Industrial ecology is the study of industrial systems aimed at identifying and implementing strategies that reduce their environmental impact. It was published in 1995, at a time when industrial ecology was a young field searching for definition, approaches, and tools. Apart from the fact that his definitiondescription is outdated and omits many aspects of industrial ecology, it is completely unreferenced. Apart from the fact that his definition description is outdated and omits many aspects of industrial ecology, it is completely unreferenced. The journal of industrial ecology is open to and encourages submissions that are interdisciplinary in approach. Industrial ecology involves the study of the flows of materials and energy through socioeconomic systems with a view to optimizing their use. On complexity theory, exergy and industrial ecology. The natural world is a source of models of efficiency and of. Ayres sandoz professor of environment and management, professor of economics and director of the centre for the management of environmental resources at the european business school, insead, france and leslie w. Industrial ecology conceptualises industry as a manmade ecosystem that operates in a similar way to natural ecosystems, where the waste or by product of one process is used as an input into another process. This book is good for productdesign professionals seeking to attain information about sustainability and design. Smarts essay 3 asks why an individual entity in the industrial ecology system is motivated to act in ways that benefit the system. The masters programme industrial ecology at leiden university is an emerging scientific discipline that takes a systemic approach to environmental problems. Spend too much time on this task and scarce resources.
Leader of the industrial ecology program and a professor in the department of energy and process engineering at the norwegian university of science and technology in trondheim, norway. He is the editor of this special issue of the journal of industrial ecology on sustainable consumption. Our attempt to fill this need was inevitably preliminary. Hefinds the metabolism ofthis entity to be responsive to economic forcing and shows how price. Industrial ecology, resource decoupling, and the master. Industrial production must be subject to lifecycle analysis so as to identify materials pathways industrial metabolism.
In almost every project, the students expanded the scope of the project beyond the original definition. Industrial ecology an overview sciencedirect topics. The complexities of these issues including technology development, social change, economic growth, and environ mental policy have created an increasing demand for knowledge and skills in the field of industrial ecology. The relationship between this conceptandthatofindustrialactivitieshasbeendiscussedby frosch andgallopoulost. The organism ingests energyrich, lowentropy materials food, to provide for its own maintenance and functions, as well as a surplus to permit growth or reproduction. In addition to more formal academic papers, the journal seeks to provide a forum for continuing exchange of information and opinions through contributions from scholars, environmental managers, policymakers, advocates, and others. Engineers from the industrial ecology programme analyze and contribute to sustainable technical solutions in the industry. Industrial ecology a policy brief by jennifer munholfen, alesha myers, kim ng lily nierenberg, chris nosal, maryann nowak.
Industrial ecology is industrial in that it focuses on product design and manufacturing processes. Industrial ecology article about industrial ecology by the. Using the definition given by gonzalez del rio 24, clean technology can be. Set them too conservatively and the potential of the. Industrial ecology and industrial ecosystems sciencedirect.
Hefinds the metabolism ofthis entity to be responsive to economic forcing and shows how price signals to that entity for such factors as the true value of natural resources can alter the metabolism ofa corporation. Industrial ecology and environmental lean management mdpi. The international society for industrial ecology promotes industrial ecology as a way of finding innovative solutions to complicated environmental problems, and facilitates communication among scientists, engineers, policymakers, managers and advocates who are interested in better integrating environmental concerns with economic activities. Industrial metabolism is the whole of materials and energy flows going through the industrial system. Industrial ecology, discipline that traces the flow of energy and materials from their natural resources through manufacture, the use of products, and their final recycling or disposal. However, in order to avoid any confusion, we should like to specify what is meant here by industrial metabolism and industrial ecology. Industrial ecology by ryan anderson, andy bankert, ryan cush, and matt perrone abstract. Home of the european editorial office of yales journal of industrial ecology jie.
Industrial ecology ie is a field of study focused on the stages of the production processes of goods and services from a point of view of nature, trying to mimic a natural system by conserving and reusing resources chertow, 2008. Industrial ecology ie is an emerging framework for environmental management, seeking transformation of the industrial system in order to match its inputs and outputs to planetary and local carrying capacity. This definition reflects the reality that the goal of ie is. The central question of the theory of industrial ecology ie is whether ie iswill be a form of descriptive or prescriptive science. It is foreseeable that more colleges and universities will begin to initiate educational and research programs in industrial ecology. Industrial ecology article about industrial ecology by. Department cmlindustrial ecology, leiden university, p. Pdf industrial ecology and industrial ecosystems ernest lowe. Industrial ecology is a subject concerning the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, the effects of these flows on the environment, and the influences of economic, political, regulatory, and social factors on the flow, use, and transformation of resources lifset and graedel. Thomas graedel industrial ecology s first decade 2015 isie conference in surrey more videos jon powell on uncovering the waste in u. Cambridge core environmental science industrial ecology and global change edited by r.
Industrial ecology terms and definitions flashcards quizlet. Read the latest issue of yale universitys journal of industrial ecology. A handbook of industrial ecology universitas negeri padang. Four ecosystem principles for an industrial ecosystem jouni korhonen university of joensuu, department of economics, p. However, in order to avoid any confusion, we should like to specify what is meant here by industrial metabolism. For example, in both the sequentialpacific biodiesel project and in the norpac can recycling analysis the students explored collaboration with willow lake. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Some debate the same more or less question by asking whether. Start studying industrial ecology terms and definitions. Industrial ecology is coming of age and this book brings together leading scholars to present a stateoftheart overview of the subject. Industrial ecology can be taught as a separate, semesterlong course or incorporated into existing courses. It will be the object of this paper to examine industrial ecology and determine if it is a feasible answer to the worlds environmental problems. Ayres industrial ecology is coming of age and this superb book brings together leading scholars to present a stateoftheart overviews of the subject. Industrial ecology is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological interactions and interrelationships both within and between industrial and ecological systems.
