Material extractions and emissions are changing natural material flows and biological cycles in ecosystems. Once stable cycles - are unhinged. Sooner or later every material-input becomes an output (waste, emissions). Measuring the inputs therefore enables a rough approximation of the overall environmental burden.
The abbreviation MIPS stands for Material Input per Service Unit. MIPS is an elementary measure to estimate the environmental impacts caused by a product or service. The whole life-cycle from cradle to cradle (extraction, production, use, waste/recycling) is considered. MIPS can be applied in all cases, where the environmental implications of products, processes and services need to be assessed and compared.
A practical application of the MIPS Concept is called material intensity analysis. Material intensity analyses are conducted on the micro-level (focussing specific products and services), as well as on the macro-level (focussing national economies). Exemplary studies for both levels can be found on this site.
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Aachener Stiftung Kathy Beys
Factor 10 Institute, France
Faktor 10 Institut, Austria
Sustainable Europe Research Institute
Trifolium-Beratungsgesellschaft mbH |
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