Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures...
Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends
Author(s)
Wernick, Iddo K.; Herman, Robert; Govind, Shekhar; Ausubel, Jesse H.
Abstract
Is the “dematerialization” of human societies under way? Is there, in other words, a tendency toward a decrease in the quantity of materials required to serve economic functions? The concept of dematerialization is analogous to energy conservation; both refer to achieving the same output with reduced resource inputs. Dematerialization matters enormously for the human environment. Lower materials intensity of the economy could reduce the amount of garbage produced, limit human exposures to hazardous materials, and conserve landscapes and a general trajectory of dematerialization would certainly favor sustaining the human economy over the long term. This article reviews the evidence for dematerialization in the U.S. in the late twentieth century, finding a mixed picture of successes and failures. It examines four economic stages: resource extraction and primary materials; industrial production; consumer behavior; and waste generation.
