ABSTRACT
Although the concept of environmentally responsible operations (ERO) is not new, its priority and significance has resided primarily outside traditional thinking in operations management. The common perception has been that some waste is an inevitable byproduct of almost any type of transformation process and that although it would be prudent to minimise any excesses it would also be quite expensive. In other words, the inherent nature of an efficient and effective operation was viewed as being incompatible with practices in ERO. Moreover, conventional thinking regarded ERO as being primarily motivated by non-economical goals rather than as an essential component of a firm's managerial strategy. However, this view has been changing rapidly as pressures from various sources have caused ERO advocates to urge operations management professionals to reconsider their position.
