Ayoub Ghanbary Sartang, Negar Safarpour Khotbesara, Zahra Rahimi, Mahbobeh Abedi, Hojatollah Hossainian, Mohsen Poursadeghiyan,
Volume 14, Issue 1 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2026)
Objectives: Improper waste management, as one of the main factors in environmental degradation, requires new approaches such as zero waste, green ergonomics, and Ergoecology, as well as substitution chemists' attempts and investigations related to their chemical waste and pollutant products. This study, based on the DIN 91436 standard framework, examines the role of new approaches in realizing sustainable waste management systems and reducing negative environmental impacts.
Methods: This review study was conducted through a systematic search of international (PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) and Persian databases (SID, Magiran, IranMedex, and IranDoc) for articles published from 1990 to 2025. The search strategy included a combination of keywords, and articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria; the extracted data were then categorized and clarified through thematic analysis.
Results: According to studies, green ergonomics is effective through sustainable product and process design, reducing waste at source, and increasing recycling, and aligns with the prevention stage within the framework of the DIN 91436 standard. Moreover, by analyzing human-environment interactions, Ergoecology provides a systematic framework for achieving zero waste with an emphasis on the technical, social, and environmental dimensions. By combining these two approaches within the framework of the aforementioned standard, an effective path towards a circular economy and sustainable waste management is mapped out, while chemists' investigations often focus on materials or methods that can be degraded and damage the environment overall, which is in contrast with zero waste.
Conclusion: A variety of experimental sciences, research, and technologies ultimately cause various environmental damages, as some of them are discussed in this study. Achieving zero waste requires the integration of the three main pillars of green ergonomics, ergo-ecology, and the implementation framework of the DIN 91436 standard. This integration not only reduces waste and conserves resources but also promotes human health and environmental sustainability. To institutionalize this approach, it is necessary to expand interdisciplinary research, incorporate its principles into policymaking, and invest in education and culture among all stakeholders.
