Industrial Ecology as a Source of Competitive Advantage

(2014) " Industrial ecology as a source of competitive advantage, " Journal of Industrial Ecology, 18(5): 597-602. " We see this special feature as a call to arms; the first spark in igniting work at the interface of business management and IE. Its contribution may lie, not just in the specific set of papers in this special feature, but also in starting a discussion about the root cause of this as yet underdeveloped field, and hopefully sparking the interest of scholars to fill the void. " The goal of this special feature is to explore Industrial Ecology (IE) concepts and tools as the basis for competitive advantage for business. Past studies of the relationship between business and IE exist (e. but there is little sustained attention to this important issue. Without an understanding of the ways in which IE can be the basis for profitable business endeavors, the concept risks either remaining largely a technical exercise or being limited in its application to the public sector. But an appreciation for the strategic and economic motivations for companies to adopt IE principles, and its associated tools and models, can further the environmental benefits that this systems approach can provide. The competitive advantage obtained though IE could accrue through several alternative mechanisms, ranging from cost savings or enhanced profits to improved brand positioning, product differentiation, gains in market share, organizational know-how, ability to attract and retain talent, or gaining an advantageous position in an industry's evolving structure. Hart (1995) provides an early discussion of various ways in which a firm's approach to environmental matters in general can contribute to competitive advantage, and a substantial literature has evolved since then. The more focused question of how IE specifically can contribute to competitive advantage has yet to be addressed, hence this special feature. We are pleased with the final set of papers that resulted, but we were surprised with the low number of submissions. Below, we first summarize the contents of this special feature, and then provide our thoughts on why the number of submissions was lower than expected. We conclude with the directions we see for this emerging and important research domain.