ABSTRACT
Now, and in the coming years, industry must play a paramount role with respect to sustainability, not only as one of the main sources of environmental impact, but also as one of the main actors in the proposal of innovations and value creation. Industry-related environmental policy was originally intended to control emissions in various environments. It was widely thought that corrective technical measures at the end of the pipe would sufficiently reduce environmental impact. However, as we have seen through the years, this is insufficient in stopping progressive environmental degradation and also lacks flexibility for an evolving industry. On the one hand, it is necessary to take a quantitative leap in this approach, including the expression of risk; on the other hand, environmental considerations must be included in the entire range of industrial management. That means we must consider environmental impact within all phases of production, marketing, use and end of life once a product’s life is over. This chapter provides an overview of strategies, concepts and tools to strive for sustainability. Moreover, waste incineration is introduced as a case study for an environmental problem to address.
