Maturity grid development for energy and resource efficiency management in factories and early findings from its application

Abstract

Defining and consequently calculating eco-efficiency in production activities has been a problem for practitioners using quantitative approaches found in literature. Based on cases of environmental performance (EP) benchmarking, the authors seek to understand how eco-efficiency can be captured as a systemic quality with transferable properties across manufacturers. A review of the benchmarking literature is performed on EP measurement and management practices with special focus on case study comparisons between industrial processes and production facilities. The authors cluster cases that demonstrate EP variations with respect to organizational structure. Based on a natural resource-based view of the production system, the authors develop a framework that qualitatively analyzes eco-efficiency in terms of capabilities and practices in manufacturing. Initial research data about the framework’s applications through different research methods develop insights on the options available for manufacturers that wish to understand the roadmap to energy and resource efficiency in production facilities.

Keywords:

• eco-efficiency
• factory
• management
• capabilities
• assessment
• sustainable manufacturing

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Zahit Ergun Gungor, Doroteya Vladimirova, and Ian Bamford from the Centre for Industrial sustainability, Nick Blyth and Ed Barlow from the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment and Flavio Tonelli from the University of Genova, for their excellent comments and facilitation to our efforts.