Metals have been essential to human civilisation for many thousands of years. With a broad range of applications they have found their way into virtually every aspect of our daily lives. Their durable and recyclable properties should make them ideal materials for a sustainable economy. But can metals live up to this promise? What are the economic, ecological, and social implications of their increasing use? How can we secure the supply of high-quality metals in the future? Do we need substitutes for scarce or especially toxic metals? We will face many such questions on the path towards sustainable production, trade and use of metals. This book brings together experts from many fields, with sometimes controversial opinions, to discuss the conditions and limits of a sustainable metals management. The ideas and goals of sustainability are not only explained theoretically, but also applied to various stages of the metal making and trading process.

Metals have been vital to human civilization for many thousands of years. Their durability and recyclability should make them ideal materials for a sustainable economy. This book assembles experts from many fields to discuss the conditions and limits of sustainable metals management. The contributors examine the theoretical ideas and goals of sustainability, and apply them across the metal making and trading process.

Die Industrial Ecology, eine noch junge Forschungsdisziplin mit Schwerpunkt in den Natur-, Ingenieur- und Planungswissenschaften, sucht nach gangbaren Loesungswegen und nimmt sich dabei die Natur selbst zum Vorbild. OEkosysteme wirtschaften mit Sonnenenergie und nachwachsenden Rohstoffe, rezyklieren ihre Abfalle, sind robust und eigensicher und schaffen es, mit Komplexitat umzugehen. In diesem Buch gehen Experten der Industrial Ecology der Frage nach, wie nachhaltig nach dem Vorbild von OEkosystemen gewirtschaftet werden kann, ohne dabei aus den Augen zu verlieren, wie dies alles mit einer gerechten und oekonomisch stabilen gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung vereinbar ist.