- eco-efficiency
- n.The ability to manufacture goods efficiently and with as little effect on the environment as possible.Example Citation: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," Chicago Tribune, November 4, 2001Earliest Citation: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 8, 1992Notes:As the above citation says, this buzzphrase was coined in the early 1990s. The mint was the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which defined eco-efficiency thusly: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.What a buzzword bonanza! Now if I could only figure out what all that gobbledygook actually means.Related Words: Categories:
New words. 2013.