Before understanding how industrial ecology is helping the ecosystem one must get clear about the concept of industrial ecology. Industrial ecology is the study of material and energy flows through industrial systems. The industry can be seen as an intercorrelated series of processes that extract resources from the Earth and transform those resources into commodities at humanity disposal. Industrial ecology wants to quantify these material flows and optimize the industrial processes in such a way to guarantee their environmental sustainability. Main topics are therefore how industrial activities impact on the environment in relation with planet’s supply of natural resources and waste disposal, and involve engineering, economics, sociology, toxicology and the natural sciences.

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