Pdf industrial ecology is both a vision, a research field, and a source of inspiration for practical work. Includes discussion of the environmental impact of common industrial approaches, with special emphasis given to the longterm effects. Toward a definition historical development industrial ecology is rooted in systems. Industry is an interrelated system of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Box 111, 80101 joensuu, finland received 21 march 2000. Feb 01, 1992 industrial ecology is a new approach to the industrial design of products and processes and the implementation of sustainable manufacturing strategies. Learn how industries are using industrial ecology to reduce the use of natural resources and generate less waste. Industrial ecology is a young science that studies industrial systems with the goal of finding ways to lessen their environmental impact. Industrial ecology in a nutshell so far, there is no standard definition of industrial ecology. This is the overarching objective of industrial ecology, to render our industrial systems sustainable by making them obey the laws of nature. People at cie the center for industrial ecology is comprised of an international team of faculty, students, staff and visiting scholars that work together to further the field of industrial ecology. The industrial ecology programme indecol covers both research and education within industrial ecology at ntnu norwegian university of science and technology. Industrial ecology is primarily a scientific field thus the article should be well referenced from reliable resources.
Read chapter industrial ecology and design for environment. The term industrial ecology was conceived to suggest that industrial activity can be thought of and approached in much the same way as a biological ecosystem and that in its ideal form it would strive toward integration of activities and cyclization of resources, as do natural ecosystems. Note that industrial ecology is one way of working toward sustainability. The word metabolism, as used in its original biological context, connotes the internal processes of a living organism. Industrial ecology seeks to optimize the total materials cycle from virgin material to finished material, to. The global industrial economy can be modelled as a network of industrial processes that extract resources from the earth and transform those resources into commodities which can be bought and sold to meet the needs of humanity. The us epa also modified their definition of pollution prevention frequently. A crosssection of definitions of industrial ecology is provided in. A natural ecosystem tends to evolve in such a way that any available source of useful material or energy will be used by some organism in the system. Pdf the theory of industrial ecology korhonen, 2004a classified the. It will be the object of this paper to examine industrial ecology and determine if it is.
Graedel setting out the goals and boundaries of an emerging. It views firms as agents for environmental improvement because. One goal of industrial ecology is to change the linear nature of our industrial. Four ecosystem principles for an industrial ecosystem. Industrial ecology ie is the study of industrial systems that operate more like natural ecosystems. In the industrial ecology program at ntnu we aim at equipping students with a sound theoretical foundation and the analytical skills to contribute to a reduction of environmental impacts and to contribute to a greening of the economy. After a general introduction to industrial ecology this paper will focus on industrial ecosystems and the issues in creating them. Industrial ecology is coming of age and this superb book brings together leading scholars to present a stateoftheart overviews of the subject.
Industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis, sustainable development content definition, scope, objects and methods of industrial ecology ie. In the 1970s, the first wave of environmental regulation targeted specif. Although the definition of the circular economy has yet to be formalized, generally the focus is on strategies such as. Thus, as chertow 2000 argues, industrial ecology can be seen as a more general term which encompasses the closely related analysis offered by firm level studies, industrial metabolism, and industrial symbiosis. Dematerialization life cycle assessment ecodesign ecoindustrial parks 5 industrial ecology components. With indepth analysis of past, present, and future issues in industrial ecology, this book seeks to meet the needs of the productdesign engineers. Beyond this attractive but fuzzy notion, little has been done to explore the usefulness of the analogy. Each part of the book comprehensively covers the following issues in a systematic style. Industrial ecology interacts with natural ecosystems and attempts to move from a linear to cyclical or closed loop system. Industrial ecology ie is the study of material and energy flows through industrial systems. Ayres research associate, centre for the management of environmental. Cleaner production, integrative chain management and industrial ecology.
The definition, understanding and perception of the concept strongly. Industrial ecology is the shifting of industrial process from linear open loop systems, in which resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, to a closed loop system where wastes become inputs for new processes. Industrial ecology is a relatively new field of science that has rapidly developed over the last two decades. It seeks to balance environmental and economic performance within emerging understanding of local and global ecological constraints. In recent years, a major buzzword throughout all of industry has been industrial ecology. Research in industrial ecology began in the early 1990s.
The journal of industrial ecology addresses a series of related topics including, material and energy flows studies industrial metabolism, technological change, dematerialization and decarbonization, life cycle planning, design and assessment, design for the environment, extended producer responsibility product stewardship, ecoindustrial parks industrial symbiosis, product. Full text views reflects the number of pdf downloads, pdfs sent to. Industrial ecology is an interdisciplinary framework for designing and operating industrial systems as living systems interdependent with natural systems. Using ambiguous terms to define ie, allenby 1992 writes that industrial ecology may be defined as the means by which a state of sustainable development is. Asystemsdescription traditional biological ecology is defined as the scientific study ofthe interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organisms. It is a concept in which an industrial system is viewed not in isolation from its surrounding systems but in concert with them. Industrial ecology is a new approach to the industrial design of products and processes and the implementation of sustainable manufacturing strategies. Industrial ecology is a multidisciplinary research field, consisting of different methods and tools for addressing sustainability challenges. Industrial ecology a new path to sustainability dialnet. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. A handbook of industrial ecology edited by robert u. May 28, 2002 each part of the book comprehensively covers the following issues in a systematic style.