Ecologically sustainable industrial development

The UNIDO Conference on Ecologically Sustainable Industrial Development... 

In October 1991, UNIDO convened the Ministerial Conference on Ecologically Sustainable Industrial Development (ESID), in Copenhagen, Denmark. This Conference was a milestone for the Environment Programme of the Organization and a major input, from the industry perspective, to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). 

In last years the attribute soft has become of widespread use in natural sciences soft sciences (like ecology, meteorology, etc.) have had great attendances, soft processing has become the major indication for sustainable industrial development, soft computing has proposed itself as a practically valid alternative to exact numerical computing, soft matter has attracted large interest [34, 35], and the methods of soft chemistry have become of widespread use for the preparation of new materials [36]. 

The acceptability of some industrial and ephemeral development projects such as landfill or mineral extraction may depend upon an ability to restore the landscape after exploitation has been completed. As more rural development projects come to fruition, ecologists will become increasingly involved in resource management to ensure that yields are sustained and to avert the undesirable consequences of development. Some industrial developments and rearranged plant layout schemes will not be complicated, but when ecology studies are needed, the employment of specialist consultants is recommended. 

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization [39-41] and Ausubel and Sladovich [4] emphasize the importance of cleaner production, pollution prevention, waste minimization, sustainable development, zero emission, materials substimtion, dematerialization, decarbonization, functional economic analysis, and IE indicators. These ways and means for analysis and design of industrial ecology are described separately herein. 

Indigo Development. Creating Systems Solution for Sustainable Development through Industrial Ecology, RPP International Oakland, California, elowe indigodev.com, June 5, 2000. 

The relatively new field of industrial ecology provides a useful organizing framework for DEE (Lowe, 1993). Design for Environment (DEE) is the terminology for the third component of the LCA life-cycle improvement assessment. The principle of sustainable development suggests that companies or individuals should try both to minimize the consumption of virgin natural resources and to minimize the generation of waste material that has no productive use. 

The chemical industry must rethink the next set of standards and not simply push Responsible Care to the next incremental step. Sustainable development means economic growth that does not deplete irreplaceable resonrces, does not destroy ecological systems, and helps reduce some of the world s gross social inequalities. 

It is clear from the foregoing that presently known PI methods can contribute considerably to the process industry in meeting the social, ecological, and economic constraints of sustainable development. For each new application it remains a challenge to the engineers to identify ways to provide for the needs of people, especially the poor, while meeting all SD constraints. 

Installe, M. Engineering education for a more sustainable development some proposals and an experimentation. International Conference on Industrial Ecology and Sustainability, Troyes, France, 1999. 

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