The study facuses, in the form of a literature review, the hypothesis that the advent of the so-called "post-industrial, information society" has moved to a period of socio-economic activity and development that represents a radical departure from the "old ways". Within this framework, it stresses the wide-held notion that the dynamics of this new mode of society favours a type of economic and social development that is ecologically more sustainable, principally because the new development paradigm centres on information and information-related activities. The question of the ways that this new development paradigm may or may not affect the socalled late developing countries is also addressed.
sustainable development; information society; dematerialization