The Sustainability Puzzle

The author argues that while renewable energy and energy efficiency are growing, a 'missing piece' remains in the sustainability puzzle. He proposes the creation of a global search mechanism for green products based on certifications and the development of local industrial ecology parks to divert end-of-life materials back into manufacturing, supported by national insurance schemes.

• The author identifies a gap in current sustainability efforts, noting that despite progress in energy and water intensity benchmarks, a growing global population risks increasing the transfer of natural capital into landfills if efforts do not become more widespread.
• To improve the accessibility of sustainable options, the author suggests implementing a global search mechanism for green products and services that uses certifications and green credentials to rank results, rather than relying on traditional advertising.
• The author proposes the establishment of local industrial ecology parks to reduce resource intensity by diverting end-of-life materials back into manufacturing, suggesting these should be underwritten by national insurance protection schemes.

APA

Burns, D. (2011). The Sustainability Puzzle. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/thesustainabilitypuzzle/

Chicago

Burns, David. The Sustainability Puzzle. RMI, 2011. https://rmi.org/resources/thesustainabilitypuzzle/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Burns |first1=David |title=The Sustainability Puzzle |publisher=RMI |date=9 November 2011 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/thesustainabilitypuzzle/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{burns2011sustainability, author = {Burns, David}, title = {{The Sustainability Puzzle}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/thesustainabilitypuzzle/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }