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Title Rethinking waste within business history: A transnational perspective on waste recycling in World War II
ID_Doc 23875
Authors Denton, C; Weber, H
Title Rethinking waste within business history: A transnational perspective on waste recycling in World War II
Year 2022
Published Business History, 64, 5
DOI 10.1080/00076791.2021.1919092
Abstract Waste and its reuse have constituted an important field of economic activity for most of human history, including modern times. While the collected articles of this special issue exemplify the significance that waste salvage had in mobilising resources in Europe, Asia, and North America in World War II, this introduction situates these cases in a long-term perspective. It explores the continuities and ruptures inside the structures, markets, and actors of the salvage business from late nineteenth century waste reclamation, including the sanitary era of municipal waste disposal, to the more recent era of 'green' recycling. It argues that we need to rethink waste's role within business history by delineating four basic characteristics of the waste business: the moral economies that govern wasting and reusing; the informality of the trade and its operations; the trans-sectorality of the waste streams; and the reverse logistics of the waste salvage trade.
Author Keywords Waste; recycling; salvage; circular economy; World War II
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)
EID WOS:000649120900001
WoS Category Business; History Of Social Sciences
Research Area Business & Economics; Social Sciences - Other Topics
PDF https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2021.1919092
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