Capitalizing Waste: Transforming Environmental Concerns into Commercial Objects

• In Event: Organizing Technoscientific Capitalism: Epistemic Values, Practices & Assets - II

Abstract

This paper focuses on examining ordinary practices and devices through which emerging waste management technologies are qualified and evaluated as commercial objects. We seek to unpack the tensions and challenges associated with the ongoing processes of the marketization of environmental concerns through the development of technoscientific “solutions” designed as commercial products and/or services.
The paper does so by reporting the preliminary findings of an ongoing ethnographic research of two Chilean tech start-up companies working on developing a commercial version of new waste management technologies that seek to revalorize and reuse industrial waste. We focus on examining the practices and devices through which these two waste technologies are enacted as commercial products and/or services. We examine two critical elements in this process. First, we look at the central role of commercial devices -such as business models, valuation formulas or business templates- in enacting commercial versions of these technologies. These devices work as global business epistemic objects that script specific versions of these technologies. Second, in examining this process we also highlight the existence of coexistent commercial and noncommercial modes of valuing waste technologies and waste. In doing so, we describe how mundane controversies about different forms of valuing are settled during the process.
The paper finishes discussing whether a pragmatic approach to the myriad of mundane practices and devices through which business objects are enacted can be fruitful to critically engage with the increasing pervading logics of capitalization and commodification of environmental concerns.

Author

• Tomas Ariztia, Universidad Diego Portales