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Compiled by Dr. Joe Herbertson
June 2001
Sustainable Resource Processing
The Overall Material Flow
•The challenge is to greatly increase the delivery of goods and services to the global community, whilst greatly reducing the release of substances to the bio-sphere
•Sustainability means no systematic increase in concentrations of substances in nature from wastes and emissions, and no systematic degradation of nature1
1. This statement borrows from, but modifies, the Natural Step system conditions, ‘The Natural Step for Business’, B. Nattrass,M.Altmare
Text Box: Earth’s Crust
                    Earth’s   
    Crust     
Text Box: Bio- sphere
                      Bio-
                   sphere
Text Box: Utilisation
Utilisation
“Permanent” Capture
Resources
Needs
Resource
Processing
Product
Manufacture
Goods &
Service
Delivery
Renewable
Sources
Mining
Wastes and Emissions
Recycling
From a total systems perspective, mass is conserved; you can not throw things away, because there is no ‘away’