Industrial Ecologists

What Does a Industrial Ecologists Do?

Apply principles and processes of natural ecosystems to develop models for efficient industrial systems. Use knowledge from the physical and social sciences to maximize effective use of natural resources in the production and use of goods and services. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.
• 2Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes.
• 3Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.
• 4Conduct environmental sustainability assessments, using material flow analysis (MFA) or substance flow analysis (SFA) techniques.
• 5Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.
• 6Review research literature to maintain knowledge on topics related to industrial ecology, such as physical science, technology, economy, and public policy.
• 7Redesign linear, or open-loop, systems into cyclical, or closed-loop, systems so that waste products become inputs for new processes, modeling natural ecosystems.
• 8Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.

Required Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Science
• Active Learning
• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Apache Hadoop
• Atlassian JIRA
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• C#
• Dassault Systemes CATIA
• Debugging software
• Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment EIO-LCA