Industrial ecology: a philosophical introduction.

1 February 1992

journal article
Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Vol. 89 (3) , 800-803
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.89.3.800

Abstract

By analogy with natural ecosystems, an industrial ecology system, in addition to minimizing waste production in processes, would maximize the economical use of waste materials and of products at the ends of their lives as inputs to other processes and industries. This possibility can be made real only if a number of potential problems can be solved. These include the design of wastes along with the design of products and processes, the economics of such a system, the internalizing of the costs of waste disposal to the design and choice of processes and products, the effects of regulations intended for other purposes, and problems of responsibility and liability. The various stakeholders in making the effects of industry on the environment more benign will need to adopt some new behaviors if the possibility is to become real.

Keywords

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: