People all over the world consume goods and services which have been made from natural resources. Organizations use all means possible to ensure that they meet the needs and demands of the consumers so as to command a larger market share. As more goods are produced by organizations, the natural resources diminish at a higher rate and if necessary measures will not be taken, in the near future there might be no natural resources to produce the needed products according to various authors. The fear of depletion of resources led to organizations employing sustainable business practices so as to conserve the environment (Picazo-Tadeo, et al.2012, p.801). Some products are produced at the expense of the environment as there are air, water, and even land pollution. These are some of the factors which have contributed a lot to global warming and health complications due to the emitted waste from the factories. Countries have joined hands to force organizations to practice sustainable business processes and Australia has not been left behind.
Australia has embarked on practicing eco-efficiency. Eco-efficiency refers to strategies and processes employed by firms to maximize production efficiency and minimizing environmental degradation. According to various scholars who have interest in environmental conservation, eco-efficiency can be achieved through various means. They include recycling and reuse, using less water, using less energy, employing minimal natural resources, waste management and elimination of harmful wastes from manufacturing industries (Winter, et al.2014, p.649). Australia decided to adopt eco-efficiency so as to conserve its environment and practice sustainable business practices which also create a competitive advantage on the international markets. Australia has employed various measures to foster eco-efficiency and they include;
Legislations enacted by parliament have been known to bring sanity in almost all aspects of the society. There is no organization that can exist without legislation to guide the activities and its operations. Environmental degradation has attracted attention from all over the world and Australia parliament has not been left behind in enacting legislation that will help to promote eco-efficiency in the country. According to scholars with different interests in eco-efficiency, legislations plays the critical role in ensuring sustainable business operations (Roussac, and Bright, 2012, p.12). This is due to the fact that breaking the enacted laws attracts fines, jail sentence and revocation of operating licenses. There are various acts which have been established to promote eco-efficiency and they include;
The act was enacted in 1981 to help curb water pollution which had become a menace and posed the danger of causing health hazards to aquatic animals and even human beings. This helped to minimize marine pollution and prohibited ocean disposal of harmful wastes from various industries. The laws regulated vessels which entered Australian waters so as to minimize water pollution which is associated with water machinery. Some organizations have acquired permits which allows them to dispose of wastes into the water bodies (Hughes, et al.2015, p.508). The act according to various publications helps in ensuring that the permit holders dispose of wastes according to the agreement. The act also regulates burial at sea and creation of artificial reefs in water bodies. The act has played a major role in ensuring residents have access to clean water and also conserving marine habitats.
The act was enacted by nations which have affiliations to the European Union (EU) IN 1956. The goal of the act was to ensure the reduction in air pollution which plays a greater role in promoting global warming which has led to climate change. Climate change has affected agricultural production which is one of the sectors which helps to achieve eco-efficiency in Australia. The act regulates the manufacturing sector so as to ensure fewer fumes and carbon dioxide are emitted into the environment (Pannell, et al.2012,p.382). Firms are urged and forced to use energy which emits less waste into the environment and failure to meet the requirements warrants huge penalties. Motor vehicle manufacturing firms are also regulated by the act so as to ensure they manufacture vehicles which emit fewer fumes.
These refer to authorization given to businesses by the government so that they can pollute the environment up to a certain point. The permits are expensive to acquire and the commodity being produced by the form must be very important in the economy of the nation. Australia introduced pollution permits so as to allow some vessels to pollute water bodies with particular wastes (Miller, et al.2002, p.42). These permits were rolled out to scare away many businesses which want to pollute the environment without providing funds to rectify their misconducts. Disposing waste against the permit will lead to revocation of the permit and fine.
