Track 5e

Industrial ecology: innovation for the next generation

Track Chairs

Dr. Pauline Deutz, Department of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, University of Hull, UK
Dr. Damien Giurco, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Industrial ecology appears to be coming of age with widespread uptake of related resource efficiency measures in the guise of a Circular Economy. It is important, however, to appraise both the effectiveness of those policies and to consider lessons for industrial ecology as both a discipline and a practice. We may have reached a positive tipping point, whereby resource recovery has become accepted practice in some contexts, and a key challenge is the spreading of best practice. However, CE policies may be stronger on rhetoric than action. Furthermore, even successful implementation of standard IE practices may be insufficient to achieve resource security in an uncertain but changing environmental and political-economic global context.

In this track we invite contributions from across the breadth of industrial ecology research and practice to begin a discussion on a more ambitious approach to IE. The relationship between IE and a CE is under-examined, as is appreciation of geographic context of IE/CE policies. The governance challenges of IE innova-tions need examination, alongside the careful consideration of potentially novel material flows implied and their life cycle impacts. The challenges of co-ordinating supply and demand of residues remain

Papers may address social, environmental or technical issues, or a combination, taking a theoretical, empirical or modelling approach. We hope for a lively exchange of insight, and experience between different perspec-tives and development contexts.

Contributions from the followings areas are sought-after:

  • Critical appraisal of IE/CE policies
  • Relationship between CE and IE
  • Resource security; material extraction and processing e.g., from legacy waste
  • Methods and methodologies of industrial ecology
  • Material flows, input-output analysis, Life cycle analysis
  • Understanding IE stakeholders
  • IE and waste management in developing countries
  • Recycling e.g., cost benefit, life cycle analysis
  • Waste management e.g., organic, hazardous
  • Case studies: e.g. innovative business models, governance

Other contributions can also be explored.

Please contact: p.deutz@hull.ac.uk or Damien.Giurco@uts.edu.au

You may submit your abstract by visiting the Ex Ordo abstract submission system (you will be required to setup an account first): http://isdrs2015.exordo.com/

&nbps;
10th - 12th July
2015
&nbps;