ABSTRACT
The decoupling strategies take environmental aspects as their point of departure, and therefore as far as environmental issues are concerned, these decoupling mechanisms are theoretically plausible. Nevertheless, environmental sustainability is only one constituent part of the intrinsically interrelated concept of sustainability which also covers the economic and social aspects (WCED, 1987; UN, 2005). The extent to which decoupling mechanisms can be exercised is contingent on the social, economic and political conditions and circumstances in certain places and periods. Their operation may imply compromising some other societal goals, which necessitates certain policies in order to prevent undesirable economic and social consequences. In addition, the degree to which each mechanism can be applied is dependent on the features of the economic sector in question.