Legislations alone cannot ensure complete eco-efficiency in Australia. According to various publications, setting up funds to aid in promoting eco-efficiency is important. The fund is used to finance measures which are aimed at ensuring sustainable business practices in Australia. The fund is also used to create incentives which will motivate the involved stakeholders to conserve the environment (Pellegrino, and Lodhia, 2012, p.74). Awarding industry players who put a lot of efforts to conserve the environment is done by using resources from the established funds. The funds are also used to create awareness among members of the society so that they can be aware of their rights and responsibilities in ensuring environment conservation. Some of the funds set up to finance eco-efficiency measures include;
The fund was set up in 1999 to finance measures which were aimed at encouraging innovation and inventions which will help in fighting environmental degradation. Small and innovative companies pursuing renewable energy technologies are provided with venture capital which will help the firm to carry out research and development activities in their quest to develop technologies that will help to tap renewable energy (Byrnes, et al.2013, p.718). The fund also helps in providing managerial advice to the small companies so that can achieve their dreams of ensuring a better Australia which has clean air and water.
Almost 86% of the energy used in Australia is from coal. Coal emits a lot of fumes which lead to environmental pollution. To ensure less coal energy is used, the government of Australia provides subsidies to other forms of energy such as solar and wind energy. As coal energy rate increases, the government subsidizes prices for clean energy (Effendi, and Courvisanos, 2012, p.249). This will encourage many firms and households to start using clean energy so as to reduce their operational costs. This move will help the nation minimize carbon dioxide emission and this will reduce global warming.
Recycling according to various authors refers to the process of processing waste materials into new products. In most cases, recycling helps a lot in minimizing land pollution and make land more useful for agricultural activities (Corder, et al.2015, p.5). Recycling also helps in increasing the life cycle of products and this minimizes production which leads to the emission of wastes.
Conclusion
Environment conservation needs to be given much priority so as to have sustainable business practices in Australia. Eco-efficiency plays a critical role in conserving the environment and ensuring that firms do not deplete natural resources which are used for production purposes. There are various measures which can be used to promote eco-efficiency and they include enacting legislation, establishing funds, providing subsidizing for clean energy and encouraging recycling. Eco-efficiency will help to conserve marine animals and also help to minimize health complications which are related to environmental degradation. Countries from all over the world need to come up with measures that will promote eco-efficiency and conserve the environment and prevent depletion of resources which in long term will lead to increased operational costs hence high prices for products.
References
Byrnes, L., Brown, C., Foster, J. and Wagner, L.D., 2013. Australian renewable energy policy: Barriers and challenges. Renewable Energy, 60, pp.711-721.
Corder, G.D., Golev, A. and Giurco, D., 2015. “Wealth from metal waste”: translating global knowledge on industrial ecology to metals recycling in Australia. Minerals engineering, 76, pp.2-9.
Effendi, P. and Courvisanos, J., 2012. Political aspects of innovation: Examining renewable energy in Australia. Renewable Energy, 38(1), pp.245-252.
Hughes, T.P., Day, J.C. and Brodie, J., 2015. Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Nature Climate Change, 5(6), p.508.
Miller, C., Wakefield, M., Kriven, S. and Hyland, A., 2002. The air we breathe: evaluation of smoke?free dining in South Australia: support and compliance among the community and restaurateurs. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 26(1), pp.38-44.
Pannell, D.J., Roberts, A.M., Park, G., Alexander, J., Curatolo, A. and Marsh, S.P., 2012. Integrated assessment of public investment in land-use change to protect environmental assets in Australia. Land Use Policy, 29(2), pp.377-387.
Pellegrino, C. and Lodhia, S., 2012. Climate change accounting and the Australian mining industry: exploring the links between corporate disclosure and the generation of legitimacy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 36, pp.68-82.
Picazo-Tadeo, A.J., Beltrán-Esteve, M. and Gómez-Limón, J.A., 2012. Assessing eco-efficiency with directional distance functions. European Journal of Operational Research, 220(3), pp.798-809.
Roussac, A.C. and Bright, S., 2012. Improving environmental performance through innovative commercial leasing: An Australian case study. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 4(1), pp.6-22.
Winter, M., Li, W., Kara, S. and Herrmann, C., 2014. Determining optimal process parameters to increase the eco-efficiency of grinding processes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, pp.644-654.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download