Sustainable materials

are any materials used to manufacture products, such as creating textiles or constructing buildings, that are often renewable, energy efficient, and nontoxic, and are chosen for the low impact of the product over its entire lifetime. The sustainability of materials production, use and discard is often determined using an LCA. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the practice of evaluating the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifetime from the extraction of resources for product manufacture, through the use of the product, to the method of product disposal.

Keywords: environmental impact of material production, materials use, materials discard, recycling, energy efficient, waste cycling, industrial ecology, renewable, reuse, green procurement, greening supply chain, environmentally responsible purchasing, natural resources, sustainable production, clean production, materials production, energy use, renewable products, packaging, product life, human toxicity, durable, locally sourced, biodegradable, easily recycled, low LCA, low embodied energy, incorporate recycled content, salvage, environmental sustainability, biobased resource productivity, green design, transportation, material selection, reclamation, industrial ecosystems, material goods, sustainable materials design, sustainable textiles, sustainable design, straw-bale, bamboo, hemp, sustainable fashion, sustainable clothing manufacture, sustainable plant-based fibersm, recycled fibers and dyes

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