Balancing clean & efficient technology against cost
Description:
There is a growing movement towards a more efficient use of all available resources. This movement is highly correlated to the "green conscience" that is seeing expansion for several years and now is culminating with the awareness caused by the climate warming and changes in ecosystems.
Because of that, recycling is the word of the day and efficient use of resources is the new guidance every institution is following at this moment.
But the society that wants clean and efficient technology is the same that is always hungry for more technology at a faster pace. This constant demand for the new is reducing the life cycle of several products, forcing the manufacturers to produce more and more new units.
At the same time, there is not enough time to develop those new technologies in a way of being fully cost effective.
Enablers:
- Governments (laws)
- Public opinion (pressure)
- High price of some resources
- Greenhouse Effect (global warming)
- Some resources will not last forever
Inhibitors:
- High investments in R&D
- Some materials are not easy to recycle
- Sometimes is less expensive to make a new than to recycle the old
- Consumers are always looking for new options, which reduced the life of several products (especially electronics)
Paradigms:
Society wants clean and efficient technology but is still very cost sensitive.
Experts:
- Research centers
- Scientists
- Environmental agencies