Dematerialization in economics refers to a reduction in the quantity of materials required for economic functions. Dematerialization also means using less, or no materials, to deliver the same level of functionality in a product. In short, dematerialization is about doing more with less. So essentially, I am asking if you are using fewer materials in your life. I had never thought much about this topic until introduced to it by neuroscientist Steven Pinker. Below, I will borrow from his presentation.
The Club of Rome, (ironically now based in Switzerland), is made up of distinguished, politicians, scientists, business leaders, and officials from governments and international organizations from around the world. It describes itself as “an organization of individuals who share a common concern for the future of humanity and strive to make a difference.” Its mission is “to promote understanding of the global challenges facing humanity and to propose solutions through scientific analysis communication and advocacy.”
In 1972, The Club of Rome published an influential report titled “The Limits of Growth.” Using sophisticated computer simulations, the report predicted a steadily increasing demand for materials as economies and population grew exponentially. Given a finite supply of material resources, the report’s computer simulations extrapolated that the increasing demand for resources would eventually lead to an abrupt worldwide economic collapse. The Limits of Growth report sold 30 million copies in more than 30 languages. It became the best selling environmental book in history. And it was wrong.
Current studies on the use of materials and economic growth show that, economies are growing using much less physical materials. How can this be? Here is where Dr. Pinker simplifies the complex science for us with examples we can relate to. My old music collection, (and I suspect this is true for most of my readers) required many cubic yards of vinyl for my long-play records. In time, this material use was reduced to only cubic inches for compact disks. And now, my music collection in MP3 requires no materials.
