This study takes a valuation perspective to study how and where products and innovations are gaining ‘economic significance’ in the contemporary economy. Building on a recent research stream in economic geography and urban and regional studies, it highlights that the economic value of many products is …

The aquaculture sector is expanding worldwide, which gives this sector an important economic potential. A problem for the on land aquaculture sector is that there is insufficient quality feed for cultivating fish larvae and shellfish. Based on this problem the RAAQUA project was launched (Robust Algae …

Wind and solar power generation will continue to grow in the energy supply of the future, but its inherent variability (intermittency) requires appropriate energy systems for storing and using power. Storage of possibly temporary excess of power as methane from hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide is a promising …

A year later, in 2013, the Westerkwartier Area Cooperative was established – a new form of cooperation at the regional level, involving hundreds of dairy farmers, other SMEs, Terra MBO as the representative of the knowledge institutions in the region, the National Forest Service in the Netherlands (‘Staatsbosbeheer’), …

Sustainable consumption is interlinked with sustainable production. This chapter will introduce the closed-loop production, the circular economy, the steady state economy, and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) models of production. It will reflect on the key blockages to a meaningful sustainable production and …

Community-based business models are an emerging phenomenon in business reality, particularly in new economic developments such as making. They are a form of commons-based peer production. This paper contributes to advancing research through a multiple case study of eleven community-based maker businesses. …

Ever since the recognition of the causality between earthquakes in the Region Groningen, gas production and the ensuing damage to houses and buildings in that area, government faces big challenges in policy-making. On the one hand liability for damages must result in fast and effective repair of houses …

Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) are publicly accessible workshops offering digital manufacturing technology and electronics tools to anyone. Fab Labs continue a tradition of places for do-it-yourself (DIY) with technology for tinkering and inventing. They stand at the beginning of what has become …

Direct emissions of emerging and well known contaminants via industrial wastewater treatment plants (IWTPs) considerably impact Dutch surface water concentrations with vulnerable drinking water functions. In this nationwide impact study, the impact of 182 Dutch IWTPs was modelled, whilst taking geographic …

According to the critics of conventional sustainability models, particularly within the business context, it is questionable whether the objective of balancing the social, economic and environmental triad is feasible, and whether human equality and prosperity (as well as population growth) can be achieved …