Spurred on by new legislation, many major commercial paint and coating companies now limit the solvent content of their products. Now several of these are water-based and emit gases at lower levels, reducing their threat to human health. It contributes to the cleanup because less energy is usually required to remanufacture goods and articles. The recycling process integrates materials that would otherwise be discarded. No longer considered a negative characteristic, products with recycled content are sought by designers active in the environmental field, and marketed by manufacturers who recognize their considerable economic benefit.
Some industries profitably sell waste byproducts like synthetic gypsum.
The program avoids landfills, and will become a major player in the resource-conservation field when the reconstitution of used nylon carpet face into new nylon is perfected. While conservation measures in building design have led to significant decreases in energy use, alternate energy research continues in the u. S. and in Europe. Such research may eventually allow many building types to come off the utility grid, at least for part of the year. In fact, buildings with this capability are already being designed in America and elsewhere. Since the built environment uses more than half of the primary energy generated today, these technologies could significantly reduce atmospheric pollution.