Preserving the Environment

Reducing the exploitation of resources

In a quest to combat the worst economic crisis of the post-war period, an enormous amount of debt was accumulated. Sustainable economic growth is deemed to be the only means by which national budgets can be consolidated, and large-scale unemployment might be avoided in the long term. Yet what is the price of this economic growth?

Mere quantitative growth will lead to further resource consumption and even more material usage. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the transportation of goods, roads, urban sprawling, noise, the industrial development of natural rivers, utilisation of environmental toxins, emissions and thus to an all the more rapid change of the earth's climate.

The last World Climate Conference has revealed the conflicts of objectives in a drastic manner. None of the leading industrial nations was willing to take the vital steps that could consequentially threaten economic growth and jobs.

Novel avenues to solve this seemingly irresolvable dilemma, consisting of the necessary economic growth whilst protecting the environment, are more sought after than ever before. Alongside the development of renewable energy sources, materials research offers the most promising avenue to generate economic growth and relieve the environment.

New intelligent materials and substances are sought after in order to create products, which are lighter, more durable and hence more sustainable. Furthermore, a combination of functions or the ability to provide the same utility whilst using substantially fewer resources is of key importance. Particularly materials that are able to supersede environmental toxins are in great demand.

The integration of nanosilver into solids is one example of how the extensive use of organic toxins, like Triclosan, could be reduced in a resource preserving manner. This would necessitate a revision of the chemical industry's mindset.

ras materials aspires to explore, develop and produce these materials and substances, as well as to integrate them, in cooperation with our partners, into new, qualitative advanced and more durable products. The challenge of the next years will be to achieve sustainable economic growth by means of quality rather than quantity.