Sustainable Production and Consumption

The production and consumption of goods and services is central to many of the sustainability problems currently faced by our society. This course introduces students to consumption patterns and production processes using a life cycle perspective and examines why they can be unsustainable. It then examines the various strategies employed to bring about more sustainable production and consumption; on the supply-side and the demand-side. These include Life Cycle Assessment, Cleaner Production, renewable energy systems, and communication of environmental information. Emphasis is placed on providing examples of practical applications for a range of production systems- manufacturing, food supply chains, energy generation, etc. Students will gain skills in identifying and critically evaluating solutions for real-life sustainability problems.