Corporate resource management systems

The efficient use of resources is a main driver for sustainability. Against the background of a rapid growth in demand for resources in the newly industrialising countries and a moderate, but constant growth in demand for resources in the industrial nations the industrial society is facing the challenge to find new concepts for the responsible use of the limited resources. This affects mineral commodities as well as energy sources. To meet this challenge, there is a need for new resource-efficient technologies as well as new organisational models, especially in production systems which require a wide variety of different resources, such as the electronics industry. This article proposes corporate resource management systems as an organisational framework to improve both the energy and the material efficiency of producing companies on a permanent basis.