The Ideal of a Zero-Waste Humanity: Philosophical Reflections on the Demand for a Bio-Based Economy

Abstract

In this paper we inquire into the fundamental assumptions that underpin the ideal of the Bio-Based Economy (BBE) as it is currently developed. By interpreting the BBE from the philosophical perspective on economy developed by Georges Bataille, we demonstrate how the BBE is fully premised on a thinking of scarcity. As a result, the BBE exclusively frames economic problems in terms of efficient production, endeavoring to exclude a thinking of abundance and wastefulness. Our hypothesis is that this not only entails a number of internal tensions and inconsistencies with regard to the ideal of BBE, but ultimately undermines the ideal itself, by pushing purported regenerativity into a cataclysmic and terminal discharge. We here point to the strategies that the BBE employs in this exclusion, the fundamental assumptions regarding the relation between energy and economy that underpin this endeavor, as well as to the resulting inconsistencies and their catastrophic consequences. We finally argue for the introduction of the presently excluded question of abundance and wastefulness and explore the implications of such a question for the ideal of a zero-waste humanity.

Exploring the Dedicated Knowledge Base of a Transformation towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy

“…Similar ambiguity can be observed in the context of the bioeconomy (e.g., [15,139]). When taking the complexity of normative knowledge seriously, it may even be impossible to define globally effective rules, norms, or values (in terms of a universal paradigm for an SKBBE) [21].…”

Pathways to Shape the Bioeconomy

“…Critics complain that the original variety of possible implementation pathways for the bioeconomy has been limited to technical solutions from the very beginning, including socially strongly contested technologies such as genetic engineering and synthetic biology (e.g., [98]). According to the critics, the prevailing vision represents only certain interests and not society as a whole, and excludes alternative pathways right from the start [76,99,100]. While funding is strongly focused on the life sciences, little attention is paid to other areas of research, such as agro-ecological farming, breeding of alternative crops for marginal sites, or social innovations [14,35].…”

“…Critics suppose that the bioeconomy in its prevailing technology-based understanding will reinforce the excessive consumption of resources and represents the exact opposite of alternative growth paradigms [90,118]. In their view, a societal transition towards a bioeconomy can only provide sustainable solutions to global challenges if it also includes changes in consumer behavior (e.g., [90,100]). …”

Sustainable Development and Well-Being: A Philosophical Challenge

“…The fact that this expenditure is 'useless' is precisely the point. It is, as Zwier et al (2015) describe, a kind of pressure valve, which allows the transformation of energy into growth to continue. Without this excessive release or expenditure, either catastrophically or gloriously, the system cannot continue.…”

“…His vision helps us envisage a world where we cease to rely on fossil fuels and other storable energy resources and instead rely on the sun's excessive energies and communities' ability to share it. Zwier et al (2015) even argue that a sustainability strategy like the biobased economy will only succeed if it gives up on the scarcity model that underpins it and embraces the pressure valves of glorious expenditures.…”