Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Moving Toward Loop-Closing Structures - Systems Issues in Achieving Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing

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9528621 Ehrenfeld In this research, systems models will be developed that simulate the evolutionary, learning characteristics of typical loop-closing structures. Loop-closing structures in industrial ecology are those that incorporate materials recycling as well as product reuse and remanufacturing to minimize the demands on the complete ecosystem. This work aims to build on individual product- or process-focused research to develop a better description of the dynamic evolutionary behavior of the larger socio-technical-ecological system. Organizational and cultural norms and preferences need to be considered to determine critical information linkages as well as primary economic and material flows. Two cases will be developed: aluminum use in automobiles; and alternate materials choices for durable products and components. Modeling of complex interactions among economic, institutional, and contextual variables could improve understanding of the nature of industrial ecological systems. This understanding could enable a transformation of traditional industrial processes to loop-closing processes in which all components are environmentally conscious of the entire system. More effective design, strategic, and policy choices in manufacturing could result.