Communicating eco-efficiency in industrial contexts: a framework for understanding the (lack) of success and applicability of eco-design

The connection between environmental and economic aspects is essential for proper eco-design applicability in industrial contexts and examples are shown in this paper. The aim of this review is to show that in practice this combination is done, in various ways, depending on the context. The review tries to cover the overall product value chain. The paper concludes that relevant actors at the eco-design development process use specific tools in order to link environmental performance with economic aspects. Each tool used is intended to satisfy each group of actors´ interests and that at each stage of the product development there is a certain way of communicating results.