The Royal Society's Phil Trans A is back on the global warming bandwagon, with a whole issue devoted to "materials efficiency" (Roger Harrabin's coverage is here).
The general theme seems to be that if we are going to meet our carbon emissions targets, we are going to need to recycle more and use less of everything.
Reducing requirements for production of new material would lead to reduced rates of extraction of natural resources, reduced energy demand, reductions in emissions and other environmental harms, and potentially has national political advantages through offering a reduced dependence on imports and increased self-reliance. However, the core motivation for examining material efficiency in this Discussion Meeting Issue arises from its potential as an emissions abatement strategy: materials production is both energy intensive and already largely energy efficient.
It reads like politics rather than science to me.