trends and future of sustainable development - TransEco

Sustainability* Requires Reference points for coordination-Conventional Principles- Conventional ObjectsTransition PathSystem Innovation- Industrial Ecology- Product Service Systems- Reverse LogisticsSystem Improvement- of existing systems*TimeConcept & ToolsLCT/LCA/LCM*Long-termSocietal GoalSustainable use ofnatural resourcesGuiding visionOperational objectivesDefinitions,Standards/regulations,Prevention plans,Recycling targets,*‘Recycling Society’‘Low carbon society’etc ...Interim Goal*Figure 3.A life cycle approach to system innovation in waste management (adapted from Kempand Loorbach 2003)5.1.4. Interim goalsInterim goals are an important part of transition paths. These interim goals are a product of the policyregime. Legally sanctioned regulative instruments explicitly establish the ‘rules of the game’, a gameplayed by actors, firms, suppliers, users, public authorities and scientists. Regulative rules (such as laws,definitions, waste management plans, quantitative targets, standards and financing structures) are aproduct of the interpretation and institutional articulation of the waste management principles guidingand providing stability in the regime.IE is loosely based on the metaphor of ecosystems, where industrial systems are viewed in terms ofmaterial and energy flows. IE exemplifies the need to close energy and material loops, dematerialisationand thermodynamically efficient energy utilization (Ehrenfeld and Gertler 1997). The waste hierarchyhas ontological similarity with IE - closing material and energy loops. Hence, making the wastehierarchy an interesting principle in waste management regimes as it provides a reference point forcoordination of action toward achieving a ‘recycling society’. IE’s analytical tools include inter alias, LCAand material flow analysis which aid in the design of ideal-typical closed loop systems (Ehrenfeld andGertler 1997).Does the waste hierarchy equate to sustainable waste management? No. However, the wastehierarchy is more than just a decision making framework. The principle of the waste hierarchy 1 guidesindividual and collective action. The mantra of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ is well known outside the wastemanagement sphere, guiding the waste disposal actions of individuals and collectives. In terms of waste1The operational version of the valorisation principle and broader sustainability principles (including the preventionprinciple)223