方面给出政策建议。     

Binational management of hazardous waste: The maquiladora industry at the US-Mexico border

Foreign-owned industry in the form of assembly plants, termed maquiladora, has become very important in Mexico to the extent that it represents the second largest source of foreign exchange and is a valuable source for employment and regional development. The economic prosperity gained from the rapid growth of the maquiladora industry has been accompanied by increased environmental and human health risks associated with generation of hazardous waste. Diversification of industry has resulted in the predomination of those sectors that likely use hazardous substances. The Mexicali-Calexico border region was selected to demonstrate the potential for environmental and health risks associated with the generation of hazardous waste. Estimates for the generation of hazardous waste were obtained from 34 maquiladora plants in Mexicali, represented by the electronic and electrical equipment and parts, mechanical and transportation equipment, and toys and sporting equipment sectors. Repeated detection of volatile organic compounds in the New River at the US-Mexico border suggests that hazardous waste from the printed circuit board industry in Mexicali is not being disposed of in a proper manner. Potential adverse health effects, such as carcinogenic and mutagenic responses associated with the detected volatiles, are discussed. US and Mexico national legislation and the Binational Environmental Agreement were examined for their adequacy to ensure proper management of hazardous waste generated by the maquiladora industry. Environmental policy options are presented that focus on: (1) increased environmental accountability of US parent companies for their maquiladora assembly plants in Mexico; and (2) more integration between US Customs and border states with the US Environmental Protection Agency to improve the binational management of hazardous waste generated by the maquiladora industry.     

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVALUATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL IN LAND1

Since the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 there has been a rapidly growing public concern over widespread contamination of the environment with hazardous wastes. In recent years scientific findings on the ecological effects of various hazardous substances have posed several important questions. What exactly are hazardous wastes? Can these substances be disposed of in a technically feasible, economical, and safe way with assurance that they have been permanently eliminated from the ecosystem? What compositional alterations or movements of the hazardous wastes occur in water, soil, or air systems? What effect will these wastes have on the water, soil, or air systems? What effect will these wastes have on the water, soil, or air properties? Consequently, a University of Louisville study has developed a relevant definition of hazardous wastes for the Environmental Engineering profession together with priority of concern rating systems to delineate the degree of environmental impact imposed on a total ecosystem by a hazardous waste and the feasibility of disposing of hazardous substances at specific landfill sites. It is felt that refinements of the priority of concern rating systems offered here may provide a sound basis from which procedural decisions may be structured to establish future national hazardous waste disposal sites.     

Failing to Site Hazardous Waste Facilities Voluntarily: Implications for the Production of Sustainable Goods

A current approach to the process of siting hazardous waste facilities is to seek 'willing host' communities that will not oppose but rather voluntarily accept risky facilities. Voluntary siting strategies have been put forward as the solution to hazardous waste location problems, and there have indeed been a small number of siting successes achieved voluntarily. This paper argues that, despite claims about voluntary processes, there are indications that few 'willing host' sites will be found in response to the many that are proposed. Instead, it suggests that the limited success of siting attempts, voluntary or otherwise, signals a new phase in hazardous waste management, a shift in focus from where to site a facility to whether a good is worth producing at all if its wastes are not siteable. A characteristic of this phase is the growing influence that the disposal potential of the generated waste can have on future management decisions to produce a good. In practice, siting failure may be one of the critical turning points on the road to sustainable production. It can accomplish what technology and environmental assessments have generally been unable to do: foresee the sustainability of a good. In this way, siteability can be seen as one indicator of sustainable production. A good can be considered sustainable if the wastes associated with its production are siteable.     

Relation between management's behavioural intentions toward the environment and environmental actions

Drawing on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour, this paper analyses whether there is a relation between management's behavioural intentions toward an environmental problem and the company's specific actions in this area, and also considers the impact of the company size on these actions. For the data, a questionnaire was sent to 184 managers employed in industrial companies located in Spain which belonged to the automobile industry. The empirical analysis produces positive and significant regression coefficients and provides support for the hypotheses proposed. Specifically, the results show that the environmental actions carried out in the company respond at least in part to management's behavioural intentions toward these issues and the size of the firm.     

Sylvania's gte products problem stoppers: #1 employee involvement team

Anyone doubting the dedication of North American workers to total quality and continuous improvement on the job should have witnessed the 1992 National Team Excellence Competition. Competition was stiff and included such world-renowned companies as AT&T, Florida Power and Light, Thiokol Corporation, British Columbia Telecom, Atlantic Electric, Harris Corp., Weirton Steel, Rockwell Houstin Operations, Diamond Star Motors, United Technologies, Principal Financial Services, and Weyerhauser Co. The winner of the 1992 Association for Quality and Participation'S National Team Excellence Competition was a nine-person work team called the Problem Stoppers from Sylvania Lighting in York, Pennsylvania. The Problem Stoppers won for eliminating glass waste at York by recycling it in the plant, which not only saved the company about $142,000, but also proved to be an outstanding example of total quality environmental management and responsibility. This article details their award-winning efforts.     

