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The Technological Environment

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Technological Environmental Innovations
Joseph Huber

Der Hallesche Graureiher 2005-1

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Institut für Soziologie
2005

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Forschungsberichte des Instituts für Soziologie
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Joseph Huber - Technological Environmental Innovations (TEIs)

Technological Environmental Innovations
Joseph Huber

Abstract
This paper is based on empirical research on a taxonomy of technological environmental innovations. It draws on a databank with over 500 examples of new technologies (materials, products, processes and practices) which come with benign environmental effects.
The approaches applied to interpreting the datasets are innovation life cycle analysis, and product chain analysis. Main results include the following:
1. Innovations merely aimed at eco-efficiency do in most cases not represent significant contributions to improving the properties of the industrial metabolism. This can better be achieved by technologies that fulfill the criteria of eco-consistency (metabolic consistency), also called eco-effectiveness.
2. Ecological pressure of a technology is basically determined by its conceptual make-up and design. Most promising thus are technologies in earlier rather than later stages of their life cycle (i.e. during R&D and customisation in growing numbers), because it is during the stages before reaching the inflection point and maturity in a learning curve where technological environmental innovations can best contribute to improving ecological consistency of the industrial metabolism while

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