Competencies to Move beyond Eco-efficiency

Organisations are exploring new sustainable business models to prepare for a fundamentally different operating environment. Eco-efficiency and eco-technology in eco-factories has been the actions taken by most firms. Beyond this the next steps appears to be the complete reconfiguration of the industrial system and business models. Organisations currently lack understanding of possible futures and where to focus efforts to inform planning. There is a need to develop the know-how to enable changes across the whole industrial system and to identify system-wide opportunities. This paper aims to rethink how manufacturing industry can perform sustainably in a changing world. The paper presents competencies needed to enable business to look beyond eco-efficiency to plan for a sustainable & resilient future. The results of exploratory case studies observed through document analysis and interviews provide insights on organisations transforming from eco-efficiency to eco-effective system.