E L I T E
C H A N N E L PA R T N E R
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Materials as an Avenue
to Sustainability
Over the last 25 years, compliance with global legislation has been driving sustainability initiatives at
companies worldwide. In 1997, for example, the Kyoto Protocol pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by an average of five percent during the 2008 to 2012 period. This was followed by the Paris Agreement in 2015
and the European Green Deal in 2019. More recently, in 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a
roadmap to achieve Net Zero by 2050.
When it comes to the success of sustainability programs, manufacturers recognize that materials
management and selection play a central role. Smart materials choices not only support regulatory
compliance, they also contribute to better packaging designs, improved lightweighting of products like motor
vehicles and aircraft, and more successful product recycling and reuse.
This white paper will explore the issues associated with materials selection and sustainability, as well as best
practices for leveraging materials to transform sustainability goals into reality.
The Foundation of Sustainability: Selecting the Right Materials from the Start
Materials selection determines the amount of energy and water used during manufacturing, whether or not a
product contains restricted substances, the CO2 footprint and recyclability of a product, and more. The materials
used in product design also have a direct impact on product function, shape, and manufacturing processes.
According to the European Commission, 80 percent of product-related environmental impacts are determined
during the design phase. Yet, many companies have limited data available as they make materials-related
tradeoffs based on criteria like cost, weight, the carbon footprint, and more.
Changing materials late in the product development cycle can have a major economic impact, costing millions of
dollars. On the other hand, staying the course and manufacturing products with suboptimal materials can also be
costly. Regulatory non-compliance may result in product recalls that impact the bottom line in a significant way.
To avoid these issues, leading companies are implementing tools that build sustainability in from the earliest
phases of product design. Advanced material selection solutions help teams identify the best alternatives that
WHITEPAPER
