eco-efficiency
n. The ability to manufacture goods efficiently and with as little effect on the environment as possible.
Examples
2001
McDonough and Alston contend it is not enough for the corporate world to embrace 'eco-efficiency' — a business buzzword coined in the early 1990s.
—William Grady, “Environmental care encouraged,” The Chicago Tribune, November 04, 2001
1992
J. Hugh Faulkner, executive director of Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva, who developed the concept of 'eco-efficiency' said sustainable development was 'good politics and good economics.'
—“Environment watchdog body in UAE soon,” Moneyclips, April 08, 1992
1992 (earliest)
Eco-efficiency is achieved by the delivery of competitively-priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle, to a level at least in line with the earth's estimated carrying capacity.
—Stephan Schmidheiny & The Business Council for Sustainable Development, Changing Course, MIT Press, April 01, 1992
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