Material Value

Have you wondered why gold is so expensive or why so little plastic packaging is recycled? This highly readable book with a unique perspective on environmental sustainability answers these questions and more.

Readers will learn:

• How metals and plastics are made and what happens when they are recycled


• The challenges that manufacturers face when trying to make their facilities and products less toxic and less wasteful


• How manufacturers can extract the value of materials while doing less damage to human health and the environment


• The role of individuals, agencies, and governments in improving the use and reuse of materials


• How regulations can stifle or promote innovation


• How smart companies are embracing the triple bottom line—profit, people, planet—to yield creative solutions that make manufacturing safer and less wasteful


• Why some big corporations painted as evildoers deserve a second look.


• How reporting standards are making it easier to get a full picture of a company’s environmental footprint

The author explains concepts clearly and concisely through compelling examples and personal stories. Hear the journeys of:

• A business owner recycling scrap from airplane manufacturing


• A former geologist running a chain of donut shops


• Two entrepreneurs committed to improving e-waste processing


• An executive promoting social and environmental responsibility at a major electronics company


• A chemist developing safer cleaning products


• Consultants helping businesses embrace practices that save resources and money


• Other business professionals devoted to making the world a better place

Concerned citizens with or without a background in manufacturing or business will find surprising answers to the questions facing companies as they work toward making better use and reuse of materials. Readers will come away with a new awareness of the steps they can take to help the business world succeed in making manufacturing more sustainable and less wasteful.