Summary: Eco‐efficiency at the product level is defined as product value per unit of environmental impact. In this paper we present a method for quantifying the eco‐efficiency using quality function deployment (QFD) and life‐cycle impact assessment (LCIA). These well‐known tools are widely used in the manufacturing industry. QFD, which is one of the methods used in product development based on consumer preferences, is introduced to calculate the product value. An index of the product value is calculated as the weighted average of improvement rates of quality characteristics. The importance of customer requirements, derived from the QFD matrix, is applied. Environmental impacts throughout a product life cycle are calculated based on an LCIA method widely used in Japan. By applying the LCIA method of endpoint type, the endpoint damage caused by various life‐cycle inventories is calculated. Willingness to pay is applied to integrate it into a single index. Eco‐design support tools, namely, the life‐cycle planning (LCP) tool and the life‐cycle assessment (LCA) tool, have already been developed. Using these tools, data required for calculation of the eco‐efficiency of products can be collected. The product value is calculated based on QFD data stored in the LCP tool and the environmental impact is calculated using the LCA tool. Case studies of eco‐efficiency are adopted and the adequacy of this method is clarified. Several advantages of this method are characterized.

The need to ensure environmental sustainability is a critical challenge for humanity. The forces driving increased environmental pressure are world population growth, economic growth, and increasing urbanization. As a result, demand for base metals, such as iron and copper, used for producing industrial products and infrastructure has been rising. At the same time, biodiversity has ascended the global agenda because of its bearing on sustainability. Industry needs to take into account its impact on biodiversity in terms of product life cycles, from raw material extraction to product retirement. Despite the need to evaluate the influence of industry on biodiversity, a quantitative and practical biodiversity evaluation index has yet to be established. In this study, we focus on base metals that affect biodiversity through mining. This paper presents a new quantitative index, MiBiDTM, which is based on the geographic relationship among land cover, protected areas, and mining operations. Using available global databases, we developed the MiBiD intensity database, which covers over 700 mines of iron, copper, bauxite (aluminum), zinc, and lead around the world. Some findings achieved using the database are shown, such as that the MiBiD intensity of copper is much larger than that of any other mineral on average. Through comparison with existing indices, advantages and disadvantages of MiBiD are discussed. MiBiD is significant because it is the first site-specific global index of the pressure of mining on biodiversity, and it can provide new information for corporate management

Although research and development (R&D) affects new value-added creation, including that related to environmental aspects, there is little literature dealing with the integration of R&D management and eco-value. Here, eco-value of technology is defined as the advantage of environmental competitiveness in the market. This paper proposes a framework of R&D management of eco-technology (RDMOET), consisting of: (1) future research for sustainability; (2) making an original eco-theme portfolio and roadmap; (3) gap analysis and implementation of new eco-themes; and (4) eco-value evaluation. (1) and (4) are new processes compared with conventional R&D management. Through practice at the Corporate R&D Center of Toshiba Corporation, the usefulness of the proposed framework is verified from the viewpoint of not only technological eco-innovation, but also that of organizational learning for environmental sustainability.