IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v104y2015ipap254-264.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How social ties influence metal resource flows in the Bangladesh ship recycling industry

Author

Listed:
  • Mizanur Rahman, S.M.
  • Mayer, Audrey L.

Abstract

The ship recycling industry in Bangladesh provides critical metal resources for construction and consumer products in the country, which has no native metal sources. This industry illustrates how industrial recycling can arise in a self-organized manner and be maintained through social embeddedness. Information provided through interviews with shipyard owners, traders, and blacksmiths illustrate the importance of historical, cognitive, structural, and cultural embeddedness to maintaining the flow of metals from the ships beached in the coastal city of Chittagong to the capitol city of Dhaka, more than 300km away. The industry began through small scale metal scavenging; the early scavengers developed the major metal trading businesses operating today, maintained by family relationships. The metalworking community maintains a balance between the strong family ties and weak social ties, ensuring an optimum flow of information among the businessmen in the community. The engagement with scrap handling produces a sense of pride and a pleasure of innovation that binds this community with waste recycling. Thus, the embeddedness of this community through self-recruitment and trade information via social ties directs the resource flows in the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Mizanur Rahman, S.M. & Mayer, Audrey L., 2015. "How social ties influence metal resource flows in the Bangladesh ship recycling industry," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 254-264.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:104:y:2015:i:pa:p:254-264
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.07.022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344915300550
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.07.022?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Ehrenfeld & Nicholas Gertler, 1997. "Industrial Ecology in Practice: The Evolution of Interdependence at Kalundborg," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 1(1), pages 67-79, January.
    2. George A. Akerlof & Rachel E. Kranton, 2005. "Identity and the Economics of Organizations," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 9-32, Winter.
    3. Nicky Gregson & Mike Crang & Farid Uddin Ahamed & Nasreen Akter & Raihana Ferdous & Sadat Foisal & Ray Hudson, 2012. "Territorial Agglomeration and Industrial Symbiosis: Sitakunda-Bhatiary, Bangladesh, as a Secondary Processing Complex," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 88(1), pages 37-58, January.
    4. Frank Boons & Wouter Spekkink, 2012. "Levels of Institutional Capacity and Actor Expectations about Industrial Symbiosis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(1), pages 61-69, February.
    5. Mark Granovetter, 2005. "The Impact of Social Structure on Economic Outcomes," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 33-50, Winter.
    6. Nicky Gregson & Mike Crang & Farid Uddin Ahamed & Nasreen Akter & Raihana Ferdous & Sadat Foisal & Ray Hudson, 2012. "Territorial Agglomeration and Industrial Symbiosis: Sitakunda‐Bhatiary, Bangladesh, as a Secondary Processing Complex," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 88(1), pages 37-58, January.
    7. Teresa Doménech & Michael Davies, 2011. "The role of Embeddedness in Industrial Symbiosis Networks: Phases in the Evolution of Industrial Symbiosis Networks," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(5), pages 281-296, July.
    8. Umair, Shakila & Björklund, Anna & Petersen, Elisabeth Ekener, 2015. "Social impact assessment of informal recycling of electronic ICT waste in Pakistan using UNEP SETAC guidelines," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 46-57.
    9. Asim, Muhammad & Batool, Syeda Adila & Chaudhry, Muhammad Nawaz, 2012. "Scavengers and their role in the recycling of waste in Southwestern Lahore," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 152-162.
    10. Pierre Desrochers, 2001. "Cities and Industrial Symbiosis: Some Historical Perspectives and Policy Implications," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 5(4), pages 29-44, October.
    11. Khalid Nadvi, 1999. "The cutting Edge: Collective efficiency and international competitiveness in Pakistan," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 81-107.
    12. Arrow, Kenneth J, 1994. "Methodological Individualism and Social Knowledge," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 1-9, May.
    13. Anne Hewes & Donald Lyons, 2008. "The Humanistic Side of Eco-Industrial Parks: Champions and the Role of Trust," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(10), pages 1329-1342.
    14. Khalid Nadvi, 1999. "Shifting Ties: Social Networks in the Surgical Instrument Cluster of Sialkot, Pakistan," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 30(1), pages 141-175, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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


