Anti-consumption : exploring the opposition to consumer culture by
"In this edited volume, the leading scholars in the field engage with consumers, marketers, corporations and policymakers as well as space dynamics and network formation to provide an in-depth examination of anti-consumption: a voluntary behavioural inclination to minimize rather than grow, to decelerate and simplify, and to reduce the unnecessary exploitation of resources fuelled by consumer culture. The book does not place anti-consumption on high moral ground but rather demonstrates its complexity to spur innovative and critical thinking on how people, organizations, businesses and governments can treat consumption more as a necessity for survival than as a tool for self-expression, pleasure and economic growth. The first part of the book looks at anti-consumption from a diversity of perspectives. It analyzes voluntary simplicity, a self-motivated engagement in consumption reduction, and boycotting, a politically-motivated reaction against unacceptable corporate practices, as distinct manifestations of anti-consumption that nonetheless remain rooted in the logic of the market. Paving the way to critical perspectives on the interface between anti-consumption, people and the environment, the second part of the book projects anti-consumption to issues of waste production and provides possible answers to global challenges of resources depletion, social inequalities and global warming. In this section, anti-consumption is critically assessed as actor of change, both in term of social change and paradigm change. To move the field forward, the third part of the book presents several theoretical frameworks that help set a roadmap for future research. Anti-Consumption will be of direct interest to scholars and researchers within the fields of marketing, consumer research, business studies, environmental studies and sustainability. It will also be of value to those researching the economics and/or sociology of markets"-- Provided by publisher.
Unmaking Waste in Production and Consumption by
The legacies of a century of fossil-fuel based development andoverconsumption, of treating the environment as a waste sink for industryand agriculture, have left devastating impacts on the earth's air, water andland, and these are directly implicated in Climate Change. In response, anumber of global institutions and nations, including the European Unionand China, have committed themselves to the development of a 'circulareconomy'. This will require a transformation of today's 'linear economy' of'make, use and dispose' as the market dictates, into a Circular Economy. The aim of the Circular Economy is to decouple economic growth fromresource and energy use through iterative, systemic social, economic andtechnological reform. This book presents new theoretical and practicalinsights into this concept, based on case studies from both the developingand developed world, with an emphasis on economic and materialtransformation, design for reuse and waste reduction, industrial 'symbiosis'(the planned circulation of resources and energy within an industrial setting),and social innovation and entrepreneurship. Four central themes emerge through the essays presented here: theimportance of 'restorative design' in transforming resource flows throughboth production and consumption, the value of understanding andenumerating wastes in more detail to enable their reuse, the central roleof advancing technology and applied science to further this transformationof materials for reuse, and finally, a reconfiguration of design, consumptionand retail, so that the present 'linear' economy of 'make, use and trash' canbe replaced with a more 'circular' model.
Waste by
Waste is one of the planet's last great resource frontiers. From furniture made from up-cycled wood to gold extracted from computer circuit boards, artisans and multinational corporations alike are finding ways to profit from waste while diverting materials from overcrowded landfills. Yet beyond these benefits, this "new" resource still poses serious risks to human health and the environment. In this unique book, Kate O'Neill traces the emergence of the global political economy of wastes over the past two decades. She explains how the emergence of waste governance initiatives and mechanisms can help us deal with both the risks and the opportunities associated with the hundreds of millions - possibly billions - of tons of waste we generate each year. Drawing on a range of fascinating case studies to develop her arguments, including China's role as the primary recipient of recyclable plastics and scrap paper from the Western world, "Zero-Waste" initiatives, the emergence of transnational waste-pickers' alliances, and alternatives for managing growing volumes of electronic and food wastes, O'Neill shows how waste can be a risk, a resource, and even a livelihood, with implications for governance at local, national, and global levels.
Waste by
Waste: A Handbook for Management gives the broadest, most complete coverage of waste in our society. The book examines a wide range of waste streams, including: Household waste (compostable material, paper, glass, textiles, household chemicals, plastic, water, and e-waste) Industrial waste (metals, building materials, tires, medical, batteries, hazardous mining, and nuclear) Societal waste (ocean, military, and space) The future of landfills and incinerators Covering all the issues related to waste in one volume helps lead to comparisons, synergistic solutions, and a more informed society. In addition, the book offers the best ways of managing waste problems through recycling, incineration, landfill and other processes.
