Anthony Cooper blog #4

 One-fifth of the world's natural resources that are extracted for use end up as waste according to new research which examines the hidden environmental costs of raw materials use. We extract so many resources that on average 62 billion tonnes of resources such as minerals, wood, metals, fossil and biomass fuels are extracted from the earth each year. On average that's almost 10 tonnes for every living person. Industry can also drive change through better designs that reduce products' negative health and environmental impacts through their lifecycle. Consumers have a role to play too by making more informed choices. These include reducing the use of unnecessary material, reusing and recycling, and taking advantage of advanced technologies to limit waste and toxins.