Industrial Ecology & Business Sustainability

Industrial ecology and business sustainability analyzes relationships between regional industrial patterns, energy use, and pollution; testing models of eco-industrial development; understanding lifecycle costs of regional industries; participatory action research and collaborative learning models for business systems.

To see our publications in this research area please visit the Industrial Ecology & Business Sustainability publications page.

Industrial Ecology & Business Sustainability Projects include:

Carbon Footprinting of Paper

Led by Joshua Newell and Bob Vos at the Center for Sustainable Cities, this project takes a deeper look into the carbon burden of producing coated free sheet paper. The study takes a life-cycle assessment approach in order to compare very different supply chains for paper manufacturers in China and in the U.S. In conducting the comparison, the research uses a deep case study to explore the “spatiality” of life-cycle assessment at the inventory stage. The study seeks to uncover how the geography of the supply chain impacts the carbon burden of the coated paper. The study models transport emissions and energy emissions from different production processes and geographies. The study also explores the impact of sourcing fiber in different forest types and locations. The study considers the use suspiciously sourced versus certified fiber, and the impact on high-conservation value forests. The emerging issue of the effect of land use change on carbon burden is being investigated.

Carbon Footprint of Shipping

Cities are the major sites of consumption in the global economy, with ecological footprints that extend well outside their political boundaries.  Understanding and minimizing these extensive footprints is a major element of research in urban sustainability.  Although corporations have been analyzing overall carbon footprints for disclosure in sustainability reporting, less attention has been devoted to measuring, and labeling footprints in products themselves.  In terms of analyzing the ecological footprint of urban consumption, geographically specific analysis at the product level is key.  Since 2007, the Center For Sustainable Cities (CSC) has been engaged in research on the geography of the carbon fooprint of coated paper.  The research project, handled with support and coordination from Clean Agency, Inc. and the NewPage Corporation, compares cabon dioxide emissions embedded in coated paper sold in the Los Angeles market for supply chain networks based in the U.S. and in China.  The project compares carbon dioxide emissions in three major elements of the coated paper supply chain: energy/fuels used in pulp & paper production, carbon loss from forestry, and transportation.  In 2008, the Carbon Trust (UK), along with the British Standards Institute published a life-cycle based method for carbon footprinting of products.  With expanded efforts at consumer labeling, this is sure to be a lively area of ongoing research.

Sustainable Enterprise Executive Roundtable (SEER)

The USC Sustainable Enterprise Executive Roundtable (SEER), led by Hilary Bradbury, enables organizational learning among Southern California business leaders so that more sustainable practices result, beneiting the environment and the bottom line, through the implementation of collaborative projects that promote sustainable development. SEER is committed to developing action-oriented knowledge with measurable positive impact. SEER is a part of the business outreach program at the USC Center for Sustainable Cities. The USC Center for Sustainable Cities (CSC) fosters research, education, and partnerships to address the sustainability challenges facing metropolitan regions, and generates innovative solutions that enhance the natural environment, economic vitality, and social equity of cities worldwide.

For more information about SEER please see http://college.usc.edu/seer