Earthenterprise Tool Kit - International Institute for Sustainable ...

EarthEnterprise Tool Kit
TOOL
• Alternative products whose use and disposal prevents or reduces pollution.
These include phosphate-fre e , b i o d e g radable deterg e n t s , l e a d - f re e
gasoline, mercury-free batteries, water-based paints and adhesives, and
non-toxic cleansers.
Pollution prevention is being driven by environmental regulation (particularly
the new focus on performance rather than prescription), and by the pressures
of economics, consumer awareness, and the need to modernize industry.
Industrial pollution is often caused by outdated and inefficient technologies
that are material and energy intensive and produce unwanted by-products.
Improving and replacing these technologies with more eco-efficient processes
generally reduces input costs, streamlines production, eliminates or reduces
waste streams, and saves money, at least over the long-term.
On the consumer side, green products help fulfill the growing demand for an
environmentally friendly lifestyle. When first introduced, green products are
frequently priced somewhat higher than their conventional equivalents, but
market acceptance and economies of scale often eliminate the price differential.
Rising waste disposal costs, especially for hazardous substances, and proposed
fiscal reforms, to favour environmentally superior products and tax unwanted
pollutants, will increase the economic appeal of green products.
Sustainable Technologies
Because of the need to achieve a combination of environmental, economic, and
social objectives, the transition to sustainable technologies is becoming
imperative, not just for environmental sectors, but for all businesses. The
characteristics of these technologies are important enough to warrant their own
tool, below.
Understand Sustainable Technologies
Sustainable technologies, and the products and services they provide, are good
solutions because they produce a number of benefits simultaneously. They
reduce the need for the environment/economy tradeoffs that characterize
remediation and abatement approaches–principally by capturing the economic
advantages of energy and resource efficiency.
Current examples of sustainable or near-sustainable technologies and products
include:
• Daylight-sensitive, efficient lighting products, free of toxics and heavy
metals;
• Wood and wood products grown, harvested,and manufactured sustainably;
• Non-bleached, recycled paper with high post-consumer fibre content;
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
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