Putting the Ecological Modernisation Thesis to the Test: The Promises and Performances of Urban Recycling

In this contribution, we challenge one of the core hypotheses of ecological modernisation theory: that the design, performance and evaluation of processes of production are increasingly based on ecological criteria, in addition to economic criteria [ Mol, 1995, 1996; Spaargaren, 1997; Spaargaren and Mol, 1992 ], Ecological modernisation theory has quickly captured a substantial following among environmental sociologists in Europe [ Mol, 1995, 1996; Spaargaren, 1997; Spaargaren and Mol, 1992 ] and increasingly in the United States [ Cohen 1998 ; Sonnenfeld, this volume]. ¹