TY - JOUR

T1 - Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA) of landfills - a systemic approach

T2 - theoretical considerations

AU - Lang, Daniel Johannes

AU - Scholz, Roland W.

AU - Binder, Claudia R.

AU - Wiek, Arnim

AU - Stäubli, Beat

PY - 2007/11/1

Y1 - 2007/11/1

N2 - Implementing sustainable development (SD) requires operationalizing this rather vague guiding principle in a socio-technological context. This paper refers to a notion of SD that stresses approaching SD from a systemic perspective. We first present the Function-Structure-Context Framework to appraise if and how systemic characteristics are considered in assessments. The latter framework includes a functional, structural, and contextual dimension, as well as the interdependencies of these dimensions. We then analyze four currently applied landfill assessment methods with respect to this framework: i.e., MCEA (Modified Cost Effectiveness Analysis), LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), RA (Risk Assessment), and TVA (Swiss Technical Ordinance Waste). With respect to the analyzed methods, we can reveal that each of them focuses on specific systemic dimensions in its assessment step, whereas none refers to the whole range of dimensions and interdependencies of the framework presented. We then propose the so-called Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA) as an alternative comprehensive SD assessment approach, which has the potential to integrate the results of the other methods for achieving a systemic SD assessment.

AB - Implementing sustainable development (SD) requires operationalizing this rather vague guiding principle in a socio-technological context. This paper refers to a notion of SD that stresses approaching SD from a systemic perspective. We first present the Function-Structure-Context Framework to appraise if and how systemic characteristics are considered in assessments. The latter framework includes a functional, structural, and contextual dimension, as well as the interdependencies of these dimensions. We then analyze four currently applied landfill assessment methods with respect to this framework: i.e., MCEA (Modified Cost Effectiveness Analysis), LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), RA (Risk Assessment), and TVA (Swiss Technical Ordinance Waste). With respect to the analyzed methods, we can reveal that each of them focuses on specific systemic dimensions in its assessment step, whereas none refers to the whole range of dimensions and interdependencies of the framework presented. We then propose the so-called Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA) as an alternative comprehensive SD assessment approach, which has the potential to integrate the results of the other methods for achieving a systemic SD assessment.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

KW - Sustainable development (SD)

KW - Systemic perspective

KW - Function-Structure-Context Framework

KW - Method comparison

KW - Modified Cost Effectiveness Analysis (MCEA)

KW - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

KW - Assessment (RA

KW - Sustainability Potential Analysis (SPA)

KW - Landfill management

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34447289362&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d19c6879-5f76-31ff-8682-5c5b17ec6202/

U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.08.004

DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.08.004

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 15

SP - 1628

EP - 1638

JO - Journal of Cleaner Production

JF - Journal of Cleaner Production

SN - 0959-6526

IS - 17

ER -