The rebound effect through industrial ecology’s eyes : the case of transport eco-innovation

Abstract

Eco-innovation often underperforms due to behavioral and systemic responses to technical change leading to additional demand and environmental damage. This paradox, also known as the rebound effect, has puzzled for decades scholars from a myriad of disciplines, mostly due to the profound implications for achieving environmental targets. Within the different disciplinary understandings, concepts and methods from the industrial ecology domain offer unexplored potential for the study of the rebound effect. The transport sector, a vital engine of social progress and historically at the spotlight of environmental policy, is a perfect case study to unveil such potential. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the role of rebound effects in shaping the environmental performance of transport eco-innovation, and to investigate the value of applying concepts and methods from the realm of industrial ecology and other sustainability sciences. Through case studies, the value of this renewed perspective – the environmental rebound effect– is confirmed in the context of complex sustainability issues.Industrial Ecolog