Investing in resource scarcity

FEATURE

Natural resources are not infinite and their decline is one of the most important factors for manufacturing companies today, says Pieter Busscher, manager of the RobecoSAM Smart Materials fund.

One of the most fundamental principles of economics is resource scarcity. Just looking at the terms Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age highlights how materials have shaped the course of history to the extent that they have come to define entire eras. It has long been argued that as populations and economies grow, resource depletion will accelerate until we finally run out of natural resources. After all, there is an inherently finite supply of resources, and the demand for them is unlimited. Resource demand growth There are two key drivers for resource demand growth. The first is ...