Material efficiency and energy consumption

Contact:
Carsten Nathani

Providing society with material goods and the way these are produced, distributed, used and disposed of influences energy demand in many ways. In an industrialised country like Germany roughly half of total energy demand is associated with the provision of material goods. Likewise measures to increase the efficiency of materials use, including recycling and reuse of products, material and product substitution have a significant potential to reduce energy demand.

This project explores the relationship between materials use and energy demand. Another focus is laid on approaches for the economic modelling of materials use and material efficiency improvement as well as their impact on energy demand.

 

Publications

Nathani, C. (2006). Materials use and induced energy demand: an input-output analysis. Paper presented at the Intermediate International Input-Output Meeting on Sustainability, Trade and Productivity, July 26-28, 2006, Sendai, Japan.

Nathani, C. (2005). Economic modelling approaches in industrial ecology. Poster presented at the 3rd International Conference of The International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE): Industrial Ecology for a Sustainable Future. June 12-15, 2005, Stockholm.

Nathani, C., Jochem, E. (2004). Material efficiency in energy demand modelling. Proceedings of the 6th IAEE European Conference 2004: Modelling in Energy Economics and Policy, Zürich, 2-3 Sep 2004.

Kytzia, S., Nathani, C. (2004). Bridging the gap to economic analysis: economic tools for industrial ecology. Progress in Industrial Ecology, 1 (1-3), 143-164.