Unfolding the human–material interaction of material flows in societies: DNA as a conceptual metaphor

The management of material flows in societies is complex yet crucial for the sustainable coexistence of humans and materials. While industrial ecology (IE) has long examined material flows, studies acknowledging their sociomaterial nature are scarce. Consequently, the existing IE research has not yet answered why materials flow in societies as they do. This study therefore examines human–material interaction (HMI) in material flows. We build on the IE and sociomateriality literature and empirical findings from a qualitative multiple‐case study of two material flows (recycled concrete aggregate; biogas and recycled nutrients) where humans interact with materials to advance material flows in society more sustainably. We identify and conceptualize 11 HMI elements (adaptability, general acceptance, public interest, regulation, compatibility, consistency, degradability, availability and continuity, intensity, proximity, and re‐utilizability) that further divide into three categories (human‐driven, material‐driven, and equally driven HMI elements) to explain in detail the manifestations of HMI in societal material flows. Together, these HMI elements explain material flows as the physical movement of materials motivated by goal‐oriented humans who engage with materials, a process that leads to humans and materials becoming constitutively intertwined in spatiotemporal practice. To visualize our findings on this complex yet pivotal HMI phenomenon, we employ DNA as a conceptual metaphor. The study contributes to IE by uncovering the dynamic HMI in material flows and guiding practitioners on how to manage material flows in societies, acknowledging both human and material perspectives.