ABSTRACT
Resource depletion and environmental pollution have mainly been viewed as unavoidable consequences of the economic growth behind the industrialization and wealth creation of any nation. Throughout the 20th century, the global economy has been radically re-shaped by the rapid industrialization of many regions of the world, boosted by the introduction of newer and more efficient production technologies, ever-lower labour costs, the creation of economies of scale, and the progressive globalization of markets. This extraordinary period of economic expansion has eventually culminated in a mass production of goods and services across all industries, delivering not only widespread material prosperity and higher-than-ever per capita disposable income, but also multiple tangible benefits in different key sectors of the human enterprise. The challenge of how to effectively decouple economic growth from resource consumption and environmental pollution is paramount. The linear economic model is in fact clearly not fit for the macro-trends emerged with the turn of the century.
