Unmaking Waste

Explores the concept of waste from fresh historical, cultural, and geographical perspectives. Garbage is often assumed to be an inevitable part and problem of human existence. But when did people actually come to think of things as “trash”—as becoming worthless over time or through use, as having an end? Unmaking Waste tackles these questions through a long-term, cross-cultural approach. Drawing on archaeological finds, historical documents, and ethnographic observations to examine Europe, the United States, and Central America from prehistory to the present, Sarah Newman traces how different ideas about waste took shape in different times and places. Newman examines what people consider to be “waste” and how they interact with it, as well as what happens when different perceptions of trash come into conflict. Conceptions of waste have shaped forms of reuse and renewal in ancient Mesoamerica, early modern ideas of civility and forced religious conversion in New Spain, and even the modern discipline of archaeology. Newman argues that centuries of assumptions imposed on other places, times, and peoples need to be rethought. This book is not only a broad reconsideration of waste; it is also a call for new forms of archaeology that do not take garbage for granted. Unmaking Waste reveals that waste is not—and never has been—an obvious or universal concept.

This book provides scholars working in the many disciplines that relate to the concept of the Circular Economy with a cross-disciplinary forum, looking at areas such as: Theory, Policy and Contexts; Improving Resource Efficiency and Reducing Waste; Changing Consumption and Behaviour by Design; and Transforming Technologies of Production.

The Routledge Handbook of Waste Studies offers a comprehensive survey of the new field of waste studies, critically interrogating the cultural, social, economic, and political systems within which waste is created, managed, and circulated. While scholars have not settled on a definitive categorization of what waste studies is, more and more researchers claim that there is a distinct cluster of inquiries, concepts, theories and key themes that constitute this field. In this handbook the editors and contributors explore the research questions, methods, and case studies preoccupying academics working in this field, in an attempt to develop a set of criteria by which to define and understand waste studies as an interdisciplinary field of study. This handbook will be invaluable to those wishing to broaden their understanding of waste studies and to students and practitioners of geography, sociology, anthropology, history, environment, and sustainability studies.

Introduces evolution of circlar economy to clarify the concept from engineering perspective Gives global overview of adoption of circlar economy covering Japan, Korea, China, EU, North Americas and Australia Emphasizes on pertinent case studies Provide examples of circular economy practices in manufacturing and services and give insights to business models and financing Presents comprehensive overview of wide-ranging and highly interconnected paradigms, such as supply chains, eco-design, businesses models and reverse logistics

As a cultivated form of invention, product design is a deeply human phenomenon that enables us to shape, modify and alter the world around us – for better or worse. The recent emergence of the sustainability imperative in product design compels us to recalibrate the parameters of good design in an unsustainable age. Written by designers, for designers, the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design presents the first systematic overview of the burgeoning field of sustainable product design. Brimming with intelligent viewpoints, critical propositions, practical examples and rich theoretical analyses, this book provides an essential point of reference for scholars and practitioners at the intersection of product design and sustainability. The book takes readers to the depth of our engagements with the designed world to advance the social and ecological purpose of product design as a critical twenty-first-century practice. Comprising 35 chapters across 6 thematic parts, the book’s contributors include the most significant international thinkers in this dynamic and evolving field.

This book analyses ‘zero-waste’ (ZW) as an emerging waste management strategy for the future, which considers waste prevention through innovative design and sustainable consumption practices. Drawing on a diverse range of case studies from Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, and the USA, this book explores why urban waste management systems still remain a major challenge for almost all cities around the world. Rejecting waste as an ‘end-of-life’ problem, Atiq Zaman and Tahmina Ahsan instead consider waste prevention through the ZW model, in which resources are utilized and consumed with minimum environmental degradation. In addition, the authors give extended discussion on why embracing the ZW concept will be beneficial for the circular economy (CE). Providing a strategic zero-waste framework and an evaluation tool to measure waste management performance aimed towards ZW goals, this book will be of great relevance to students, scholars, and policymakers with an interest in waste management, sustainable consumption, urban planning, and sustainable development.

This book uncovers, explores and analyses the cultural and social factors and values that lie behind waste making, recycling and disposal in the Asia Pacific region, where impressive economic growth has led to significant increases in production, consumption and concomitant waste production. This volume demonstrates the immense scope of waste as a multi-sectoral phenomenon, covering discussions on food, menstrual products, sewage, electronics, scrap, nuclear waste, plastics, and even entire villages as they are submerged underwater by dam building, considered expendable in favour of economic growth. It discusses the wide range of approaches and contexts through which people interact with waste, including socio-economic analysis, participatory observation, laboratory science, art, video, installations, literature and photography. Case studies focusing on India, China and Japan, in addition to other regional examples, demonstrate the ubiquity of waste, materially and geographically. It examines the duality of waste management, fostering community building while simultaneously excluding marginalised groups; how it can be linked to efforts creating circular economies, to then reappear in oceanic garbage patches; or technical waste repurposed for high-tech laboratory research before being discarded once again. This timely and wide-ranging collection of essays will be an important read for scholars, researchers and students in sustainability, development studies, discard studies, and social and cultural history, particularly focusing on countries in the Asia-Pacific.

This unique text offers a holistic, insightful and timely exploration of sustainable practices across the fashion industry. The book takes the reader logically through each part of the authors’ new Responsible 9 FrameworkTM, providing a clear perspective and examples for each component. The framework thoroughly explains the move away from a singular product commercial focus to a Conscious Item approach and Circular Services business mindset. An organisation’s people are at the heart of the new framework and have therefore been rebranded as Community. Next addressed is the Perceived Value of an item or brand, and how sustainable pricing initiatives actively influence consumer purchase. Insights into Accountable Systems are reviewed to examine the importance of responsible processes when considering and integrating a successful, sustainable supply chain into a fashion business. The section on Governance looks at the different global organisations available to fashion brands and customers alike, which support their transition into a responsible and sustainable future existence. The last two sections of the framework are labelled Storytelling Platforms and Honest Communication, where transparent and honest strategies are highlighted and discussed from a viewpoint of how modern brands are engaging and connecting to the new conscious consumer. For each of the nine aspects, contemporary case studies from global brands such as Stella McCartney, Zalando and Arc'teryx, alongside insights from current, leading experts within the fashion world, bring the theory to life. Showing how sustainability has been integrated throughout the entirety of the fashion business, this textbook is perfect for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students Fashion Management, Fashion Brand Management and Fashion Marketing, as well as reflective leaders and practitioners within the industry.