Object of Labour, a thing or a set of things acted upon by man in the process of production. It embraces two groups: a) materials directly obtained in natural conditions and converted into a product (mined coal and ores, fish in natural water reservoirs) and b) previously processed materials. These are called raw materials (e. g., yarn in textile production, metals or plastics at an engineering plant, etc.). The objects of labour derived from nature are processed in a series of consecutive stages before they become a finished product. Those that form the product’s material basis are called basic materials, and those that contribute to the process of labour or are added to the basic materials to give them a certain property are called accessory materials. As production develops, the range of objects constantly expands. The scientific and technological revolution has led to a fundamentally new trend in the objects of labour: new materials are being created which do not exist in nature and have predetermined properties, and which relieve production from the need to use only natural materials with a limited range of properties. The new objects of labour (such as polymers, synthetic resins, thermoresistant, superhard and other materials) are playing a revolutionising role in the development of many branches of the economy. The objects and implements of labour, taken together, comprise the means of production.