Materials matter: toward a sustainable materials policy

Kenneth Geiser, Barry Commoner026257148X, 9780262571487, 0262072165, 9780262072168, 9781423728757

The products we purchase and use are assembled from a wide range of naturally occurring and manufactured materials. But too often we create hazards for the ecosystem and human health as we mine, process, distribute, use, and dispose of these materials. Until recently, most research has focused on the waste end of material cycles. This book argues that the safest and least costly point at which to avoid environmental damage is when materials are first designed and selected for use in industrial production. Materials Matter presents convincing evidence that we can use fewer materials and eliminate the use of many toxic chemicals by focusing directly on material (chemical) use when products are designed. It also shows how manufacturers can save money by increasing the effectiveness of material use and reducing the use of toxic chemicals. It advocates new directions for the material sciences and government policies on materials. And it argues that manufacturers, suppliers, and customers need to set more socially responsible policies for products and services to achieve higher environmental and health goals.

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Table of contents :
Foreword……Page 10
Preface……Page 14
1 Material Incompatibilities……Page 20
I Developing Industrial Materials……Page 38
2 Developing Industrial Materials……Page 40
3 The Economy of Industrial Materials……Page 74
4 Industrial Materials and the Environment……Page 108
5 Industrial Materials and Public Health……Page 130
II Reconsidering Industrial Materials Policy……Page 156
6 The Federal Policy Response……Page 158
7 The Performance of Industrial Materials Policies……Page 182
8 Reconsidering Materials Policies……Page 214
III Alternative Materials Strategies……Page 232
9 Recycling and Reuse of Materials……Page 234
10 Advanced and Engineered Materials……Page 256
11 Renewable Materials……Page 278
12 Biobased Materials……Page 302
IV Toward a Sustainable Materials Policy……Page 324
13 Dematerialization……Page 326
14 Detoxi.cation……Page 354
15 A Sustainable Materials Economy……Page 386
Notes……Page 412
Bibliography……Page 458
Index……Page 492