Ebook: Factor X: Re-source - Designing the Recycling Society

Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society explores the role of recycling in efforts to achieve the sustainable world envisioned in the Federal Environment Ministry’s Resource Efficiency Programme, known as ProgRess. The chapters build a roadmap to a Recycling Society in which the decoupling of resource consumption and economic growth is accomplished.

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Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society examines the issue of resources and raw materials, from the perspective of sustaining industrialized economies in the face of global competition for shrinking supplies. Although Germany has reduced its appetite for raw materials from some 680 tonnes per million GDP in 2000 to 580 tonnes in 2008, it still is not on track to meet the goals of its national sustainability strategy.

Economical use of raw materials not only reduces pressure on the environment but also opens up economic opportunities for individual companies and the economy as a whole, as shown by a modeling study carried out on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency.

The role of recycling management is a key point in this work. This implies that rich industrialised countries will need to reduce their excessive consumption while other countries should be allowed to increase consumption. Human economies must meet each other in a “sustainability corridor”.

Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society explores the role of recycling in efforts to achieve the sustainable world envisioned in the Federal Environment Ministry’s Resource Efficiency Programme, known as ProgRess. The chapters build a roadmap to a Recycling Society in which the decoupling of resource consumption and economic growth is accomplished.

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Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society examines the issue of resources and raw materials, from the perspective of sustaining industrialized economies in the face of global competition for shrinking supplies. Although Germany has reduced its appetite for raw materials from some 680 tonnes per million GDP in 2000 to 580 tonnes in 2008, it still is not on track to meet the goals of its national sustainability strategy.

Economical use of raw materials not only reduces pressure on the environment but also opens up economic opportunities for individual companies and the economy as a whole, as shown by a modeling study carried out on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency.

The role of recycling management is a key point in this work. This implies that rich industrialised countries will need to reduce their excessive consumption while other countries should be allowed to increase consumption. Human economies must meet each other in a “sustainability corridor”.

Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society explores the role of recycling in efforts to achieve the sustainable world envisioned in the Federal Environment Ministry’s Resource Efficiency Programme, known as ProgRess. The chapters build a roadmap to a Recycling Society in which the decoupling of resource consumption and economic growth is accomplished.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Global Material Flows and Their Environmental Impacts: An Overview....Pages 3-17
Increased Resource Efficiency: The Key Issue for Ecology and the Economy....Pages 19-29
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development....Pages 31-44
Economic Growth and Resource Use....Pages 45-53
Resource Protection Policy: An Opinion from the NGO Perspective....Pages 55-69
Legislation on the Protection of Natural Resources: Basic Considerations and Legal Perspectives....Pages 71-83
Front Matter....Pages 85-85
An International Metal Covenant: A Step Towards Global Sustainable Resource Management....Pages 87-97
The Austrian Minerals Plan....Pages 99-112
Front Matter....Pages 113-113
Materials Efficiency in Product Design and Manufacturing....Pages 115-131
Front Matter....Pages 133-133
Strategies to Increase Resource Efficiency....Pages 135-149
Developing Waste Management into an Element of Resource-Efficient Material Flow Management....Pages 151-160
Front Matter....Pages 161-161
Resource-Conserving Use of the Stock of Residential Buildings to Reduce Absolute Demand in the “Construction and Housing” Area of Need....Pages 163-186
Anthropogenic Stock as a Source of Raw Materials: Optimized Utilization of Recycled Building Materials to Conserve Resources....Pages 187-202
The Importance of Rare Metals for Emerging Technologies....Pages 203-219
Recycling of Precious and Special Metals....Pages 221-241
Transboundary Shipment of Electronic Scrap....Pages 243-260
The Limited Resources of Phosphorus and How to Close the Phosphorus Cycle....Pages 261-273
Front Matter....Pages 275-275
About the Need of Resource Efficiency Programmes: The Editors’ View....Pages 277-279
Back Matter....Pages 281-289

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Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society examines the issue of resources and raw materials, from the perspective of sustaining industrialized economies in the face of global competition for shrinking supplies. Although Germany has reduced its appetite for raw materials from some 680 tonnes per million GDP in 2000 to 580 tonnes in 2008, it still is not on track to meet the goals of its national sustainability strategy.

Economical use of raw materials not only reduces pressure on the environment but also opens up economic opportunities for individual companies and the economy as a whole, as shown by a modeling study carried out on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency.

The role of recycling management is a key point in this work. This implies that rich industrialised countries will need to reduce their excessive consumption while other countries should be allowed to increase consumption. Human economies must meet each other in a “sustainability corridor”.

Factor X: Re-source—Designing the Recycling Society explores the role of recycling in efforts to achieve the sustainable world envisioned in the Federal Environment Ministry’s Resource Efficiency Programme, known as ProgRess. The chapters build a roadmap to a Recycling Society in which the decoupling of resource consumption and economic growth is accomplished.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-x
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Global Material Flows and Their Environmental Impacts: An Overview....Pages 3-17
Increased Resource Efficiency: The Key Issue for Ecology and the Economy....Pages 19-29
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development....Pages 31-44
Economic Growth and Resource Use....Pages 45-53
Resource Protection Policy: An Opinion from the NGO Perspective....Pages 55-69
Legislation on the Protection of Natural Resources: Basic Considerations and Legal Perspectives....Pages 71-83
Front Matter....Pages 85-85
An International Metal Covenant: A Step Towards Global Sustainable Resource Management....Pages 87-97
The Austrian Minerals Plan....Pages 99-112
Front Matter....Pages 113-113
Materials Efficiency in Product Design and Manufacturing....Pages 115-131
Front Matter....Pages 133-133
Strategies to Increase Resource Efficiency....Pages 135-149
Developing Waste Management into an Element of Resource-Efficient Material Flow Management....Pages 151-160
Front Matter....Pages 161-161
Resource-Conserving Use of the Stock of Residential Buildings to Reduce Absolute Demand in the “Construction and Housing” Area of Need....Pages 163-186
Anthropogenic Stock as a Source of Raw Materials: Optimized Utilization of Recycled Building Materials to Conserve Resources....Pages 187-202
The Importance of Rare Metals for Emerging Technologies....Pages 203-219
Recycling of Precious and Special Metals....Pages 221-241
Transboundary Shipment of Electronic Scrap....Pages 243-260
The Limited Resources of Phosphorus and How to Close the Phosphorus Cycle....Pages 261-273
Front Matter....Pages 275-275
About the Need of Resource Efficiency Programmes: The Editors’ View....Pages 277-279
Back Matter....Pages 281-289
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