ABSTRACT
The transformation of more natural resources into products with shorter service lives and then into waste is widely regarded as a normal regular way for companies to do business and for consumers to fulfill their needs. The ensuing problems, such as mountains of waste, widespread environmental damage, and social problems resulting from increasing consumption of resources, are mainly attributable to the Western industrialized countries. The Brundtland definition of sustainable development-development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs-seems far removed from reality. Wackernagel and Rees [1] assessed this in terms of the “ecological footprint” and found that worldwide resource consumption dramatically exceeded ecological capacity-a clear warning to revise our attitude toward the environment. A factor of 10 for the reduction of resource consumption has been internationally agreed as necessary to achieve sustainability.
