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"Industrial ecology."
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Environmental principles for modern sustainable economic frameworks including the circular economy
A set of newly defined environmental principles can advance the sustainability performance of economic frameworks such as industrial ecology, cradle-to-cradle, and the circular economy. Currently, the environmental sustainability of these frameworks is mainly derived from the application of efficiency principles such as waste reduction, or closing and narrowing production, and consumption loops. However, these same principles can bring, in some cases, unintended outcomes that are detrimental to the environment. Efficiency principles also fall short of environmental sustainability aspirations, doing little to contribute to addressing the causes of current global environmental crises. This paper examines 7 widely applicable principles aimed at explicit environmental sustainability: doing no harm to nature, minimising environmental damage, restoring/remediating environmental damage, net-positive impact, no net loss, maintaining the health of ecosystems, and continual environmental improvement. These principles could markedly improve efforts to actively pursue sustainability and foster new economic forms that address our current unsustainable trajectories.
Journal Article
What Goes in the Galapagos Does Not Always Come out: A Political Industrial Ecology Case Study of E-Waste in Island Settings
This study examines the challenges and opportunities of managing electronic waste (e-waste) in the Galapagos Islands, a globally significant yet vulnerable subnational insular jurisdiction (SNIJ). Drawing on theories of Circular Economy (CE) and Political Industrial Ecology (PIE), the research investigates the status of e-waste in the archipelago, the barriers to implementing CE practices, and the institutional dynamics shaping material flows. Using a mixed-methods approach—including archival analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with key informants from government, private, and nonprofit sectors—the findings presented here demonstrate that e-waste management is hindered by limited capital, infrastructure, public awareness, and fragmented governance. While some high-capital institutions can export e-waste to mainland Ecuador, most residents and low-capital entities lack viable disposal options, leading to accumulation and improper disposal. The PIE analysis yielded findings that highlight how institutional power and financial capacity dictate the sustainability of e-waste pathways, with CE loops remaining largely incomplete. Despite national policy support for CE, implementation in Galapagos remains aspirational without targeted financial and logistical support. This case contributes to broader discussions on waste governance in island settings and underscores the need for integrated, equity-focused strategies to address e-waste in small island developing states (SIDS) and SNIJs globally.
Journal Article
An overview of the circular economy among SMEs in the Basque country: A multiple case study
Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country. Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources. Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.
Journal Article
Industrial ecology and industry symbiosis for environmental sustainability : definitions, frameworks and applications
This book opens up a critical dimension to the interdisciplinary field of Industrial Ecology (IE) and one of its four areas - Industrial Symbiosis (IS). Presenting the concept of closed-loop thinking, this timely book explains how industries and societies can achieve environmental sustainability, a necessity for today?s businesses. Providing a critical review of the definitions and developments of both IE and IS, this study establishes their fundamental role in improving environmental sustainability. The author identifies valuable lessons to be learned and presents conceptual frameworks to guide future IE and IS applications. Transforming industrial systems into closed-loop industrial ecosystems dramatically reduces the negative impact of industrial activities on the environment. Therefore, this book is an important read not only for operations management scholars, but also those who are interested in ensuring an environmentally sustainable future.
Book
Inter-firm cooperation and local industrial ecology processes: evidence from three French case studies
In this paper, we are interested in industrial and territorial ecology (ITE), whose aim is to optimize the management of material and energy flows between local economic players by drawing inspiration from the cyclical nature of natural ecosystems. The organizational elements, specifically the forms of coordination between actors, appear to be central in the setting out of these processes. This is why methodological devices promise to respond to the chronic difficulty of implementing local inter-firm relations conducive to cooperation. The work presented here, based on social network analysis, aims to determine their validity through three case studies. First, we examine the need to consider the spatial dimension of ITE approaches to understand the conditions for the emergence of inter-firm cooperation and sustainable development, and we present the methodological elements of our work. Then, we proceed to the case studies and identify inter-firm relations and study their evolution over time. We conclude with an assessment of the devices studied, the intermediary role of facilitators, and the difficulty of perpetuating these types of cooperative relations, which raises serious questions about the modalities of the implementation of sustainable territorial development processes.
Journal Article
The boundaries of urban metabolism
This paper considers the limits and potential of ‘urban metabolism’ to conceptualize city processes. Three ‘ecologies’ of urban metabolism have emerged. Each privileges a particular dimension of urban space, shaped by epistemology, politics, and model-making. Marxist ecologies theorize urban metabolism as hybridized socio-natures that (re)produce uneven outcomes; industrial ecology, as stocks and flows of materials and energy; and urban ecology, as complex socio-ecological systems. We demarcate these scholarly islands through bibliometric analysis and literature review, and draw on cross-domain mapping theory to unveil how the metaphor has become stagnant in each. To reinvigorate this research, the paper proposes the development of political–industrial ecology, using urban metabolism as a boundary metaphor.
Journal Article