Quote Originally Posted by markb View Post
The trouble with synthetics like phenolic resin, HPL, carbon fibre, etc is that oil is far from a sustainable resource. Wood isn't really that bad as long as forests are managed responsibly. House building (at least in the US and NZ) consumed far more wood than musical instrument manufacture. Much of it irreplacable. Paper and card based composites could be a possibility if you can get enough density. Metal parts can largely be made from recycled scrap. So we're not that badly off. Until you get to valve manufacture that is Mind you, semiconductors aren't that green either.
Ah Mark, I was all fired up to say something and then you beat me to the punch on the unsustainability of synthetic (generally petroleum-based) materials.

I recall a case history of a semiconductor manufacturer in San Jose that thoroughly contaminated a groundwater aquifer with chlorinated solvents.

Another aspect of this is how much energy and from what sources were used in the manufacturing. Chinese products are from plants that typically use coal-fired power for their electricity. Not to mention the petroleum used to ship the stuff across the Pacific.