Consumables

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A consumable is, according to the 1913 edition of Webster, something that is capable of being consumed; that may be destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. Locke specifies these as "consumable commodities." [1]

Consumables are products that consumers buy recurrently, i.e., items which "get used up" or discarded.
For example consumable office supplies are such products as paper, pens, file folders, post-it notes, computer disks, and toner or ink cartridges. Not included capital goods such as computers, fax machines, and other business machines or office furniture. [2]

For arc welding one uses a consumable electrode. This is an electrode that conducts electricity to the arc but also melts into the weld as a filler metal. [3]

Consumable or disposable products associated with the preparation or presentation of serving food include but is not limited to plastic, foam, paper goods and cleaning supplies.

[edit] A specific strategy

The Ecological Intelligent Design strategy of Michael Braungart, an ecological chemist, and William McDonough, an architect and designer, applies to both products and buildings. It is touted as a way to achieve better environmental management by simple distinctions instead of big "systems".

EID defines three product types: consumables, service products or durables and unsaleables:

"Consumables are products that when eaten, used or thrown away literally turn back into dirt and therefore are food for other living organisms."
"Durables, including cars and television sets, are called service products because what we want as customers is the service the product provides – food, entertainment, or transportation. To eliminate the concept of waste, service products would not be sold, but effectively leased to the user." This approach is also championed in natural capitalism and other sustainable development methods. See service economy for a generic treatment of this strategy of eliminating commodity and product status and treating everything delivered as a set of services.
"Unsaleables are toxic products that no one should buy, or in many cases, that users do not realize they are buying. These must cease to be produced and sold and those already on the market should be stored in warehouses until we can figure out a safe and non-toxic way to dispose of them." This includes both the toxic products during production, and after final use that are subject to waste disposal.