Ambitious goals for increasing eco-efficiency have been presented. The productivity of natural resources in the industrial countries has to be raised ca. tenfold by mid-next century (the so called Factor 10 objective). As an intermediate goal, it will probably be possible to increase the productivity of natural resources e.g. fourfold in 20 to 30 years (Factor 4 objective).

- Source: Eco-efficiency Initiative presented by the European Union in 1997

BENEFITS TO COMPANIES, CONSUMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Increasing the efficiency of resource use decreases costs and makes for sensible business. Eco-efficiency is considered a rising megatrend essential for the competitiveness of companies. The eco-efficiency principle also helps the consumer to make choices that are both environmentally friendly and economical.

Cutting down on material flows reduces the stress on the environment. As the amounts of natural resources used in the economy are lessened, the volumes of emissions and waste are also diminished. This is modern, preventive, environmental protection.

NEW TOOLS FOR ASSESSING ECO-EFFICIENCY

Certain new concepts have been introduced to help in increasing the productivity of natural resources:

• Ecological rucksack = the mass (in kilograms) of those natural resources that have been removed from their original places in ecosystems that the product requires during its life-cycle, excluding its own weight.
• Material input required by the product = the weight of the product + its rucksack.
• MI factor of a certain raw material (e.g. wood, iron, concrete) = the total mass of natural materials (in kilograms) that has been needed in producing one kilogram of the raw material. Using these factors it is possible to compare the environmental impacts of materials and to calculate the ecological rucksacks of products.

The Wuppertal Institute in Germany has defined MI factors for many raw materials of industrial products. Some factors used in Finland can be found here (in Finnish).

• TMR, Total Material Requirement = the direct use of materials of the economy + its ecological rucksack (i.e. the hidden flows).

The TMR of the Finnish economy has been calculated in a research project coordinated by the Thule Institute of the University of Oulu. On average, a Finn annually consumes almost 100 tonnes of natural resources.

MIPS, MEASURE OF MATERIAL EFFICIENCY

It is meaningful to compare the use of materials with the benefit that is produced. MIPS (Material Input Per Service unit, MI/S) expresses the mass of materials needed to produce a unit of a service.

The MI in the MIPS is the sum of the ecological rucksack of the product and its own weight. S means the total number of service units that the product is able to provide during its whole lifetime. One service unit may be e.g. one kilogram of laundry washed with a washing machine, in which case MIPS expresses the mass of natural resources consumed during its lifetime per kilogram of laundry.

IMPROVING ECO-EFFICIENCY

When the MIPS is reduced, the productivity of natural resources is enhanced. This can be done either by decreasing the use of natural resources (MI) or increasing the number of service units (S) provided by the product.

The use of natural resources (MI) can be cut down e.g. by

• moving to raw materials and energy sources with a small ecological rucksack (MI factor)
• improving industrial processes so that they use less raw materials and energy,
• making products smaller and lighter (preferably without reducing the number of service units)
• using recycled materials in manufacturing the products or
• diminishing the need of the transport of raw materials or finished goods.

The number of service units provided by the product can be increased by promoting

• the longevity of products (by making them durable, timeless, maintainable, repairable, upgradable, supplementable, reliable, easy to use and reusable)
• the multistage use of products (by making them reusable, multi-purpose, easily disassembled, and simple in terms of their material consistence and structure)
• sales and marketing solutions that increase material efficiency through emphasising
  • right-of-use instead of ownership (e.g. borrowing, leasing, renting)
  • joint and shared use (e.g. laundry, public transport)
  • the use of a service instead of a product (e.g. a phone answering service)
  • selling results instead of products (outsourcing).

Different options may be combined to achieve an efficient solution without lowering the standards for the service or product.

More information on increasing resource efficiency can be found here (in Finnish).

Links to web resources on eco-efficiency research & development outside Finland:

http://www.wupperinst.org
http://www.factor10-institute.org
http://www.seri.at
http://www.wri.org