http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/10171/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/32918/ 2012-06-29T00:00:00Z This paper introduces a holistic approach to the study of sustainable development of global product chains. We first present a number of perspectives on this topic from disciplines such as economic geography, management science, sociology and environmental sciences. Each of these approaches brings in a specific focus: the consequences of geographical dispersion of economic activities, measurement of ecological and social impact, managing sustainability in supply chains, and power asymmetry among economic actors. Until now, these disciplinary research lines have remained unconnected. We argue that ecological economics provides a promising background for a more holistic conceptualization. To this end, we formulate five basic questions that serve to advance the study of sustainability throughout the product chain by connecting the foci of the identified scientific disciplines. The aim of advancing a holistic perspective has guided the selection of papers for this special subsection, which are introduced throughout the text. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/31217/ 2011-10-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/23252/ 2011-06-01T00:00:00Z There is increasing evidence that throughout the world, firms, governmental agencies and NGOs are seeking to stimulate industrial symbiosis. This concept and its application have also been the topic of extensive research. Up till now, this work lacks a more comprehensive theoretical framework, and this paper fills this gap. We provide a theoretical basis for understanding the dynamics through which regional industrial systems change their connectiveness in an attempt to reduce their ecological impact. We position our framework within the field of industrial symbiosis based on a comprehensive literature search in the ISI Web of Science database for publications that listed 'industrial symbiosis', 'eco-industrial park', or a combination of 'industrial-ecology' and 'regional' as a topic. The framework conceptualizes industrial symbiosis as a process at two levels: (1) the level of the regional industrial system (RIS), and (2) the societal level where the concept and routines of industrial symbiosis diffuse. We link the dynamics at these levels to changes in ecological impact and increase in institutional capacity. We conclude with a research agenda based on the variables and their basic relationships specified in our framework. The main line of research we propose is to systematically investigate how institutional capacity evolves over time in regional industrial systems and how it affects the ecological impact of such systems. We also propose to investigate how insights from existing literature about stimulating and impeding factors to industrial symbiosis can be understood in terms of mechanisms of transmission and how these mechanisms interact to create nationally distinct patterns of diffusion of industrial symbiosis. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/23404/ 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21992/ 2010-11-01T00:00:00Z Airports increasingly are contested areas where many sustainability aspects are relevant. Especially in cases where airport development and urban development coincide, the actors involved are engaged in decision-making processes where only a small subset of the broader scope of sustainability issues is discussed. In this article we use a conceptual framework building on complexity theory to shed light on this phenomenon and its consequences for the case of Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands. First, we analyze the systemic causes for the narrow debate about sustainability. We then use the framework to recommend ways forward to broaden the debate about the sustainable development of airports by creating the institutional space for a reflexive and collaborative dialogue. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16369/ 2009-05-15T00:00:00Z In this article we critically discuss the different perspectives that are currently in use for assessing the relationship between ecological and economic performance. Based on a review of the literature we propose that research up till now has made use of four distinct system boundaries: the firm, markets, production and consumption systems, and economic systems. Making these boundaries explicit is helpful in interpreting the mixed results that have been obtained. We describe the consequences of the choice for each of these system boundaries: and look at implications for innovation. We also argue that the production and consumption system boundary offers potential for further advances in the field and deserves more attention in future research. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16481/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Industrial ecology is a rapidly developing field of research and practice in which the sustainability of industrial systems is thought to be improved through closing of material and energy loops among firms. In this paper, I look at the developing practice around this concept from a self-organization perspective. A central question is the extent to which closing of material loops has to be planned and guided by governmental agencies. Based on a longitudinal case study of industrial ecology development in the Rotterdam harbor area (the Netherlands), the interplay between self-organization, external control, and vision development is analyzed. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/21189/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z It is by no means a new idea that the world we live in is an interconnected one. Centuries before Castells’ seminal trilogy ‘The Information Age’, various European philosophers adopted a systemic view in order to explain certain physical and social phenomena. The 1950s were the heyday of total systems thinking: the idea that everything is connected to everything. This led to the assumption that planning and policy making should cover every relevant variable, and planners and policy makers alike aspired to develop all-inclusive models of society. This was then combined with a comprehensive rational approach in an attempt to weigh all alternatives to arrive at a certain decision. Planning bureaus were established in order to facilitate such efforts at social engineering (Klijn & Snellen 2009) http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/10163/ 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z A main reason for the persistence of current water pollution lies in the diffuse character of many of its sources. For a large part such diffuse pollution is related to the production, use and waste of various kinds of products. For the reduction of this pollution, a product oriented policy strategy, based on interaction with stakeholders could be more successful than the traditional measures of direct regulation that were devised for point source reduction. In this article we identify different types of product policy, and explore the potential benefits and costs for water quality management. The methods that can be used in a product policy approach are illustrated with some examples. Although the specific advantages for water quality management have not been quantified yet, governments increasingly recognise the potential positive effects. In this context, the European Water Framework Directive, in stimulating product policy by enhancing public and stakeholders’ participation, can be considered to be part of a general development towards interactive water management.