Reid J. Lifset
Associate Research Scholar, Resident Fellow in Industrial Ecology, Associate Director of the Industrial Environmental Management Program, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Industrial Ecology
Research Statement
Research Statement
My research interests are driven in significant part by my interest in exploring the intellectual productivity and practical value of tools and frameworks emerging from industrial ecology. This emerging field examines the environmental consequences of production and consumption by studying of the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, of the effects of these flows on the environment, and of the influences of economic, political, regulatory, and social factors on the flow, use, and transformation of resources. The objective of industrial ecology is to understand better how we can integrate environmental concerns into our economic activity. My research efforts inform and are informed by my work in setting the intellectual direction of the Journal of Industrial Ecology through my role as editor-in-chief of that publication.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR):
My primary area of research focuses on the emergence, rationales for, and evaluation of EPR (more commonly known as, but not limited to, product take-back). EPR typically takes the form of requirements for producers to “take-back” their products for recycling and waste management. It is a prominent element of emerging efforts to take a product-centered/life cycle-based approach to environmental policy (“integrated product policy” or IPP), a central theme in industrial ecology. I am especially interested in the extent to which EPR has lead to changes in product design. My interests in EPR has led me to extensive work with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and regular columns in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. I am currently researching the role and limitations of local government initiatives in EPR.
Industrial ecology in Asia:
In conjunction with the recently received grant from the Luce Foundation for the project, “Collaborative Industrial Ecology in Asia”, I am working to identify the centers of expertise and targets of opportunity in industrial ecology and related fields in east and south Asia.
Bio-based industries and use of biomass:
Industrial production based on biologically-sourced raw materials and residuals is drawing interest in both industrial and environmental circles. This is most conspicuous with regard to biopolymers and builds on long standing research and development in biomass fuels. With rapid advances in biotechnology and the potential synergies of bio-based technologies with efforts to sequester carbon, this topic has drawn more attention. My interest focuses on the evaluation of the environmental consequences of bio-based strategies on a life cycle basis. My work currently focuses on the use of nonwood fibers for papermaking and on efforts to develop approaches for the environmental assessment of bio-based technologies.
Substance flow accounting (SFA) and waste management:
I am interested in the possibility that stocks of waste (e.g., landfills and other waste deposits) may represent a reservoir of materials of economic value that could be used in lieu of virgin material sources. This research is being conducted in the context of an NSF-funded project jointly directed with Prof. Tom Graedel and Prof. Robert Gordon (Yale Geology Dept.). This research is of interest not only for its own sake but also as a means of testing the efficacy of tools and frameworks emerging in the field of industrial ecology.
Recent Publications
Johnson, J., J. Jirikowic, M. Bertram, D. van Beers,
R. B. Gordon, K. Henderson, R. J. Klee, T. Lanzano, R. Lifset,
L. Oetjen, and T. E. Graedel. 2005. Contemporary anthropogenic
silver cycle: A multilevel analysis. Environmental Science
& Technology 39(12): 4655 - 4665.
Lifset, Reid, Robert Gordon, Thomas Graedel, Sabrina Spatari,
Marlen Bertram \"Where Has All the Copper Gone? The Stocks
and Flows Project, Part 1\" JOM October 2002.
Lifset, R. and T. E. Graedel. 2001. “Industrial Ecology:
Goals and Definitions.” In Handbook for Industrial
Ecology, edited by R. U. Ayres and L. Ayres. Brookfield:
Edward Elgar.
Godbey, G., R. Lifset, and J. Robinson. 1998. No time to
waste: An exploration of time use, attitudes toward time,
and the generation of municipal solid waste. Social Research
65(1): 101-140.
[Journal
Website]
Lifset, R. 1993. Take it back: Extended producer responsibility as a form of
incentive-based policy. Journal of Resource Management and Technology
21(4): 163-175. [Journal
Website]
