trends and future of sustainable development - TransEco

5. Toward a conceptual framework for life cycle thinking in wastemanagement transitions5.1. Transition frameworkKemp and Loorback (2003) note the management of transitions requires a two pronged strategy of: (1)system innovation: a new trajectory of development or transformation through a fundamental change infunctional systems and product chains and (2) ‘system improvement’: the improvement of an existingtrajectory. This involves not only technical change but also institutional change. In terms of transitionstoward sustainable waste management, we propose expanding the use of the life cycle approach to both:(1) coordinate system innovations (which are based on conventional principles and objects in line withthe vision of a ‘recycling society’) that fundamentally change the function of waste management - fromthe primary function of the treatment of waste to the primary function of producing secondary rawmaterials (SRMs), and (2) foster system improvement of existing technical systems, where theapplication of LCA is more akin to eco-design - identifying 'hot spots' of environmental impact thatwould require change in order for recycling to be the preferred technological trajectory.The key components of this framework borrow from transition management; the establishment of along-term goal, guiding vision, transition paths and interim goals.5.1.1. Long-term goalAt the European level a long-term societal goal for resource and waste management has been explicitlyestablished in the Thematic Strategies on The prevention and recycling of waste(European Commission2005a) and The sustainable use of natural resources(European Commission 2005b). The EC sets a longterm goal of the ‘sustainable use of natural resource’ by means of reducing the environmental impactsgenerated by the use of natural resources, preventing waste generation and promoting recycling andrecovery of waste which can in turn increase the resource efficiency of the economy. Looking at previouswaste management transitions in Europe (See Parto et al. (2007)) we can see an evolution in the longtermgoals guiding the development of waste management systems - from the protection of humanhealth 1 , to the protection of human health and the environment 2 , to the current sustainable use ofresources.5.1.2. Guiding visionA guiding vision is a system image with technological and behavioural components that are appealingand imaginative (Kemp and Loorbach 2003). The EC has established, a long term vision for a ‘recyclingsociety’ that “seeks to avoid waste and uses waste as a resource” (European Commission 2005, 6). In1In the transition from unregulated handling to centralised systems of disposal – between the mid 19th century tothe 1960s2In the transition from waste disposal to waste management - between the 1960s and 2000221