Andreas Manhart
| Link: | Staff @ www.oeko.de |
| Division: |  Sustainable Products & Material Flows |
| Description: | Since 2005 my research at the Öko-Institut has been concerned with the question of how social and environmental standards can be ensured even in highly ramified and globalized production chains. The information and communications industry is of particular interest, for in many respects it is a pioneer in the globalization of sustainability issues – in both, positive and negative ways. Besides the production and use of electronic equipment, also the end-of-life phase and the resource demand is gaining increasing attention: Especially computers and mobile phones contain various scarce and strategically important metals, so that the increasing consumption of electronic products is a major driver of problems around the sustainable supply of resources. On the other side, this sector can – via an optimisation of recycling - also contribute to a relaxation of this situation. Besides this sector-specific research, I am also active in gauging and interpreting of product specific sustainability issues. A centrepiece of my work addresses the question, how the various sustainability impacts of products can be measured and displayed in a user friendly way without loosing out on crucial aspects. |
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