1. The waste system

Most industrial products are the result of increasingly complex processes. At the outset, raw materials, water and air are always extracted, and at the end of each processing stage, by-products, water and air of varying degrees of pollution are emitted. In addition, each stage consumes energy. At the consumption stage, the industrial product, especially when it is complex (as in the automotive industry, for example), is in turn a consumer of water, air, energy and spare parts, all of which also contribute to various forms of environmental impact. Finally, at the final stage of its use, the product in turn becomes a waste product that needs to be managed. A global vision therefore needs to address the problems posed at every stage of what is known as the life cycle: Product creation ---> Product use ---> Product end-of-life

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