Eco‐efficiency for Pollution Prevention in Small to Medium‐Sized Enterprises: A Case from South Korea

A simple method of representing the eco‐efficiency (E/E) of a product system has been developed and applied to a pollution prevention program at a small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME). Cost‐side and environment‐side indicators were derived using total cost accounting and life‐cycle assessment, respectively. The derived indicators were subsequently normalized to reference values representing the current cost and environmental situation. By combining these normalized indicators, the E/E of a product system can be expressed on a simple graph. The method was applied in a case study carried out at a South Korean SME producing components for electronic equipment such as mobile communication base stations. A silver‐plating process was identified as one of the key processes driving a substantial fraction of the total cost and aggregate environmental impact of the product system. Focusing on the key issues identified, a series of alternative processes, including use of a product insulation cover, a sieve‐type ancillary electrode, a balanced‐uniform plating technique, stream segregation, and noncyanide electroplating, were proposed. The feasibility of these alternatives was validated against product specifications as well as the company's financial and spatial capacity. The potential improvements accruing from these alternatives are presented as a simple graph that can be used by decision makers to readily identify trade‐offs between economic and environmental issues.