Clean Materials
The Clean Materials blueprint report proposes a set of 4 Clean Materials solutions that work together like the interconnected facets of a diamond, rather than ranked one above the other.
We're already seeing success, led by dozens of innovative businesses, nonprofits, and government initiatives, showing what the Clean Materials future can look like. We offer real-world clean materials across the Pacific Northwest, focused on the four solution categories.
Many of these stories highlight how a clean materials system approach can be instrumental to creating and attracting new regional jobs and new industries, helping to strengthen existing industries while offering drastic improvement for the health and well-being of the people and planet.
CLEAN MATERIALS DISCUSSION SERIES
Watch our four discussions on the emerging clean materials industry
CLEAN MATERIALS BLUEPRINT
Read
"From Waste Management
to Clean Materials"
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The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed of innovation for strategies to prevent food waste; including Oregon Food Bank, Portland’s Urban Gleaners, Oregon Restaurant and Lodging, and more.
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Companies like Williams-Sonoma, Office Max and Norm Thompson Outfitters worked with Oregon’s DEQ to embrace package redesign, greatly reducing waste.
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Buildings and infrastructure are among society’s greatest materials demands; in fact, buildings alone represent 11% of global CO2 emissions. Across the Northwest successful building waste prevention ideas are emerging; Portland is choosing deconstruction (instead of demolition) they’re also embracing ADUs, significantly reducing waste generation; new ideas including pre-fab apartment development are being embraced in the Northwest and a new ‘embodied carbon and construction calculator, developed in partnership between the University of Washington-based Carbon Leadership Forum and 30 building industry leaders, is helping the industry understand how to reduce waste.
Incentivize the redesign of products and supply chains to shrink carbon footprints, eliminate toxic materials, waste less food, and conserve resources.
1. Prevent Waste at All Stages