ABSTRACT
At various places in this book, I have dwelt on the underlying profit motive of the industrial economy. Clearly, the pursuit of profit has been a crucial factor in the development of that economy (see Chapter 2). It is also a continuing motivation for improvements in process efficiencies in industry. The examples in Chapter 5 indicate that improved environmental protection and the pursuit of profit are not necessarily natural enemies. But Chapter 6 has revealed that there are certain commercial situations in which profit and dematerialisation are in direct opposition. In fact, this is generally the case whenever the product is the pollutant. Since all material products are potential pollutants at some stage during their life, this has led us (Chapter 7) to a revision of the basis of profitability in the industrial economy.
