MAKING THE WORLD

This report chapter explores how industrial production can transition from a linear 'depletion to pollution' model to a circular system based on biological principles. It argues that significant reductions in energy and material use are possible through a combination of smarter design, new technologies, distributed controls, corporate culture shifts, and the adoption of remanufacturing and recycling.

• Biomimicry—imitating biological processes—can replace high-temperature, toxic industrial processes with gentler alternatives. For instance, spiders produce fibers as strong as Kevlar at body temperature without corrosive acids, and certain membranes can concentrate food products like tomato paste at room temperature, using 95% less energy than boiling.
• Material efficiency can be achieved through 'net-shape' manufacturing and parts consolidation, which eliminate machining scrap. Examples include redesigning a toilet float/valve assembly from 14 parts to one molded plastic part, reducing its weight from 20 to 3 ounces and its cost from $3.68 to $0.58.
• Remanufacturing and 'takeback' laws are shifting responsibility for a product's entire life cycle to the manufacturer. Germany's 'extended product responsibility' system increased packaging recycling from 12% in 1992 to 86% in 1997 and reduced packaging use by small businesses and households by 17% between 1991 and 1997.
• The report suggests that if the full spectrum of material savings—including longevity, minimum-materials design, and recycling—were systematically applied, the total flow of materials needed to sustain a given level of service could be reduced by a factor of 100 or more.

APA

RMI (n.d.). MAKING THE WORLD. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter4.pdf

Chicago

RMI. MAKING THE WORLD. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=MAKING THE WORLD |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindmaking, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{MAKING THE WORLD}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }