Editing Eco-efficiency (section)

==Methods==

According to the WBCSD definition, eco-efficiency is achieved through the delivery of "competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring [[quality of life]] while progressively reducing [[environmental impact]]s of goods and [[resource intensity]] throughout the entire life-cycle to a level at least in line with the Earth's estimated [[carrying capacity]]".<ref name= wbcsd /> 
It works by implementing 4 main types of [[ratios]]. 
: "The first two are environmental productivity and its inverse, environmental intensity of production, referring to the realm of production. The second pair, environmental improvement cost and its inverse, environmental [[cost-effectiveness]], are defined from an environmental improvements measures point-of-view."<ref name= huppes />
The ratios may be applied to any unit comprising economic activities because such activities always relate to cost and value, "and having some physical substrate, always influence the environment."<ref name= huppes /><ref name= wbcsd /> Furthermore, there are two different levels upon which to orchestrate the ratios: ''micro'' and ''macro''. 
There are three different methods to determine eco-efficiency at the micro-level. First, ''incremental eco-efficiency'', which "specifies the effects of the total value of a product system or sector and its total concomitant environmental effects."<ref name= huppes /> Second, an analysis method nicknamed ''win-win'', which "gives a comparison between a historical reference situation and potentially new situations based on the use of new technologies."<ref name= huppes /><ref name= guns/> The win-win micro-method is limited because it cannot give a concrete answer on the question of whether it improves overall environmental performance. And the third is ''difference eco-efficiency'', which is similar to the win-win variant, but removes all irrelevant alternatives to heighten potential for optimal technologies while comparing two alternatives.<ref name= huppes />
Now the macro-level is much less defined and has shown less accurate results. However, "the ultimate aim of eco-efficiency analysis is to help move micro-level decision making into macro-level optimality."<ref name= huppes /><ref name= oecd /><ref name= wbcsd /> The main goal in years to come is to create headline indicators to carry out macro-level analysis at a country/world scale.<ref name= oecd /><ref name= iisd />

There are two [[life-cycle assessment]] (LCA)–based calculation systems on eco-efficiency: the analysis method of BASF, and the method of the [[eco-costs value ratio]] of the Delft University of Technology.