A Framework for the Implementation of Eco-Efficient Business Systems

Environmental sustainability is an important issue for many individuals, businesses, and governments nowadays. One of the road blocks to sustainable practice is cost, which is an important consideration, particularly for business. The eco-efficiency movement was initiated to address this concern. This chapter reviews the eco-efficiency concept and explains why it is becoming a current issue for many organizations today. The chapter further aims to understand eco-efficient implementation strategies and methods, and the important role that information systems play in creating the required organizational capabilities for these implementations. A framework of eco-efficiency implementation is developed through mapping eco-efficiency strategies to different implementation methods. The framework illustrates how each method is suitable for a particular eco-efficiency strategy. With the understanding that information systems form an integral part of most eco-efficiency implementations, the role of information systems in creating eco-efficiency capabilities is highlighted to enrich the framework