Sustainability objects as performative definitions of sustainability: The case of food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers
Corvellec, Hervé LU
(2015)
In GRI report-Managing the Big City
2015(1).
- Abstract
- This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects to label objects that come with a claim to promote a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects contribute to defining sustainability. A case study of the development of a food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers production facility serves as empirical example of sustainability objects development. The analysis demonstrates that this development has involved situating biogas and biofertilizers socially, entangling them in nets of relations and endowing them with an agency of their own. The study also shows that developing sustainability objects entails constructing performative definitions of sustainability. With... (More)
- This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects to label objects that come with a claim to promote a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects contribute to defining sustainability. A case study of the development of a food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers production facility serves as empirical example of sustainability objects development. The analysis demonstrates that this development has involved situating biogas and biofertilizers socially, entangling them in nets of relations and endowing them with an agency of their own. The study also shows that developing sustainability objects entails constructing performative definitions of sustainability. With sustainability objects embodying local definitions of sustainability, the success or failure of sustainability objects is also the success or failure of these definitions. Asking why sustainability objects gain or lose ground is therefore suggested as a way to understand the state and nature of sustainability transition. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5368114
- author
- Corvellec, Hervé
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2015
- type
- Working paper/Preprint
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Sustainability objects, Food waste, Biogas, Biofertilizers, Sweden
- in
- GRI report-Managing the Big City
- volume
- 2015
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 23 pages
- publisher
- Gothenburg Research Institute School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg
- ISSN
- 1400-4801
- project
- From waste management to waste prevention. Closing implementation gaps through sustainable action nets
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- afbfb9c7-3759-40f0-9aa8-b9930cc3156c (old id 5368114)
- alternative location
- https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/38259
- http://gri.handels.gu.se/english/publications/gri-reports/2000-
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:24:15
- date last changed
- 2019-12-12 02:22:53
@misc{afbfb9c7-3759-40f0-9aa8-b9930cc3156c,
abstract = {{This article introduces the notion of sustainability objects to label objects that come with a claim to promote a more sustainable mode of living. The purpose is to show that organizations that develop such objects contribute to defining sustainability. A case study of the development of a food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers production facility serves as empirical example of sustainability objects development. The analysis demonstrates that this development has involved situating biogas and biofertilizers socially, entangling them in nets of relations and endowing them with an agency of their own. The study also shows that developing sustainability objects entails constructing performative definitions of sustainability. With sustainability objects embodying local definitions of sustainability, the success or failure of sustainability objects is also the success or failure of these definitions. Asking why sustainability objects gain or lose ground is therefore suggested as a way to understand the state and nature of sustainability transition.}},
author = {{Corvellec, Hervé}},
issn = {{1400-4801}},
keywords = {{Sustainability objects; Food waste; Biogas; Biofertilizers; Sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Working Paper}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Gothenburg Research Institute School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg}},
series = {{GRI report-Managing the Big City}},
title = {{Sustainability objects as performative definitions of sustainability: The case of food waste-based biogas and biofertilizers}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/8938227/5368115.pdf}},
volume = {{2015}},
year = {{2015}},
}