Dematerialization (economics)

Dematerialization is a term in economics and the social sciences that describes the process of making more goods with less material.^[1] The term itself possesses multi-accentuality, which allows it to be diversely explained by different fields of social science, such as Mainstream economics, which puts focus on the aspects of technological evolution and market demand shifts, and Ecological economics, which emphasizes the effect of dematerialization on the natural environment.

In economics, dematerialization refers to the absolute or relative reduction in the quantity of materials required to serve economic functions in society.^[2] In common terms, dematerialization means doing more with less. This concept is similar to ephemeralization as proposed by Buckminster Fuller.

^ Aktaş, Can Baran (2022). "Dematerialization: Needs and Challenges". Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future: Policies, Technologies and Education by 2050: 1–13. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-68074-9_4-1.
^ Rosenberg, Nathan (1982). Inside the Black Box: Technology and Economics. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-521-27367-6.

[1] Aktaş, Can Baran (2022). "Dematerialization: Needs and Challenges". Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future: Policies, Technologies and Education by 2050: 1–13. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-68074-9_4-1.

[2] Rosenberg, Nathan (1982). Inside the Black Box: Technology and Economics. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-521-27367-6.

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