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Towards a unified absolute environmental sustainability decoupling indicator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Manon Villers ,
Daniela C. A. Pigosso ,
Thomas J. Howard  and
Tim C. McAloone
Manon Villers*
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Construct, Denmark Technical University of Denmark, Centre for Absolute Sustainability, Denmark
Daniela C. A. Pigosso
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Construct, Denmark Technical University of Denmark, Centre for Absolute Sustainability, Denmark
Thomas J. Howard
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship, Denmark
Tim C. McAloone
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Construct, Denmark Technical University of Denmark, Centre for Absolute Sustainability, Denmark
*
mchvi@dtu.dk

Abstract

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Manufacturing firms are facing the critical need to manage their business growth while staying within the biophysical limits of the planet. Absolute environmental sustainability decoupling (AESD) combines these goals and is one of the keys for manufacturing firms to achieve their sustainable transition. This study offers an initial contribution to categorise decoupling at the firm level while incorporating absolute environmental sustainability goals. It also explores the role of design in achieving AESD and opens doors for further research on manufacturing firms' sustainability transition.

Keywords

absolute environmental sustainabilitydecouplingmanufacturing firmecodesigndesign strategy
Type
Design for Sustainability
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 1507 - 1516
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

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