Materials Parsimony: Using Nature's Rules to Reduce Your Materials Palette, Increase Your Productivity, and Reduce Risk

By: Gregory C. Unruh

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Synopsis: As the public increasingly holds brand owners responsible for what goes into their products, you may be realizing you have only a limited understanding of the materials - and risks - you are putting into your products. In contrast, nature has none of these problems, manufacturing all its products using an incredibly small number of fundamental and, by necessity, nontoxic materials. This chapter gives you the practical tools you need to begin to shift your company's material selection process toward the model of perfect efficiency that the biosphere provides. By using the biosphere's first rule of "materials parsimony," your business will build not just a sustainable materials palette but ultimately, renewable value cycles. Through real-life success stories and cautionary tales, you will learn how a "green screen" can help move your business beyond risk management and toxin screening to reducing supplier complexity, improving worker productivity, and reducing production complexity. This chapter was originally published as Chapter 1 of "Earth, Inc.: Using Nature's Rules to Build Sustainable Profits."