Glossary
The words behind better production.
A working vocabulary for materials, chemistry, products, packaging, and the systems that move them through the physical economy.
Sustainable production
Making materials, products, packaging, food, energy, and the systems around them with less harm and stronger long-term performance.
Physical economy
The part of the economy that makes, moves, uses, and manages physical materials and products.
Material transition
The shift from harmful, wasteful, or fragile inputs toward materials and chemistry that can perform in real production.
Circular economy
A production system designed to keep materials and products useful for longer through repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and responsible recovery.
Feedstock
The starting material used to make another material, chemical, fuel, product, or component.
Bio-based
Derived in whole or in part from biological resources such as plants, agricultural residues, or other renewable biological matter.
Recycled content
Material recovered from a prior use or manufacturing process and incorporated into a new product or material.
Life-cycle assessment
A structured method for evaluating environmental impacts across the stages of a product or material life cycle.
Product stewardship
Responsibility for a product’s impacts and material flows across its life, including use and end of life.
Chemical recycling
Processes that transform polymer waste into chemical intermediates or feedstocks. The exact process, input quality, and output must be verified.
Landfill diversion
Keeping material out of landfill through prevention, reuse, recycling, composting, recovery, or another verified pathway.
Substitution
Replacing an input with an alternative that meets the required performance, safety, cost, supply, and regulatory constraints.
Material performance
The measurable properties a material must deliver in its intended application, such as strength, barrier, thermal, optical, or chemical performance.
Scope 3 emissions
Indirect emissions in an organization’s value chain, including purchased goods, transportation, product use, and end of life.
Physical economy intelligence
Evidence, data, and workflows that help people understand what things are made of, who makes them, and what can replace them.
Definitions are editorial starting points, not a substitute for a project-specific specification, standard, regulation, or life-cycle study. Read the ALT LABS methodology for how we research and link the knowledge base.