M-2C - Material Efficiency (Production and Product Design)
Material efficiency focuses on minimising the use of raw materials in industrial production through better design, optimised resource use, and enhanced recycling and reuse practices. This strategy also includes substituting high-carbon materials with lower-impact alternatives and embracing circular economy principles to keep materials in circulation for longer. By designing products for longevity, reuse, and recyclability, industries can significantly reduce material consumption, lower production costs, and cut emissions associated with material extraction and processing. Additionally, sufficiency and material stock efficiency improvements play a key role by promoting downsizing, extending product lifespans, and adopting resource-efficient construction techniques. Together, these approaches reduce the demand for new material production, lessen energy use, and lower emissions, all while maintaining functionality and durability across products and infrastructure.
The Kaya-like identity presented earlier in the chapter (Equation 11.1) suggests that material demand can be decoupled from population and economic development by two means: (i) reducing the accumulated material stock (MStock) used to deliver material services; and (ii) reducing the material (MPR + MSE) required to maintain material stocks (MStock).
- (IPCC AR6 WG3 2022)1
Mitigation Potential¶
TBD.
Mitigation Options¶
Chapter 11 (IPCC AR6 WG3 2022)1 discusses a number of demand-side mitigation options for the industry sector which are indexed in the table below.
- Design with less: Creating infrastructure and products with fewer materials through innovative design, such as lightweight construction or modular buildings
- Design for reuse or repurposing: Ensuring that products and materials can be easily reused, repurposed, or recycled at the end of their lifecycle
- Improved material utilisation: Enhancing the efficiency of how materials are used during the production process, minimising waste and ensuring more precise material usage
| Index | Title | Section(s) | Sub-sector(s) | TE(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-2C.1 | Design with less / lightweighting of products | AR6 11.3.2, AR5 10.4.2 | ||
| M-2C.2 | Improved material utilisation (near-net shape casting, etc) | AR6 11.3.2, AR5 10.4.1, 10.4.2, 10.4.4, 10.4.5 | ||
| M-2C.3 | Design for recovery, reuse or repurposing | AR6 11.3.2, AR5 10.4.1, 10.4.5 | ||
| M-2C.4 | Circular economy policies | AR6 11.3.3 | ||
| M-2C.5 | Alternative feedstocks (e.g. in cement) | AR5 10.4.2 |
- Steel
- Reduced material loss during processing
- Steel re-use (essentially recycling)
- Cement
- Reduced material use via design improvements
- Reduced material use via high strength concretes
- Reduced clinker use via cement additives (e.g. blast furnace slag, fly ash, limestone, pozzolans)
- Chemicals
- AR5 10.4.3 on material efficiency only lists demand reduction options that don't belong here
- Pulp and Paper
- Technological solutions
- Duplex printing
- Print on demand
- Improved recycling yields
- Lighter paper
- Technological solutions
- Non-ferrous (aluminium/others)
- Process improvements, e.g. near-net shape casting and blanking and stamping process innovation
- Chip scrap bonding during machining operations
- Modular design to promote product re-use
- Mining
- AR5 10.4.8 on material efficiency only lists solutions such as energy efficiency enhancements and recycling
Emissions¶
See TBD.
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IPCC AR6 WG3. 2022. Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by Priyadarshi R. Shukla, Jim Skea, Raphael Slade, Alaa Al Khourdajie, Renée van Diemen, David McCollum, Minal Pathak, et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926. ↩↩