Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
1-2021
Abstract
Current levels of resource use are unsustainable, but there is a debate about the most feasible way to reduce them. One proposed mechanism is technological innovation: specifically, the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) could result in significant reductions in material consumption by substituting virtual for material goods, increasing resource efficiency, and replacing more resource-intensive sectors. Critics of this view argue that dematerialization due to ICTs is unlikely: they consume large amounts of resources and encourage additional consumption. Additionally, increased efficiency resulting from ICT use could lead to rebound effects, reducing their environmentally beneficial impact. This paper uses a novel measure–material flows–to investigate the relationship between ICTs and material consumption. I use a Prais-Winsten regression model to examine this relationship in twenty-five European nations from 2005 to 2017. Despite both expectations that increased technological innovation will reduce materials use, as well as opposing expectations that it will increase material use, I find no relationship between ICT use and material consumption at the national level. This suggests both patterns are likely possible: increased material use and ICT consumption is balanced by the increased efficiency of ICTs and reduced materials requirements.
Keywords
Information and communication technology (ICT), dematerialization, material consumption, environment, sustainability, material flows
Discipline
Communication Technology and New Media | Eastern European Studies | Sociology
Research Areas
Sociology
Publication
Environmental Sociology
Volume
7
Issue
1
First Page
64
Last Page
75
ISSN
2325-1042
Identifier
10.1080/23251042.2020.1824289
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Citation
RIEGER, Annika Marie.(2021). Does ICT result in dematerialization? The case of Europe, 2005-2017. Environmental Sociology, 7(1), 64-75.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3857
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2020.1824289
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Eastern European Studies Commons, Sociology Commons