Eco-efficiency in recent years has been a fairly relevant issue for those companies that have become aware of the damage that has been caused to the environment. This with the aim of contributing to the conservation of the environment. Thinking about the future, these companies have chosen to be eco-efficient. This translates into companies that can meet the needs of customers, using resources efficiently to create goods and services, helping to reduce environmental impact. Tackled from the perspective of environmental ethics; that allows people and companies to be sensitized to their behavior with the aim of preserving and generating new forms of coexistence with the environment, this through comprehensive education,that promotes the values that allow the proper management of the environment.
Introduction
Companies currently must adopt values that allow finding solutions or alternatives to environmental problems, this through responsible decisions that have as a priority the valuation of the environment; since it plays an important role in their activities. All this under the concept of "creating more goods and services using fewer resources and creating less garbage and pollution" (World Business Council for Sustainable Development), eco-efficient companies with an environmental ethic that generate products or services with less raw material, less energy, and therefore, generate less waste or residue in their processes that directly or indirectly affects the environment, achieving efficient companies, with the proper use of technology, with the advantage of being more profitable and productive; But ultimately, this is not enough for the care and preservation of the environment, since not only are the companies the only ones that contribute to environmental deterioration, but also society itself, it is a monster that, in the absence of environmental education and values that allow true awareness and a new critical evaluation of values with the object of forming attitudes and guiding the actions of society to preserve not only the environment, but humanity itself.
And why not talk about those companies that still continue with old processes and technology out of time; companies, which do not know the concept of eco-efficiency and environmental ethics, those companies that consume a large amount of energy, materials, generating a high cost in their transformation processes, and at the same time generate a high amount of waste that is recklessly handled, being a true source of contamination and a strong impact on the environment. Here is one of the most important tasks of eco-efficient companies with their own values, to transmit these values to the workers themselves and to society and to other companies to create a friendly environment with nature.
Eco-efficiency
Eco-efficiency is a convention that was born as a business proposal, at the Rio conference in 1992, “to create more goods and services using fewer resources and creating less garbage and pollution” (World Business Council for Sustainable Development), whose objective was to deal with the problem of sustainable development. The term eco-efficiency is closely linked to the environmental problems of our planet and the actions of all groups that cause damage to the environment. But according to the brundtland treaty, eco-efficiency is not only achieved with changes in the technology of companies, but also through changes in the goals and mentality of those who are at the head of companies.
For the application of eco-efficiency, it is essential to have tools that help companies to carry out the actions, by means of a balance between raw materials, energy, products and waste generated by a company in a certain cycle, which will improve the quality of processes and products, in order to have indicators that will allow knowing the level of performance with respect to the environment.
All this through the creation of eco-products, which are friendly to the environment, those in which the life cycle is taken into account and how the waste is properly managed. From its design, production, commercialization, use and disposal, having as a priority the impact it will generate on the environment. Not leaving out the impact of customers, suppliers and distributors.
Environmental ethics
The term ethics is a branch of philosophy that encompasses the study of morality, virtue, duty, happiness, and good living. It derives from the Greek voice ethos, which means "customary way of acting, custom" something belonging to the character. While ecology is a part of biology that studies the mutual relationships between organisms and their environment.
The environmental ethic according to Alfredo Marcos Martínez is: rational and practical reflection on the problems derived from man's relationship with nature. Which means a concern that people have a sense of care and respect for nature and the world, including animals, trees, water, mountains, etc.
With the teachings of Socrates - theoretical reflection on the nature and values of human life is inescapable. Environmental ethics illustrates and ratifies such a point of view. As applied ethics, it has been proposed since its birth, (mainly motivated by the environmental crisis of the last third of the 20th century) to influence people's activities and behavior, as well as political decisions and actions that tend to preserve the biological wealth of the planet.
The academic area of environmental ethics emerged as a response to the work of scientists such as Rachel Carson who with her book Silent Spring (1962)denounced the environmental effect of pesticides for agricultural use, the publication of the Report of the Club of Rome The Limits to Growth (1972) or the Brundtland Report (1987). This is when the social political contingency urges philosophers for the philosophical consideration of all environmental problems. Also, Aldo Leopold's influential pre-essay A Sand County Almanac. The Land Ethic (1949) where the author exposes that the roots of the ecological crisis are fundamentally philosophical. Other important titles that started and marked the need for an environmental ethic were William Frankena's Concept of Morality (1966) and Garret Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons (1968).
The first international journal in this field emerged in the United States: Environmental Ethics in 1979, and then appeared in Canada (1983) The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy. The first British Environmental Values magazine was launched in 1992.
conclusion
The scenario that reality shows us is worrying, since it is necessary to reflect and become aware of what is originating; society, companies and governments that have not yet seen a little further, of the damage that is being done to the environment, without realizing where we are going with our actions where there is no return, lack of tact or sensitivity. They make us act inappropriately in the use of the natural resources that nature provides us, here is the call to raise awareness and try to find solutions to this evil, through a new culture that allows us to act in favor of the environment.
It would be great if governments adopted a position in which small and medium-sized companies can be supported, to create products and services that are friendly to the environment, this through an education where values are promoted and can be applied to recompose the way, it is not too late.
As for companies, why not become eco-efficient, why not change that closed mindset of not wanting to innovate, trying to update their processes and improve their products, and have advantages such as being more competitive, efficient and profitable.
Documentary material that was used to prepare the essay
… ECLAC - UN. CEPAL Review No. 103 April, 2011. Eco-efficiency: framework for analysis, indicators and experiences. José Leal. Summary.
Honrubia López, José. Globalization and local development: a Valencian perspective. Editorial: University of Valencia.
Kwiatkowska, Teresa; Issa, Jorge. The ways of environmental ethics. Edit. Plaza and Valdés. 1998.
Singer, Peter, "Ethics", Ethics, p. one.
www.forumambiental.org/pdf/guiacast.pdf
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tica_ambiental.
