Projections estimate that between 2000 and 2050, the world population will grow 50 percent and global energy and materials use will grow 300 percent. Therefore, the strategic importance of materials is causing many people to look carefully at all aspects of the material lifecycles that comprise our industrial practices and consumer habits.
This report discusses materials management—how best to provide for human needs and prosperity while using fewer materials, reducing toxic products, and recovering more of the materials used. It includes background information on material usage within the United States, describes challenges related to sustainability and environmental impacts, and provides an analytic framework for materials management. The report also provides three key recommendations for achieving sustainable materials management:
- Promote efforts to manage materials and products on a lifecycle basis;
- Build capacity and integrate materials management approaches in existing government programs; and
- Accelerate the broad, ongoing public dialogue on lifecycle materials management.