(37b) The Four Dimensional Product: Integration Over Time Is the Only Way to Understand Sustainability

Sustainability is a question of time, integrating knowledge of production, use and end-of-life.  Far too often, hype has surpassed reality, boundary conditions have been neglected and actions taken that don’t truly lead to a sustainable future.  Singular focus on attributes like renewable content or biodegradability gives the wrong answer.  Quality engineering forms the foundation for any meaningful discussion of sustainability, providing insights into energy and material flows, energy return, and thermodynamic constraints.  The chemical industry is increasing resource and energy efficiency through innovation in both products and processes.  Our mastery of materials science enables unique energy producing and energy saving products, products that improve sustainability by being significantly better than the next best alternatives during use.