OR-based Eco-efficiency Measuring for Economic-ecological Trade-offs Analysis

L. Lauwers, J. Van Meensel

2013

Abstract

Traditional eco-efficiency measurements insufficiently support trade-offs analysis. The objective of the paper is to explore trade-offs analysis support from the branch of productive efficiency analysis techniques. The paper focuses on the linear programming based data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, adjusted for an analogous treatment of the economic and environmental outcomes. In particular, the models are adjusted for the materials balance principle. They allow for differentiating between win-win and trade-offs while substituting for inputs or outputs. Their results are obvious for simple production processes, but the message gets blurred with multiple inputs, outputs and outcomes. The paper explores multiple economic-ecological trade-offs with materials-balance-based efficiency DEA models with a simple illustrative case of 62 typical pig firms. Separate DEA models calculate technical, economic and the efficiency for nutrient, water and energy use. Mutual win-wins and trade-offs are shown. Shortcomings are discussed and further model adjustments based on directional distance functions, instead of radial ones, are proposed.

References

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Paper Citation


in Harvard Style

Lauwers L. and Van Meensel J. (2013). OR-based Eco-efficiency Measuring for Economic-ecological Trade-offs Analysis . In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems - Volume 1: ICORES, ISBN 978-989-8565-40-2, pages 141-144. DOI: 10.5220/0004276201410144


in Bibtex Style

@conference{icores13,
author={L. Lauwers and J. Van Meensel},
title={OR-based Eco-efficiency Measuring for Economic-ecological Trade-offs Analysis},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems - Volume 1: ICORES,},
year={2013},
pages={141-144},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0004276201410144},
isbn={978-989-8565-40-2},
}


in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems - Volume 1: ICORES,
TI - OR-based Eco-efficiency Measuring for Economic-ecological Trade-offs Analysis
SN - 978-989-8565-40-2
AU - Lauwers L.
AU - Van Meensel J.
PY - 2013
SP - 141
EP - 144
DO - 10.5220/0004276201410144