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                Chapter 3



                Sustainable Development and


                Industrial Ecology









                3.1 Introduction

                Concerning environmental issues, there is a common misconception that
                environmental protection comes at the expense of economic development
                or vice versa. This is clearly portrayed when communities faced with eco-
                nomic crises settle for alternatives that sacrifice environmental integrity
                such as incineration, treatment, or the construction of landfills even though
                these solutions in fact are extremely important but are not sustainable and
                economically expensive.
                     Sustainable development is formally defined by the World Commission
                on Environment and Development (WECD) as “development that meets the
                needs of the people today without compromising the ability of future gener-
                ations to meet their own needs”. Therefore, sustainable development refers
                to a shared commitment towards steady economic growth, given that this
                economic growth does not compromise the satisfactory management of avail-
                able environmental resources. Resource allocation, financial investments,
                and social change are directed in a sound manner that guarantees their sus-
                tainability or continuation with time and thus they are made consistent
                with both future and present needs. Another notable definition for sustain-
                able development by Sustainable Seattle is “economic and social changes that
                promote human prosperity and quality of life without causing ecological or
                social damage” (Redefining Progress 2002). Industries are therefore encour-
                aged to flourish but also to realize their impacts on the environment and
                society around them. Thus, it can be concluded that sustainable develop-
                ment is a concept that is not only exclusive to policy makers and environ-
                mentalists, but should be a matter of concern to industries, the business
                community, and society.
                     The practice of sustainable development is not a new one. This is a con-
                cept which has been repeatedly used over time in an effort to sustain and/or

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