The Words We Use and the Actions We Choose: The Power of Keywords, Naming and Framing in the Transition towards Sustainability. The Story of Waste

Abstract

The shortcomings of conventional development, such as environmental and social injustice, have created an opportunity for a new narrative: the transition to a sustainable future. Naming sustainability transitions purposefully and effectively has been an overlooked yet crucial variable in an age of media sound bites, hashtags, search engines and rapid communication technologies. The present research contributes to the new narrative by investigating what role keywords, naming and framing play in a major sustainability transition: waste.