我国危险废物处置收费政策的问题与建议

我国危险废物处置收费政策在十多年的发展历程中逐步建立健全,促进了危险废物处置行业的发展壮大。本文基于对我国各省份危险废物处置收费政策的定价主体、分档方式、收费标准、调整情况等制定和执行状况的梳理分析发现,各省份以不同形式出台了危险废物处置收费政策,然而,重要内容缺失、动态调整滞后、有效监管不足等问题较为普遍。针对这些问题,文章提出了因地制宜健全收费政策、科学开展处置价格核算、加快建立动态调整机制、实施部门联动管理监督等建议,可为完善我国危险废物处置收费政策提供参考。     

Applying the baldrige quality criteria to environmental performance: Lessons from leading organizations

Over the last thirty years, we have seen a dramatic shift in values that people and corporations place on environmental responsibility. People have become more aware of how the earth's limited resources are being rapidly depleted. High levels of consumption have resulted in increasing manufacturing and transportation needs which in turn lead to greater energy use, higher usage of hazardous and toxic substances, and decreased air and water quality. Leadership for environmental protection has shifted from vocal environmental advocacy groups to corporate executives. Driven by shifting customer requirements, competitive pressures, and resource conservation technologies, environmental issues are becoming embedded in the fundamental business strategies. In this article we will describe the application of the Malcolm Baldrige quality award criteria to environmental management and show how the focus on quality principles and tools can improve profitability. Examples from the Xerox Corporation and other companies will be provided to illustrate the breadth of environmental improvement initiatives that are being implemented.     

Implementing design for environment at AT&T

The quality revolution is sweeping its way through most companies globally. It has focused on improving the quality of products and services delivered to the customers and on companies' internal processes. The success of these programs has led to the realization that the same principles need to be applied to the area of environmental management. AT&T has fully embraced TQM as witnessed by the many products and services that have received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 certification and awards such as the Malcolm Baldrige Award and the Deming Prize for Quality. We have been utilizing the TQM methodologies for the past few years to turn our environmental focus from end-of-pipe waste management to proactive and preventive TQEM and have made significant progress in reducing our wastes, emissions, and impact on the environment. This article shows how TQEM is now driving Design For Environment (DFE) programs and procedures, recognizing that addressing environmental issues in the initial design process is the most cost-effective means for minimizing environmental impact.     

中国控制危险废物越境转移管理现状与展望

按照环境无害化管理原则,严格限制危险废物越境转移活动是中国履行《控制危险废物越境转移及其处置巴塞尔公约》的重要内容。本研究通过梳理《控制危险废物越境转移及其处置巴塞尔公约》关于控制危险废物越境转移的主要规定和中国立法管理实践,全面分析了中国控制危险废物越境转移管理进展。从打击非法转移、完善法律基础、建立预警机制等方面,深入剖析了中国控制危险废物越境转移面临的形势,并从强化危险废物越境转移管控、严厉打击非法出口行为、联合海关部门加强日常监管三方面提出对策建议,以期为中国全面履行《控制危险废物越境转移及其处置巴塞尔公约》要求、控制和防范危险废物越境转移环境风险提供支撑。     

The NICE-Whyco technologies partnership: saving energy, dollars, and the environment in the metal plating industry

In partnership with the US Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technology, Whyco Technologies, Inc., has developed an innovative perforated plating barrel used in the plating of metal parts. This new technology employs a thin-walled construction, differing from the traditional thick-wall design required to provide adequate structural integrity. The thicker walls lowered the efficiency of transferring plating solution into and out of the barrel and diminished the electrical current pushed through the holes and onto the parts being plated. By machining pockets out of the traditional thick-walled perforated structure, Whyco produced a ‘honeycomb’ of staggered cells, allowing for the greatest number of holes per open area while maintaining structural integrity. Hydrodynamic pumping occurs during barrel rotation to create greater solution transfer than in traditional barrels. The Whyco barrel has higher current density plating, which leads to faster plating cycles, reduced bath concentration, and better plating of difficult chemistries such as in alloys. This new technology has helped the company reduce energy use by 16%, eliminate more than 480 tons/year of solid waste, and reduce wastewater by more than 17 000 gallons/day. The resulting cost savings total more than $500 000 annually. The company has manufactured and sold more than 275 of these barrels to other electroplating companies that are reporting up to a 40% increase in plating productivity and similar energy and environmental impacts.