A New Perspective on Organizing in Industry

Abstract

Rapid economic and industrial development has resulted in firms and society becoming more concerned about environmental impacts (Ulh0i, et al., 1994; Wolff and Ytterhus, 1995). For achieving a more sustainable development, the economic, social, and environmental roles and responsibilities of industry must be addressed (Welford, 1997). Recently, the concept of industrial ecology (IE) has been introduced as a helpful tool for companies striving for sustainable development. The idea behind IE is that through collaboration companies should be able to minimize the external wasteload (Frosch, 1992; Graedel and Allenby, 1995). Industrial ecology applies nature's principle of organizing to an organizational setting, thereby integrating the industrial system in the natural system (Frosch and Gallopoulos, 1989).