Ecotechnology used in research literature: a systematic review and synthesis

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute provides a systematic review of the term "ecotechnology" to establish a conceptual framework and definition, noting a lack of consensus on its practical meaning in existing literature.

• The authors conducted a systematic review of 1,221 articles across nine bibliographic databases, identifying 657 unique articles. Among 77 articles focused on carbon and nutrients that provided definitions, nearly half utilized the term "ecotechnology" as a buzzword.
• The study identified 38 themes across 49 explicit definitions of ecotechnology, which were organized into nine clusters: combining processes/integrating nature and society; good for society; good for nature; profitability/efficiency; making nature work for society; making society work for nature; improving processes/learning from the environment; components, equipment, machinery (hard technology); and processes and behaviours (soft technology).

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Ecotechnology used in research literature: a systematic review and synthesis. https://www.sei.org/publications/ecotechnology-used-research-literature-systematic-review-synthesis/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Ecotechnology used in research literature: a systematic review and synthesis. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/ecotechnology-used-research-literature-systematic-review-synthesis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Ecotechnology used in research literature: a systematic review and synthesis |date=18 September 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/ecotechnology-used-research-literature-systematic-review-synthesis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018ecotechnology, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Ecotechnology used in research literature: a systematic review and synthesis}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/ecotechnology-used-research-literature-systematic-review-synthesis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }