Research issues in sustainable consumption: toward an analytical framework for materials and the environment

We define key research questions as a stimulus to research in the area of industrial ecology. The first group of questions addresses analytical support for green engineering and environmental policy. They relate to (i) tools for green engineering, (ii) improvements in life cycle assessment, (iii) aggregation of environmental impacts, and (iv) effectiveness of a range of innovative policy approaches. The second group of questions addresses the dynamics of technology, economics, and environmental impacts. They relate to (v) the environmental impacts of material and energy consumption, (vi) the potential for material efficiency, (vii) the relation of technological and economic development to changes in consumption patterns, and (viii) the potential for technology to overcome environmental impacts and constraints. Altogether, the questions create an intellectual agenda for industrial ecology and integrate the technological and social aspects of sustainability.