How do we develop technologies and practices for environmental sustainability?

Introduction

Developing technologies and practices for environmental sustainability is a multifaceted challenge that involves integrating eco-friendly innovations, effective management practices, and collaborative efforts across various sectors. This synthesis explores key insights from multiple research papers on how to advance environmental sustainability through technology and practices.

Key Insights

Cleaner Production and Sustainable Development Strategies:
- Emphasizing cleaner production methodologies and sustainable development strategies is crucial. This includes process integration, better logistical procedures, and the development of new processes using environmentally friendly raw materials .
Technology Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement:
- The impacts of technology should be assessed using methods like Constructive Technology Assessment (CTA) to improve positive effects at both global and local levels. Stakeholder engagement is critical for the legitimacy and quality of decisions in sustainability issues .
Technology Transfer and Collaboration:
- Efficient technology transfer and collaboration between research institutions, industries, and across countries are essential for developing and implementing cleaner products and processes. This includes leveraging platforms like the Technology Transfer Clearing House and the Clean Development Mechanism.
Firm Capabilities and Environmental Management:
- Firms need to develop specific capabilities such as advanced technology adoption, inter-firm relations, and product innovation to support environmental management practices. These capabilities help firms become greener and improve their environmental performance.
Post-Normal Sustainability Technologies (PNSTs):
- Developing post-normal sustainability technologies involves engaging stakeholders in co-producing knowledge about sustainability. This approach recognizes the complexity and value diversity in sustainability issues and promotes participatory decision-making processes.
Integration of Sustainability in Education:
- Integrating sustainability concepts into higher education, particularly in fields like software engineering, ensures that future technological developments consider environmental concerns. This approach helps build competencies for creating greener and more resource-efficient systems.
Socio-Technical Transitions:
- A balanced approach to sustainability transitions involves understanding the co-evolution of technology and society. This includes focusing on networks, multi-actor processes, and the social construction of technology to guide sustainable development.
Green Technologies and Eco-Friendly Approaches:
- Utilizing green technologies and eco-friendly approaches, such as bioremediation, nanotechnology, and the use of microorganisms and plants for waste management, is vital for addressing environmental challenges. These methods help in the safe management of industrial wastes and the reclamation of degraded lands.
Supplier Involvement in Sustainable Design:
- Leveraging suppliers' environmental management capabilities in new product development can enhance a firm's sustainable design practices. This collaboration helps improve both environmental and economic performance.

Conclusion

Advancing environmental sustainability requires a comprehensive approach that includes cleaner production methods, effective technology assessment, and stakeholder engagement. Collaboration and efficient technology transfer are crucial, as are developing firm-specific capabilities and integrating sustainability into education. Embracing post-normal sustainability technologies and socio-technical transitions can further support these efforts. Utilizing green technologies and involving suppliers in sustainable design practices are also key strategies for achieving sustainable development goals.

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How do we develop technologies and practices for environmental sustainability?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Links between sustainability and technology development

Sustainable development requires more than just using environmentally friendly technologies; it also requires assessing the impacts of technologies using Constructive Technology Assessment methods.

Technology transfer and sustainability

Effective technology transfer and application of sustainable technologies in industry are crucial for developing cleaner products and processes, benefiting both industry and research partners.

Identifying Firm Capabilities as Drivers of Environmental Management and Sustainability Practices – Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers

Advanced technology, inter-firm relations, and product innovation are key capabilities that support small and medium-sized manufacturers' efforts to become 'greener' in environmental management practices.

Developing post-normal technologies for sustainability

Post-normal sustainability technologies (PNSTs) can bridge the gap between sustainability rhetoric and practices, promoting stakeholder engagement and addressing complex issues in decision-making and accountability processes.

Infusing sustainability into software engineering education: Lessons learned from capstone projects

Integrating sustainability into software engineering education can enhance the development of ICT competences for building cleaner, greener, and more resource- and energy-efficient cyber-physical systems.

Sustainability Transitions and the Nature of Technology

A more balanced approach to sustainability transitions, incorporating insights from philosophy and sociology of technology, could guide technology choices and influence the definition of sustainable development.

Green technologies and environmental sustainability

Green technologies, such as constructed wetlands, can effectively treat wastewaters and reduce environmental pollutants.

Leveraging sustainable design practices through supplier involvement in new product development: The role of the suppliers' environmental management capability

Firms can improve environmental and economic performance in new product development by leveraging internal sustainable design practices and external supplier involvement, depending on their environmental management capability.

Developing sustainable products and services

This paper presents a method for developing sustainable products and services, incorporating eco-design and cleaner production principles, to guide businesses and industry in achieving optimum sustainability throughout the lifecycle of a product or service.

Mainstreaming Sustainability in Local Economic Development Practice

Strategic environmental assessment is an important tool for mainstreaming sustainability in local economic development practice, resulting in more environmentally-just outcomes.

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