The reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product and service.

• A. Dematerialization
• B. Eco-design
• C. Embodied energy
• D. Energy distribution

Answer: (A)

Dematerialization is about delivering the same function or service with less material and energy input, cutting the overall resource throughput of products and services. It captures the idea of decoupling economic value from physical resource use by strategies like lighter or modular designs, longer-lasting components, or shifting to product‑service models where you pay for use rather than ownership. This focus on reducing both material and energy demand makes it the best fit for describing a drop in total throughput.

Eco-design aims to minimize environmental impacts across the product life cycle, which is related but broader and not the exact measure of reducing total throughput. Embodied energy refers to the energy contained in materials and the manufacturing process, an important component but not the overall throughput reduction. Energy distribution concerns how energy is delivered and used, not the reduction of inputs themselves.