The current situation and prospect of the study on industrial ecology
工业生态学研究现状与展望

Industrial ecology is a new cross-discipline that has developed fast in both theory and practice in the past few decades. After a brief introduction to the origin of the discipline, it was comprehensively stated that the researches on material and energy flows (industrial metabolism), material reduction, technology innovation, life-cycle analysis and assessment, environment beneficial design (eco-design), producer's extended responsibility (product stewardship), eco-industrial parks (industrial symbiosis), product-oriented environmental policy and ecological benefit evaluation. In addition, the related theoretical approach focusing on material and energy flows and the eco-industry practice centered on eco-industrial park at home are analyzed. Then, a perspective in industrial ecology is made as follows: the international research of the industrial ecology has entered a new era, namely, theory and technology are going in the direction of being systemized, the content particularized and detailed, the applicability and popularity attended. Compared with those in the developed countries, the content, technology and practice at home are rather limited both in depth and width, characterized by following-up and shortage of breakthroughs. At the end, based on the international development and our development at home, a research framework that includes theory, policy and application is given, and major research fields and contents are put forward.