The mission of Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology is a branch of science that seeks to develop an integrated scientific base that can support the social actors involved in sustainable development.
Activities at the Department of Industrial Ecology are based on the need for new skills, behaviors and life patterns, which are essential in the process of sustainable community development, both globally and in our own region around the Baltic Sea.
Sustainable development requires partnerships, active participation and democracy. Industry, municipalities, government agencies, professional associations, and universities are important partners and stakeholders.
Universities are important partners to work on sustainable community development together with the other stakeholders, as far as possible using evidence based science.
At KTH our department conducts education and research in sustainable development, with an emphasis on the relationship between technology and the ecosystems, and the conditions that sustainable community development requires.
The future will put new demands on the engineer. Technology is developing ever faster, as well as social developments affecting today's ecosystems on a local and global level. The engineer's ability to see complexity and wholeness, and to acquire new skills need to be coupled with broad knowledge of the role of technology on ecosystems, society and economy. This situation requires new ways of dealing with complex systems where we do not have access to reliable data and where human values play a major role in the choice of solutions.
The Department's vision is:
- In our teaching and research to increasingly integrate technology, ecology, economics and social aspects of the conditions for sustainable ecosystems. An important part of our research and education is scientifically based methods and tools for systems analysis.
- To deepen the cooperation in research and teaching with industry cities, and municipalities around Stockholm in methods and tools for sustainable development. Of particular importance is the cooperation with small and medium-sized businesses. We want to actively promote the university's third mission, to communicate with society.
- Being a learning organization, that in our teaching about sustainable development will have a priority on solving problems. We want to prioritize methods in which the student's self-reflection are trained and placed in the center.
- To develop international cooperation in research and teaching
- To be a powerful partner for societal actors in efforts to promote sustainable community development
Based on our mission, the department developed a strategy and a business plan.
