Ecoleasing for technical commodity goods - Models of use on the example of abrasives

Status

completed

Summary

Initial situation

Sustainable development is not possible without changing our common practice of economy. Besides the need for ecological product development (ecodesign) it is also very import to find new ways for the marketing and for the trading of this new products and services. The consumption of the future has to be sufficient and ecological sound. With this definition and meaning the terms eco-services and eco-leasing are linked. Eco-services are offers which are forced to use natural resources in a very efficient way. In the theory of eco services the selling of products is substituted by the selling of services. The customers, equal if private or industrial, are just the users of the service provided, but not the owners of the goods that realizes the result. The commercial pro-vider is still the owner and he takes care on his good for maintenance and reusability.

The concept of ecoleasing is the industrial economic answer on the question how to deal with service orientation and the dematerialized business. Within the scientific dis-cussion the eco leasing concept is not only seen with it´s financial function but also as an instrument for forbearance resource treatment and so far predicted for sustainable development. Leasing in it´s common sense and with it´s proven usability (car-leasing; flat-leasing e.g.) reaches not far enough. It is necessary to adept the findings on not typical application fields, like use of Chemicals, commodity goods e.g.

Producers so will get the chance to establish complete product circuits. That leads not only to ecological advantages but gives also the opportunity for new innovative economical concepts. These service concepts can open new business units because the normal value chain could be enlarged and new jobs could be created.

Focus of research and methodology

The most important research questions are about the consequences of the re-orientation from the selling of products to the selling of use. These consequences will be analysed for the options of all stakeholders, the restrictions for implementation in the markets and for useful instruments to come to a market-wide realization of ecoleasing. The penetration of the public and private perception with the knowledge, that with these new business concepts as well environmental damage could be avoided as economical advantages are possible, is one main onset for all activities for realisation of the service economy. The position of the project between structural changes, the need of assimila-tion and the challenge of sustainable development is also shown in the research meth-odology. Within the project several cooperative case studies will be done with industrial and public partners, representations of interest and other stakeholder groups.

Necessary answers will be given as outcome of the research design as follows:

• Analysis of the initial structure and situation as well as of the change in several parts of the economy. Description of the new and ecoefficient economic concepts versus the old environmental loading economy
• Development of future scenarios
• Case studies with a standardized evaluation form
• Exploitation of the case studies and identification of needs and option for all stake-holders like the industry, the politics and intermediary institutions. Ranking of the new concepts after their contribution for sustainable development.

Results

The results of the project should extend the discussions and give incentives for solu-tions for the future. An initiative within the abrasives industry could also give hope, that other branches follow he search and realisation of a less resource extensive way of business economic.

One main aim of the project so far will be, that the experiences made while transferring theory into practice, should be useable also for other branches and business. (e.g. piloting for surface treatment and modelling/forming),

As further result, in some companies concrete and representative processes and prod-ucts should be developed, which follow the principles of the initiative "plant of the fu-ture". These examples then stand for "best practice", and they are the motivation for others to follow on the way to a real sustainable development. But this process also gives the opportunity to gain innovative technological advantages and to find business units with high market potential.

Project management

Ing. Mag. Werner Kössler
JECOTEAM Dr. Selgrad & Partner Umwelt- und Unternehmensberatungs- GmbH

Project or cooperation partner

• Dr. Reinhard Joas
  BiPRO GmbH
• FEPA (Federation europeenne des fabricants de produits abrasifs)
• A.Univ. Prof. Dr. Kurt Promberger
  Institut für Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, Innsbruck
• Dr. Reinhard Paulesich
  Institut für Umwelt und Wirtschaft der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien

ECOTEAM Dr. Selgrad & Partner Umwelt- und Unternehmnsberatungs-GmbH
Ing. Mag. Werner Kössler
Eduard Bodem Gasse 8; 6020 Innsbruck
Telefon/Fax: 0512/393355; DW -30
E-Mail: office@ECOTEAM.at