Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends

The process of dematerialization is defined as the reduction in weight and quantity of materials used to serve economic functions. In the United States, dematerialization has occurred in the usage of primary materials and in industrial production. There also appears to be a gradual reduction in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDaedalus (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 125; no. 3; pp. 171 - 198
Main Authors Wernick, Iddo K., Herman, Robert, Govind, Shekhar, Ausubel, Jesse H.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston American Academy of Arts and Sciences 22.06.1996
Subjects
Advanced materials
Automobiles
Consumer economics
Consumption (Economics)
Ecology
Environment
Environmental aspects
Forecasts and trends
Gross national product
Industrial waste
Industry
Materials
Materials research
Materials science
Measurement
Plastics
Product dematerialization
Steels
United States government publications
United States history
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Summary:The process of dematerialization is defined as the reduction in weight and quantity of materials used to serve economic functions. In the United States, dematerialization has occurred in the usage of primary materials and in industrial production. There also appears to be a gradual reduction in the amount of waste being produced, but there is still room for greater efficiency in that area. Consumer demand for materials, however, remains, unabated. More research is needed to determine the pros and cons of dematerialization and how this trend will affect the environment.
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ISSN:0011-5266
1548-6192