Resources for Our Future : Key Issues and Best Practices in Resource Efficiency

The publication Resources for our Future provides a very accessible account of the international resource question as well as an inspiring overview of industrial best practices. The authors clarify the main ecological constraints related to the use of a wide range of resources, such as water, industrial and construction minerals, and biotic resources. They present an analysis of the international trends that are shaping a geopolitical world order in which high resource prices and supply disruptions are becoming a threat to economic security. Substantial steps towards green growth need to be taken soon if we are to ensure the availability of resources for our future, and to enable prosperity for all without crossing planetary boundaries. The book describes 21 inspiring best practices in resource efficiency in the chemical industry, the food sector, the building sector, the metal and high-tech industries, and the fashion and furnishing industries. These business cases demonstrate that innovation and entrepreneurship can result in substantial improvements in resource efficiency and that there are new business opportunities to be discovered in the resource question as well.