This book, from noted materials selection authority Mike Ashby, provides a structure and framework for analyzing sustainable development and the role of materials in it. The aim is to introduce ways of exploring sustainable development to readers in a way that avoids simplistic interpretations and approaches complexity in a systematic way. There is no completely "right" answer to questions of sustainable development – instead, there is a thoughtful, well-researched response that recognizes concerns of stakeholders, the conflicting priorities and the economic, legal and social aspects of a technology as well as its environmental legacy. The intent is not to offer solutions to sustainability challenges but rather to improve the quality of discussion and enable informed, balanced debate. - Winner of a 2016 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association - Describes sustainable development in increasingly detailed progression, from a broad overview to specific tools and methods - Six chapter length case studies on such topics as biopolymers, electric cars, bamboo, and lighting vividly illustrate the sustainable development process from a materials perspective - Business and economic aspects are covered in chapters on corporate sustainability and the "circular materials economy" - Support for course use includes online solutions manual and image bank

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 13th International Conference on Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies (13 NOCMAT 2011), 22nd-24th September 2011, Changsha, Hunan, China

Sustainable Construction Technologies: Life-Cycle Assessment provides practitioners with a tool to help them select technologies that are financially advantageous even though they have a higher initial cost. Chapters provide an overview of LCA and how it can be used in conjunction with other indicators to manage construction. Topics covered include indoor environment quality, energy efficiency, transport, water reuse, materials, land use and ecology, and more. The book presents a valuable tool for construction professionals and researchers that want to apply sustainable construction techniques to their projects. Practitioners will find the international case studies and discussions of worldwide regulation and standards particularly useful. - Provides a framework for analyzing sustainable construction technologies and economic viability - Introduces key credit criteria for different sustainable construction technologies - Covers the most relevant construction areas - Includes technologies that can be employed during the process of construction, or to the product of the construction process, i.e. buildings - Analyzes international rating systems and provides supporting case studies

Addressing the growing global concern for sustainable engineering, this title is devoted exclusively to the environmental aspects of materials.

The theme of conference is Emerging Technologies for Sustainability. Sustainability tends to be problem driven and oriented towards guiding decision making. The goal is to raise the global standard of living without increasing the use of resources beyond global sustainable levels. The conference is intended to act as a platform for researchers to share and gain knowledge, showcase their research findings and propose new solutions in policy formulation, design, processing and application of green materials, material selection, analysis, green manufacturing, testing and synthesis, thereby contributing to the creation of a more sustainable world.

Sustainable Technologies for Fashion and Textiles combines the latest academic research and industrial practices to shed light on a wide range of activities that influence how the textiles industry affects the natural environment. Pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders has pressed companies to translate general sustainability concepts and ideas into business practices. This is leading to improvements in how the industry consumes water, electricity and chemicals, and to a reduction in the amount of waste generated by textile processes. This book groups approaches to these topics under four themes, fiber, yarn and fabric production, chemical processing, garment manufacturing and recycling. - Addresses sustainability challenges that occur throughout the supply chain, from the sourcing of raw materials, to recycling finished products - Provides introductions to sustainability—both in general and within the textiles industry—making this topic accessible for readers of all backgrounds - Compares the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to sustainability, helping readers avoid pitfalls when devising their own strategies

Sustainable Materials and Green Processing for Energy Conversion provides a concise reference on green processing and synthesis of materials required for the next generation of devices used in renewable energy conversion and storage. The book covers the processing of bio-organic materials, environmentally-friendly organic and inorganic sources of materials, synthetic green chemistry, bioresorbable and transient properties of functional materials, and the concept of sustainable material design. The book features chapters by worldwide experts and is an important reference for students, researchers, and engineers interested in gaining extensive knowledge concerning green processing of sustainable, green functional materials for next generation energy devices. Additionally, functional materials used in energy devices must also be able to degrade and decompose with minimum energy after being disposed of at their end-of-life. Environmental pollution is one of the global crises that endangers the life cycles of living things. There are multiple root causes of this pollution, including industrialization that demands a huge supply of raw materials for the production of products related to meeting the demands of the Internet-of-Things. As a result, improvement of material and product life cycles by incorporation of green, sustainable principles is essential to address this challenging issue. Offers a resourceful reference for readers interested in green processing of environmentally-friendly and sustainable materials for energy conversion and storage devices Focuses on designing of materials through green-processing concepts Highlights challenges and opportunities in green processing of renewable materials for energy devices