IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v7y2003i2p113-123.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Necessity and Inefficiency in the Generation of Waste

Author

Listed:
  • Stefan Baumgärtner
  • Jakob de Swaan Arons

Abstract

The laws of thermodynamics are employed as an analytical framework within which results about society's metabolism may be rigorously deduced in energetic and material terms. We demonstrate that the occurrence of waste is an unavoidable necessity in the industrial production of desired goods. Although waste is thus an essential qualitative element of industrial production, the quantitative extent to which waste occurs may vary within certain limits according to the degree of thermodynamic (in) efficiency with which these processes are operated. We discuss the question of which proportion of the amount of waste currently generated is due to thermodynamic necessity and which proportion is due to thermodynamic inefficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Baumgärtner & Jakob de Swaan Arons, 2003. "Necessity and Inefficiency in the Generation of Waste," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 7(2), pages 113-123, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:7:y:2003:i:2:p:113-123
    DOI: 10.1162/108819803322564389
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1162/108819803322564389
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1162/108819803322564389?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sushama Murty & R. Robert Russell, "undated". "Bad Outputs," Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Discussion Papers 17-06, Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
    2. Liao, Wenjie & Heijungs, Reinout & Huppes, Gjalt, 2012. "Thermodynamic analysis of human–environment systems: A review focused on industrial ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 76-88.
    3. Lauwers, Ludwig, 2009. "Justifying the incorporation of the materials balance principle into frontier-based eco-efficiency models," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1605-1614, April.
    4. Sushama Murty & R. Robert Russell, 2021. "A commentary on “Performance measurement and joint production of intended and unintended outputs” by Finn Førsund," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 177-184, June.
    5. Stefan Bayer & Jacques Méry, 2009. "Sustainability gaps in municipal solid waste management: a case study for landfills," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 43-69, February.
    6. Finn R. Førsund, 2021. "Performance measurement and joint production of intended and unintended outputs," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 157-175, June.
    7. Tim Hayward, 2006. "Global Justice and the Distribution of Natural Resources," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 54(2), pages 349-369, June.
    8. Sushama Murty & Resham Nagpal, "undated". "Weighted index of graph efficiency improvements for a by-production technology and its application to Indian coal-based thermal power sector," Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Discussion Papers 18-08, Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
    9. Førsund, Finn R, 2017. "Pollution Meets Efficiency: Multi-equation modelling of generation of pollution and related efficiency measures," Memorandum 09/2017, Oslo University, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:7:y:2003:i:2:p:113-123. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.