THE POWER of a PLAN

摘要

There is a saying that failing to plan is planning to fail. More states and local governments as well as private entities are taking that mantra to heart when it comes to sustainable materials management (SMM). SMM is a concept being embraced by officials in both the public and private sectors who want to think more holistically about the impact of materials throughout their entire life, including but not limited to end-of-life management. According to the U.S. EPA, SMM "aims to use and reuse materials in the most productive and sustainable way across entire life cycles by minimizing the amount of materials involved, reducing the use of toxic materials, and minimizing overall environmental impacts, while balancing with economic constraints."