The human race is overtaxing the earth's resources today. To relieve the pressure on the environment and safeguard the interests of future generations, we have to get more out of less. Purchases which are profitable for the enterprise are also often good for the environment, because resources saved mean money saved.

Quality and the environment are often closely linked, because quality usually means a longer life for the product and thus less consumption of resources. An eco-efficient product will often use less energy and represent lower costs as waste, either because it is included in a recovery or re-use system or because it does not contain hazardous substances and will thus not be defined as hazardous waste. When buying a product, we must consider more than the cost of acquiring it. Our price calculation must include all the costs relating to the product throughout its life.

We must presume that the costs to society of products which affect the environment will be passed on to the manufacturers and users in the form of taxes and regulations. In order to meet this development, it is important to keep a step ahead.

Many enterprises have begun to see the savings that are inherent in better purchasing routines. Since eco-efficient purchasing supplements professionally correct purchasing, this is a good combination. The purchaser constitutes the most important player in our market economy. An eco-efficient purchasing practice can therefore encourage suppliers to manufacture products which are less harmful to the environment and this will benefit the purchaser's enterprise and the country as a whole.