    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Tola & Enrico Maria Mosconi & Marco Marconi & Mattia Gianvincenzi, 2023. "Perspectives for the Development of a Circular Economy Model to Promote Ship Recycling Practices in the European Context: A Systemic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-28, March.
    2. Omar M. ElMenshawy & M. Ali Ülkü & Juliana Hsuan, 2024. "Navigating Green Ship Recycling: A Systematic Review and Implications for Circularity and Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Pengfei Li & Yutao Ru & Jianhong Wu, 2023. "Influential Factors Affecting Recycling Behavior toward Cardboard Boxes in the Logistics Sector: An Empirical Analysis from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    4. Cheng, Xiu & Wu, Fan & Li, Wenbo & Yang, Jiameng & Long, Ruyin, 2024. "What maintains low-carbon consumption behaviors: Evidence from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    5. Jain, K.P. & Pruyn, J.F.J. & Hopman, J.J., 2016. "Quantitative assessment of material composition of end-of-life ships using onboard documentation," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 1-9.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jooyoung Park & Juanita Duque-Hernández & Nohora Díaz-Posada, 2018. "Facilitating Business Collaborations for Industrial Symbiosis: The Pilot Experience of the Sustainable Industrial Network Program in Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Emilia Faria & Cristiane Barreto & Armando Caldeira-Pires & Jorge Alfredo Cerqueira Streit & Patricia Guarnieri, 2023. "Brazilian Circular Economy Pilot Project: Integrating Local Stakeholders’ Perception and Social Context in Industrial Symbiosis Analyses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-28, February.
    3. Emilia Faria & Armando Caldeira-Pires & Cristiane Barreto, 2021. "Social, Economic, and Institutional Configurations of the Industrial Symbiosis Process: A Comparative Analysis of the Literature and a Proposed Theoretical and Analytical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-25, June.
    4. Antonella Zucchella & Pietro Previtali, 2019. "Circular business models for sustainable development: A “waste is food” restorative ecosystem," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 274-285, February.
    5. Yuxi Dai & Steven Day & Donato Masi & Ismail Gölgeci, 2022. "A synthesised framework of eco‐industrial park transformation and stakeholder interaction," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3122-3151, November.
    6. Hua Cui & Changhao Liu & Raymond Côté & Weifeng Liu, 2018. "Understanding the Evolution of Industrial Symbiosis with a System Dynamics Model: A Case Study of Hai Hua Industrial Symbiosis, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-25, October.
    7. Raffaella Taddeo & Alberto Simboli & Giuseppe Ioppolo & Anna Morgante, 2017. "Industrial Symbiosis, Networking and Innovation: The Potential Role of Innovation Poles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, January.
    8. Simboli, Alberto & Taddeo, Raffaella & Morgante, Anna, 2015. "The potential of Industrial Ecology in agri-food clusters (AFCs): A case study based on valorisation of auxiliary materials," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 65-75.
    9. Tian Yang & Changhao Liu & Raymond P. Côté & Jinwen Ye & Weifeng Liu, 2022. "Evaluating the Barriers to Industrial Symbiosis Using a Group AHP-TOPSIS Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-30, June.
    10. Beckamp, Marius, 2021. "Industriesymbiosen als Ansatz regionaler Kreislaufwirtschaft: Begriffsklärung & strukturpolitische Potentiale," Forschung Aktuell 08/2021, Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT), Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences.
    11. Chatterjee, Sidharta, 2017. "A Primer on Social Knowledge," MPRA Paper 81105, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 Sep 2017.
    12. Mael Jambou & Andre Torre & Sabrina Dermine-Brullot & Sébastien Bourdin, 2022. "Inter-firm cooperation and local industrial ecology processes: evidence from three French case studies," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 68(2), pages 331-358, April.
    13. Savioli, Marco & Patuelli, Roberto, 2016. "Social capital, institutions and policymaking," Economics Discussion Papers 2016-26, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    14. Laura Casi & Laura Resmini, 2017. "Foreign direct investment and growth: Can different regional identities shape the returns to foreign capital investments?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(8), pages 1483-1508, December.
    15. Kokoulina, L. & Ermolaeva, L., 2016. "Championing processes and the emergence of industrial symbiosis: Case of Yandex data center in Finland," Working Papers 6446, Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University.
    16. Drakopoulos, Stavros A., 2022. "The Conceptual Resilience of the Atomistic Individual in Mainstream Economic Rationality," MPRA Paper 112944, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Fraccascia, Luca & Giannoccaro, Ilaria & Albino, Vito, 2017. "Rethinking Resilience in Industrial Symbiosis: Conceptualization and Measurements," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 148-162.
    18. Luca Fraccascia & Ilaria Giannoccaro & Vito Albino, 2017. "Efficacy of Landfill Tax and Subsidy Policies for the Emergence of Industrial Symbiosis Networks: An Agent-Based Simulation Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-18, March.
    19. Abhijit Ramalingam & Michael T. Rauh, 2010. "The Firm as a Socialization Device," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(12), pages 2191-2206, December.
    20. Zhang, Yan & Zheng, Hongmei & Fath, Brian D., 2015. "Ecological network analysis of an industrial symbiosis system: A case study of the Shandong Lubei eco-industrial park," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 306(C), pages 174-184.

    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:eee:recore:v:104:y:2015:i:pa:p:254-264. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    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.