Much work on embodied energy aims to specify representative embodied energy values for different materials produced or supplied in a given country or region, so designers can choose environmentallypreferred materials, or to assess the embodied energy associated with various activities. Such approaches often overlook three important issues - variability in energy intensity among alternative sources of a material; the role of design in reducing quantities of materials and specifying sources; and potential resource and energy benefits of material recovery and recycling. These factors may facilitate large reductions in embodied energy without use of unfamiliar or unsuitable materials, opening up a wider range of options for reduction of the environmental impacts of materials use. The paper also explores ways of applying information on embodied energy to policies and programs. Responsibility for the energy embodied in a product is usually spread across several participants, and each may have limited influence over the actions of others in the chain. Policies and strategies aimed at reducing embodied energy must recognise the roles of different participants, identify optimum points for intervention, and establish appropriate methods of changing the influential agents' behaviour. Some possible policies and strategies aimed at reducing embodied e nergy are outlined.

• embodied energy