Study Of Dematerialization Based On A Win-win Model Between Economic Growth And Environmental Protection

Dematerialization is a new concept of sustainable development with the purpose of solving the problems of resource shortage and environmental pollution as well as promoting economic growth. The original meaning of dematerialization in the1980s was the reduction of materials’quality or weight, and the micro-products were widely concerned in contrast to the neglect on the environmental impacts imposed by the macro-dematerialization. Especially by the time when eco-efficiency was proposed, technology had been the main measure to improve the material productivity and reduce the intensity of material consumption, and finally realized a "leap growth". But what had been neglected were the dynamic reaction and the resulted rebound effect, and thus the technological revolution changed to an "efficiency trap". Also, there were little concerns about the environmental impacts and economic costs caused by the second input of materials consumption during the process of dematerialization.This paper started from the concept of dematerialization,1) made a detail analysis from three aspects of environmental impact, function economy and material flow; 2) showed a history changes of the concept from three levels of the micro-level, meso-level and the macro-level. And then a research framework was formed basing on the integration of environmental economics and ecological economics.The paper continued with the further empirical study on the reaction of economic development and environmental change for twenty years in China, and made some comparisons between China and other countries which are reaching different industrialization process. There were some subsequent researches about the driving effects of social-economic factors on dematerialization, the respond from dematerialization to environmental impacts, the impacts of transaction cost imposed on material recycling use, and the rebound effect of energy consumption of in China.The paper finally pointed out the factors that affected the aim of dematerialization in China conducted by the theories and decoupling indicators in the above sections, and established the scenes fitting for China’s specific national background.In General, the paper achieved four innovations that extended the former related research.Firstly, establish a theoretic framework for dematerialization. The paper made a clear concept for dematerialization from multi-dimensions, and the concept was aiming at win-win goal of economic growth and environmental protection and basing on the integrated theories of ecological economics and environmental economics. The research framework for dematerialization was deducted from the review on historical change of dematerialization from macro-material consumption of EKC, the meso-material rebound effects and model of Factorx, and the micro-material collections. The theoretic framework for dematerialization would be a new supplement for the Circular Economy theory.Secondly, quantitatively analyze the reaction between economic development and resource environment for twenty years in China. The analysis were measured by the decoupling indicator that proposed by OECD and Tapio P., and with which China was divided to several decoupling at different stages. The comparison of China and other five countries of Japan, USA, Germany, Sweden and India about the economic development, final energy consumption and CO2 discharge and the reaction mechanism among the three, would provide some helpful ideas and data base for the construction of conservation culture in China.Thirdly, identify the factors which affected dematerialization from two aspects of society-economy and environmental impacts; quantitatively analyzed the driving effects of social-economic factors on dematerialization using the LMDI model; showed the essence of rebound effects with the integrated theories of new classical economics, energy economics and environmental economics, and thereby showed the economic meaning behind the contradiction between intensity indicator and quantity indicator; studied the respond reactions between dematerialization and environmental impacts from the view of attribute of material and the whole life cycle. All the work above could avoid the shortcomings of dematerialization by technology and weight, which provided a new perspective and a systematic framework. Fourthly, establish the scenes of dematerialization fitting for China’s specific national background. According to the results of the reaction of economic development and environment, chose the core factors of environmental and material consumption combining the aim of well-off society of China as well, finally established the scenes of dematerialization which provided some helpful ideas for the construction of conservation culture in China.