Industrial ecology in management education: the case of the Uniandes School of Management

Industrial ecology is an emerging field that studies the physical foundations of the socioeconomic systems (e.g., flows and stocks of materials) and approaches to sustainable development from various levels such as... [ view full abstract ]

Industrial ecology is an emerging field that studies the physical foundations of the socioeconomic systems (e.g., flows and stocks of materials) and approaches to sustainable development from various levels such as individuals, businesses and industries, cities, and countries. According to a recent review, industrial ecology education has been mainly offered at engineering and physical science departments and schools, which shows a particular emphasis on the technical and engineering aspects of industrial ecology. In this study, we present a case to show how industrial ecology can be integrated to the education program at management schools. We particularly examine the case of the School of Management at the Universidad de los Andes, which is one of the first schools that introduced industrial ecology in their undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs in Latin America. We first identify the link between industrial ecology and management to show the relevance of industrial ecology in management education and present how the idea and approach of industrial ecology is integrated into various courses and research programs. This study contributes to the understanding of the role of higher education in transforming societies for sustainability, particularly in the context of emerging economies.