Will dematerialisation save us?

For some time already experts have been involved in solving the following problem: can global economy development, measured by GDP for example, be sustainable without incurring irreversible damage to the environment?

One of the possibilities for companies and governments searching for solutions is directing towards such development that does not inflict negative impact on the environment. Simply put - it is development that is not dependent on increasing raw material consumption.  

Is this solution possible to find? The answer is "yes". Profit of numerous companies is currently made by providing services instead of producing and selling products. We talk about services that do not inflict significant material flows.

Let us name just a few of the growing number of examples of such services:
- sales of software, literature, music, etc. are no longer connected with real data media, paper books or CDs. It is easier, cheaper and environmentally sound to downoload them from the internet.
- We do not to carry around our wallets full of banknotes and coins. A small plastic card with a chip or magnetic strip is all we need for shopping. More frequently it is even just a payment pasword to our Internet Bank. 
- Telecommunication companies providing telephone connections no longer build their marketing strategy on new telephone sets and kilometres of new cables laid. They innovate their services instead.

This approach to dematerialisation was one of the topics discussed at the training on Ecodesign and Product-Service Systems organised by Centre for Innovation and Development and Dutch company BECO in Rotterdam in January 18^th to 22^nd 2005.