What is Industrial Ecology? “The Science of Sustainability” Predicated upon two assumptions: –Society will continue to be industrial –We are interested in sustainability Named for a metaphor with Biological Ecosystems

Humanity and Environment: The Metaphor The Tragedy of the Commons (Garrett Hardin, Science, 1968): –A society that permits freedom of activities that adversely influence common properties is eventually doomed to failure –The community pasture example –A modern example: personal transportation Global environment is a “Commons” Population growth forces the issue

Society and Sustainable Development Sustainable development  “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” –World Committee on Environment and Development, 1987 Societies are moving toward greater appreciation of sustainable development, but slowly

Options for Technology-Society Relationships Status quo –Not sustainable Radical Ecology –Rejects industry, likely reduces carrying capacity Deep Ecology –Little role for technology, return to low-tech options Industrial Ecology –Technology is part of the solution

Options Table Moderately higher population, substantial adjustments to life-style Reliance on technological evolution within constraints, high-tech welcomed Industrial Ecology Lower population, substantial adjustments to life-style Appropriate technology, low- tech where possible Deep Ecology Unmanaged population crash and disruption Ad hoc adoption of mandatesStatus quo Unmanaged population crash and disruption Return to low-techRadical Ecology ImplicationsEffect on TechnologyApproach

The Master Equation Where GEI = Global Environmental Impact Pop = Population GDP = Gross Domestic Product EI = Environmental Impact (per unit GDP) Notice the similarity to the I=PAT model!

Population Growth Species exist within the notion of a Carrying Capacity r-selective species reproduce without regard to carrying capacity => exponential growth, followed by crashes K-selective species dampen their growth as they approach the carrying capacity, resulting in logistic or sigmoid growth Whichever we are, no decline in population is predicted in the foreseeable future

Per capita GDP GDP is a general measure of the productivity of an economy Per capita GDP varies widely from country to country, but is generally increasing; usually seen as a measure of quality of life No decline in per capita GDP is predicted – in fact, it is not desired, since this is a measure of quality of life –We at least want those with less to achieve ours! Why?

Environmental Impact per unit GDP In the industrial world, this can be modeled as a bell-curve in three regions: –Industrial Revolution: rapid increase in consumption of resources and waste –Remediation: addressing the most pressing environmental problems that resulted –Longer term vision: impacts reduced while maintaining quality of life (this has yet to be seen)

Interpreting the Equation Population is largely a social problem and, barring disaster, is unlikely to decrease Increasing per capita GDP is generally seen as a good thing; continued increases are likely Therefore, to decrease the Global Environmental Impact, we must employ technology to reduce environmental impact per unit GDP

Reducing the Technology Term Do we have any reason to believe that we can reduce the environmental impact per unit quality of life? –Automobile efficiency Pinto vs. Lupo –Air quality NYC eyes don’t burn! –Water quality Cyahoga River doesn’t catch on fire!

Industrial Ecology: The Concept Firms do not exist in a vacuum Thousands of linkages and interactions are involved in industrial processes While companies have done well in attending to customer needs/demands, they have not evaluated the overall interaction of their products and processes with the global environment

A Systems Science Industrial Ecology (as applied in manufacturing) involves the dual perspectives of product competitiveness and environmental interactions IE approaches sustainability by taking a systems approach and a long-term view By looking at the whole system, IE rejects the concept of waste (like biology does)

Linking IE and Environmental Science Industrial Metabolism: interactions between suppliers and customers Environmental Metabolism: relationships between trophic levels, species, populations, and communities Industrial Engineering and Environmental Science must collaborate on Industrial Ecology These are, perhaps, Environmental Systems Engineers

The Beginnings of Industrial Activity Industry is defined as the commercial production and sale of goods and services This has been going on for many thousands of years In some instances, industrial practices led to local disruption and shortages, but in most cases had no significant environmental impact This lasted until about 1750

The Industrial Revolution ca several technological innovations led to the industrial revolution: –Iron refinement technology led to better tools –Coal provided energy for the production of iron Advanced machines rose from the iron industry These machines dramatically increased labor productivity, a.k.a. per capita GDP Production of other metals followed apace

Modern Industrial Operations Manufacturing process technology has developed quickly, taking new leaps every 30 or 40 years Industrial Energy Density looks at energy consumed per unit monetary value added While this has decreased for developed nations, for developing nations it can be increasing Fossil carbon release is proportional to energy consumption

Trends in Technology Dematerialization –Less material for same or better service Substitution –Use more environmentally suitable materials Decarbonization –Move away from release of fossil carbon Computerization –Improved management and control

The Evolving Development- Environment Relationship The manner in which the developing world achieves improvement in quality of life will be critical Sustainability may be an environmental goal, but cannot be achieved through economic injustice

Relationships of Society to Industry and Development Industrial systems operate within society, not apart from it The interactions between society and industry must be understood to be optimized

Wants and Needs: The Driving Factor Needs differ from Wants Both generate industrial demand Both can usually be satisfied in a variety of ways Perhaps rethinking products as services? –E.g. Xerox

Stages of Technological Transformation Economic Commission of Europe 1992 Meeting: –Stage 1: Ignorance Environmental problems unknown –Stage 2: Lack of Interest Problems known, but people don’t care –Stage 3: Reliance on Technology Hope that technology will solve problems –Stage 4: Toward Sustainability Conversion toward environmentally adapted development –Stage 5: Absolute Sustainability Ecological thinking has been brought full-circle

Implications for Industrial Ecology Implementation of industrial ecology and migration toward sustainable development will involve significant and difficult change: –Cultural –Religious –Political –Social

Implications for the Corporation Private companies must be partners in regulation New organizations and information flows will be required to internalize issues Full-cost accounting will be required to incorporate environmental costs into economic decisions Corporations need to view society as a whole, along with their communities, as full partners

Technological Evolution To achieve technological evolution, we must understand the total impacts of our processes, products, and services Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a methodology for achieving this

Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment In short, LCA is the evaluation of a product from cradle to grave –Energy –Materials –Economics Three basic steps: –Inventory analysis –Impact analysis –Improvement analysis

LCA Process Where R ERP is the “Environmentally Responsible Product Rating” Define Scope ManufactureR ERP Inventory Analysis Improvement Analysis Impact Analysis Feedback

Scoping What materials, processes, or products will be considered in the LCA? How broadly will alternatives be defined? E.g. Drycleaning –Narrow Scope: look at controls, process changes, perhaps alternative solvents –Broader Scope: look at alternative services (such as pressing) and alternative clothing materials

Choice of Scope Factors include –Who is performing the analysis? How much control can they exercise over choice of options? –What resources are available to conduct the study? –What is the most limited scope of analysis that still provides for adequate consideration of the systems aspects of the problem? Can a comparative LCA be used to reduce scope?

Course Project Your project for this course is to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment of a product or service of your choice Groups of 3 students Some time will be available to work on this during the next few weeks

Assignment a 1 page description of your project: –List of team members –Product or service to be analyzed –Proposed scope of your analysis