The present economy is not sustainable with regard to its per capita material consumption. A dematerialization of the economy of industrialized countries can be achieved by a change in course, from ...an industrial economy built on throughput to a circular economy built on stock optimization, decoupling wealth and welfare from resource consumption while creating more work. The business models of a circular economy have been known since the mid-1970s and are now applied in a number of industrial sectors. This paper argues that a simple and convincing lever could accelerate the shift to a circular economy, and that this lever is the shift to a tax system based on the principles of sustainability: not taxing renewable resources including human labour-work-but taxing non-renewable resources instead is a powerful lever. Taxing materials and energies will promote low-carbon and low-resource solutions and a move towards a 'circular' regional economy as opposed to the 'linear' global economy requiring fuel-based transport for goods throughput. In addition to substantial improvements in material and energy efficiency, regional job creation and national greenhouse gas emission reductions, such a change will foster all activities based on 'caring', such as maintaining cultural heritage and natural wealth, health services, knowledge and know-how.
Whether you are undertaking the exercises for your own purposes or with the intent of completing a certification course in sustainable development, this workbook will be of help. The companion text ...for this publication is The Sustainable Business: A Practitioner's Guide to Achieving Long-Term Profitability and Competitiveness (2nd edition). Read the companion text thoroughly before beginning this workbook. Follow a step-by-step approach using the 7-P Roadmap to Sustainability Model and work your way through the seven sections that comprise the companion text (Preparation, Processes, Preservation, People, Place, Product and Production). This workbook focuses on Waste Elimination. A forthcoming workbook will focus on Resource Extension. This workbook will increase your knowledge and understanding, subject-specific skills and personal and transferable skills.
With the specific intent of saving your business money, increasing its efficiency and competitiveness, and boosting its ability to profit from myriad worldwide future challenges, authors Jonathan T. ...Scott and Walter R. Stahel (with a combined total of over 40 years of experience working with students and businesses in dozens of countries), walk managers, employees and students through the beginning stages of the waste elimination process.
The present economy is not sustainable with regard to its per capita material consumption. A dematerialization of the economy of industrialized countries can be achieved by a change in course, from ...an industrial economy built on throughput to a circular economy built on stock optimization, decoupling wealth and welfare from resource consumption while creating more work. The business models of a circular economy have been known since the mid-1970s and are now applied in a number of industrial sectors. This paper argues that a simple and convincing lever could accelerate the shift to a circular economy, and that this lever is the shift to a tax system based on the principles of sustainability: not taxing renewable resources including human labour—work—but taxing non-renewable resources instead is a powerful lever. Taxing materials and energies will promote low-carbon and low-resource solutions and a move towards a 'circular' regional economy as opposed to the 'linear' global economy requiring fuel-based transport for goods throughput. In addition to substantial improvements in material and energy efficiency, regional job creation and national greenhouse gas emission reductions, such a change will foster all activities based on 'caring', such as maintaining cultural heritage and natural wealth, health services, knowledge and know-how.
Over the last few years, the political discussion on global change has become focused on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, as well as on ...scientific data of climate change, and on new rules and regulation. This paper puts CO₂ emissions into the wider context of sustainability. This broadens the view and changes the focus to issues of global ethics and the necessity for industrial countries to drastically reduce their resource consumption. Insurance companies can influence global climate change (GCC) directly through their investment and underwriting strategies, but also in daily operations. An overview and examples are given in the paper. The biggest impact insurance might have is in helping to speed up the adaptation to GCC, for instance by making available its pool of knowledge in prevention measures through risk engineering services. By promoting a stricter application of the concept of "insurability of risks", politicians could exploit the link between insurance, technological innovation and sustainable development to develop numerous opportunities within the market economy. A rapid adaptation to the challenges of GCC will give industrialised countries a competitiveness pull, or enable less developed countries to leapfrog industrialised countries. But the key to a new vision of the future may be the development of a holistic view of nature, man and climate, and science and technology as a source of innovative ideas and solutions.
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