Sustainability objects as performative definitions of sustainability: The case of food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers
Corvellec, Hervé LU
(2016)
In Journal of Material Culture
21(3).
p.383-401
- Abstract
- This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects as a label for objects that come with a claim of promoting a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects construct a performative definition of sustainability. A case study of the development of a facility for the pre-treatment of food-waste-based biogas and biofertilizers serves as an empirical example of the development of sustainability objects. The analysis demonstrates that this development and concomitant defining of sustainability have involved the contextualizing of biogas and biofertilizers, entangling them in nets of relationships and endowing them with an agency of their own. With sustainability objects embodying... (More)
- This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects as a label for objects that come with a claim of promoting a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects construct a performative definition of sustainability. A case study of the development of a facility for the pre-treatment of food-waste-based biogas and biofertilizers serves as an empirical example of the development of sustainability objects. The analysis demonstrates that this development and concomitant defining of sustainability have involved the contextualizing of biogas and biofertilizers, entangling them in nets of relationships and endowing them with an agency of their own. With sustainability objects embodying definitions of sustainability, their success or failure as objects derive from the success or failure of the performative definitions that they embody, and vice versa. Asking why sustainability objects gain or lose ground is therefore suggested as a way of understanding the character and evolution of sustainability transition. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4825f552-548f-412d-941f-b4c24c39adb2
- author
- Corvellec, Hervé
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016-08-26
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Biofertilizers, Biogas, Food waste, Performativity, Sustainability issues., Sweden
- in
- Journal of Material Culture
- volume
- 21
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 19 pages
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84983732234
- wos:000382868400006
- ISSN
- 1359-1835
- DOI
- 10.1177/1359183516632281
- project
- From waste management to waste prevention. Closing implementation gaps through sustainable action nets
- Organizing critical infrastructure services-The case of Waste Management
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4825f552-548f-412d-941f-b4c24c39adb2
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-29 14:03:38
- date last changed
- 2022-12-21 18:16:19
@article{4825f552-548f-412d-941f-b4c24c39adb2,
abstract = {{This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects as a label for objects that come with a claim of promoting a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects construct a performative definition of sustainability. A case study of the development of a facility for the pre-treatment of food-waste-based biogas and biofertilizers serves as an empirical example of the development of sustainability objects. The analysis demonstrates that this development and concomitant defining of sustainability have involved the contextualizing of biogas and biofertilizers, entangling them in nets of relationships and endowing them with an agency of their own. With sustainability objects embodying definitions of sustainability, their success or failure as objects derive from the success or failure of the performative definitions that they embody, and vice versa. Asking why sustainability objects gain or lose ground is therefore suggested as a way of understanding the character and evolution of sustainability transition.}},
author = {{Corvellec, Hervé}},
issn = {{1359-1835}},
keywords = {{Biofertilizers; Biogas; Food waste; Performativity; Sustainability issues.; Sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{383--401}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Journal of Material Culture}},
title = {{Sustainability objects as performative definitions of sustainability: The case of food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1359183516632281}},
doi = {{10.1177/1359183516632281}},
volume = {{21}},
year = {{2016}},
}