Edgeryders Submits Article to The Journal of Industrial Ecology About Sustainable Behavior in the Automotive Sector
As part of TREASURE, Edgeryders has submitted an article to the Journal of Industrial Ecology (JIE). A beacon of holistic approaches, the JIE has become a pivotal platform for exploring industry, environment, and human behavior interactions.
Titled “Conceptualizations of Sustainable Behavior, Circular Economy, and Car Electronics in the Automotive Sector: An Ethnographic Perspective,” the study submitted delves into the complex world of the automotive industry, drawing insights from ethnographic interviews and semantic network analysis.
This anthropological lens on human behavior within industrial contexts unveils hidden assumptions and biases, offering unique perspectives on sustainable practices, particularly the circular economy.
A significant revelation from the study is the prevailing ambivalence surrounding car electronics. The complexities of interactions between humans and cars, given the vast array of industrial materials used in car manufacturing, lead to intriguing challenges and opportunities—especially when considering the implications for privacy, surveillance, and the acceptance of sustainable technologies.
Incorporating such an ethnographic standpoint in our study, we discovered the technological intricacies and the cultural nuances that shape sustainable behavior. The general public, we found, has limited familiarity with the concept of the “circular economy” in the context of automobiles. Furthermore, personal networks rooted in trust emerged as pivotal when deciding about car maintenance.
About the Journal of Industrial Ecology (JIE)
Founded by the Yale School of the Environment and currently owned by the International Society of Industrial Ecology, the JIE welcomes interdisciplinary studies, publishing both open-access and traditional articles, entirely online. The JIE’s editing process is a collaborative effort between several esteemed institutions, including Tsinghua University, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the University of Southern Denmark.
At its core, industrial ecology seeks to understand the complex web of materials and energy flows at various scales—products, processes, or entire economies. The overarching aim? To unearth the potential roles industry can play in alleviating environmental challenges and steering us towards a more sustainable future.