Recycling manufacturing tools is bad for eco-friendly industry, say researchers

Researchers in Luxembourg and France have established that the recycling of used factory equipment is preventing many countries from adopting less-polluting methods of manufacturing.

However, the team did acknowledge that the affordability of imported, used factory equipment was the prevailing factor behind such trading. At the same time, their results showed that by trading in recycled machinery available from the US and Europe, less developed countries were prolonging the amount of time it would take them to cut their carbon emissions. Additionally, older technologies are actually far less economical for less developed countries, as they are often less automated, need better maintenance and require more physical labour to function.

The team used a vintage capital structure; an economic system that looks at various resources and pollution levels, focusing specifically on how the implementation of newer technologies can affect pollution. The team hopes that their findings will show policymakers that serving short-term goals can have long-term consequences, and that investment in the right technologies can prevent further costs – both environmental and economical - in the future.

"Pressures put on developing countries in order to reduce their barriers to imports of used goods should thus be balanced against the costs of supplementary pollution that the use of older technology will induce," say the team.

For further information on the study, contact Albert Ang at a.ang@inderscience.com

Published: Thursday, 7th January 2010 by Tom Freeman

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