Backcasting is an established approach to assess the feasibility and impacts of alternative futures [3,4], with a focus on
discovery, rather than justification [5]. Backcasting is also identified as a useful approach in the pursuit of sustainable
development, within a five level hierarchy for a systems approach to Strategic Sustainable Development [2]. It does so by providing a
strategic process (level 3) to meet the goal of sustainability (level 2) within the broader system (level 1); whilst also identifying
specific actions for transition to sustainability (level 4) and using various tools and metrics to monitor progress (level 5). Korhonen
[6] argues that Industrial Ecology can apply at all five levels of the Strategic Sustainable Development framework. With respect to
the application of the industrial ecology metaphor at level 3 where backcasting is used, he offers a ‘roundput’ vision where waste
materials, renewables and waste energy are used in cooperation. However, beyond this generalised vision, no examples were
found explicitly using the principles of industrial ecology to guide the development of future scenarios in backcasting studies.
Industrial ecology principles have been used in the planning of eco-industrial parks [7] and production (and consumption)