A Comprehensive Overview on ‘Eco-concepts’ Use from Ergoecology Vision

A systematic theoretical-critical review was conducted to establish conceptual similarities and differences around the postulates of eco-productivity, eco-efficiency, and eco-effectiveness, to contribute to the epistemology of Ergoecology. This document shows the scope of the first review phase, which includes articles from 1989 to 2014, on which refinement criteria were used until 18 articles were obtained. Using the conglomerates analysis of the Nvivo-11 software, three groups of authors were obtained, from which it was possible to deduce the differences in approach in a critical reading under the vision of Ergoecology. It was established that there is not enough debate or consensus on eco-productivity; eco-efficiency is the concept most worked on by researchers and eco-effectiveness has been less developed by the scientific community. Emphasis is placed on the general vision of eco-concepts that pursue the understanding of sustainability and its impacts on how to achieve it. It is important to highlight the conceptual differences of the approaches offered by the authors that define each of the eco-concepts, since in some cases they have been misinterpreted without noticing the implications that this may have on the application of the corresponding strategies. It is expected that upon completion of the two review phases, the results will provide clues towards the unification of eco-concepts, allowing the development of effective strategies for sustainability that avoid the prolongation of the rebound effect.