The trick, he says, is to harness material efficiency so people can enjoy goods that are equivalent or almost equivalent.

BBC: Savings needed to meet future demand for resources

He says this will create regional jobs, increase resource security, reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, increase material efficiency and prevent carbon emissions and industrial waste - all on a big scale.

BBC: Savings needed to meet future demand for resources

While companies try to capitalize on the feature-richness, efficiency, or material quality of their products, increasing competition pushes existing products towards commoditization.

FORBES: Shifting The Imperative From Knowledge Management To Expertise Management

That decreased the cost and increased the speed, efficiency and availability of print material.

FORBES: Jeremy Rifkin's Third Industrial Revolution

Twelve nonprofits list 100% fundraising efficiency, some because of large amounts of donated material, which require relatively little solicitation.

FORBES: Self-Employment

He leads a committee of supply-chain executives, currently focused on 18 "high-impact" opportunities to improve efficiency in making major products, including respiratory face masks, stethoscopes and reflective material for highway signs.

WSJ: 3M Begins Untangling Its 'Hairballs'