Increasing data sustainability: a behavioural approach

In a matter of decades, information technologies have become omni-present in the lives of more than a billion people. Whilst holding many promises for more efficient and therefore seemingly more sustainable practices, this fast-growing industry is expanding its footprint rapidly. Exponential advancements in hardware and software are kept in...

Sustainable fashion: A statistical analysis of consumers’ behaviors by stated choice experiment

The manufacturing process, supply chain and consumption pattern of fashion impose high risks on the environment. Besides, the utilization of cheap labor in developing countries by Western fashion brands entails great concern about labor rights of sweatshop workers. To tackle the daunting sustainable issues in fashion industry, various nascent...

Social and Solidarity Economy in Greece: Road to strong Sustainable Consumption? A Cross-case comparison of Social Cooperatives

The consumption of natural resources by modern societies, the environmental and social impacts that are associated with it, and the possible pathways to reach more sustainable patterns of consumption, constitute a significant field of study in environmental, economic, and social sciences. With the majority of scientific researches approaching...

Sustainable Happiness: How we can use psychological well-being to get people to consume less

The goal of this project is to find a way to get people to consume less, by changing what they do to improve their subjective well-being. It was found that the main issue that needed tackling is the fact that, currently, people are addicted to consumption - they depend on consumption for their happiness. The best way to remedy this would be to...

Product-service system adoption: motivational drivers for e-bike sharing

The global environmental issues are becoming more and more pressing. These issues ask for not only changes on a product-level but also on a system-level (Ceshin, 2013). One of the potential solutions can be to facilitate more sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption patterns can potentially be created by product-service systems (PSSs)....

Toward Sustainable Consumption: Model-Based Policy Analysis on Household Food, Energy, and Water Consumption in The Netherlands

The need for water, energy, and food resources is central to human being. Demand of these resources will increase as global population increases. By 2050 it is expected that combination of population growth and economic development will lead to 50% increase of global water and food demand, while energy demand will be doubled. Addressing...

Veggie-Table: Designing an inspiring tool to encourage the consumption of leftover vegetables at home

Food waste is the fastest growing issue of our time. Countries in the EU discard an estimated 89 million tons of food every year. Worse, the food waste will increase to about 126 million tons in 2020 if we do not take action (European Union Committee, 2014). Moreover, most countries are burying food waste in the landfills. This manner of...

Investigations Towards Developing Automated Energy Diagnostics and Prediction Models, Based on BMS Sensor Data Analysis

An investigation into energy optimization techniques for buildings was initiated that led to the development of a Toolbox with several functions for analysis, optimization and prediction techniques for thermal energy demand of a school building. The HHS, or The Hague University of Applied Sciences in Delft, was the most sustainable building for...

Policy options for sustainable protein consumption in the Netherlands

The Master's programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology.

Sustainable consumption and mindfulness: A proposed conceptual model and an empirical explorative study

This thesis was set out to explore the links between mindfulness and consumption, and specifically to gain clarity on how mindfulness impacts household consumption patterns. This to provide insights into whether mindfulness could be a constructive approach to sustainable consumption that would increase personal well-being and reduce...

Measurement, Control and Reduction of DSM Carbon Footprint by Developing and Implementing a Sustainable Office Model within DFS: Green Office Ecological Model "GO-ECO"

The world will be faced with the challenge of accommodating nine billion people for 2050; the question is if our planet will have the resources necessary to provide a healthy and comfortable way of living for its habitants. That is why sustainability is important for DSM, and sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present without...