Title |
Policy for material efficiency-sustainable taxation as a departure from the throwaway society |
ID_Doc |
16422 |
Authors |
Stahel, WR |
Title |
Policy for material efficiency-sustainable taxation as a departure from the throwaway society |
Year |
2013 |
Published |
Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society A-Mathematical Physical And Engineering Sciences, 371, 1986 |
DOI |
10.1098/rsta.2011.0567 |
Abstract |
The present economy is not sustainable with regard to its per capita material consumption. A dematerialization of the economy of industrialized countries can be achieved by a change in course, from an industrial economy built on throughput to a circular economy built on stock optimization, decoupling wealth and welfare from resource consumption while creating more work. The business models of a circular economy have been known since the mid-1970s and are now applied in a number of industrial sectors. This paper argues that a simple and convincing lever could accelerate the shift to a circular economy, and that this lever is the shift to a tax system based on the principles of sustainability: not taxing renewable resources including human labour-work-but taxing non-renewable resources instead is a powerful lever. Taxing materials and energies will promote low-carbon and low-resource solutions and a move towards a 'circular' regional economy as opposed to the 'linear' global economy requiring fuel-based transport for goods throughput. In addition to substantial improvements in material and energy efficiency, regional job creation and national greenhouse gas emission reductions, such a change will foster all activities based on 'caring', such as maintaining cultural heritage and natural wealth, health services, knowledge and know-how. |
Author Keywords |
sustainable taxation; circular economy; regional job creation; caring; reuse; service-life extension |
Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
Document Type |
Other |
Open Access |
Open Access |
Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
EID |
WOS:000314154100007 |
WoS Category |
Multidisciplinary Sciences |
Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics |
PDF |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsta.2011.0567
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