Resource efficiency is the maximising of the supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively, with minimumwasted (natural)resource expenses. It means using the Earth'slimited resources in asustainable manner while minimisingenvironmental impact. Natural resource efficiency is embedded into the work of initiatives like theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and international strategies such as theEuropean Union's "Green Deal".[1]
TheUK Government has defined resource efficiency for research purposes as "the optimisation of resource use so that a given level of finalconsumption can be met with fewer resources".[2] It has been noted that improvements in resource efficiency can occur at production, consumption, and end of product life stages.[2] Resource efficiency measures, methods, and aims are quite similar to those ofresource productivity/resource intensity and of the slightly more environmentally-inclined concept ofecological efficiency/eco-efficiency.
A 2014 report byThe Carbon Trust suggested that resource challenges are intensifying rapidly – for example, there could be a 40% gap between available water supplies and water needs by 2030, and some critical materials could be in short supply as soon as 2016.[needs update] These challenges could lead to disruptions to supply, growing regulatory requirements,volatile fluctuation of prices, and may ultimately threaten the viability of existingbusiness models.[3]
To achieve and optimize natural resource andenergy efficiency, severalsustainable economical or production schemes have been proposed over the course of the last 50 years:[when?]circular economy,cradle-to-cradle- orregenerative design, as well asbiomimetics principles, just to name a few. Common to all of them is built-in sustainability, in which (non-renewable) resource-wasting is ruled out by design. They are generally built to beholistic, robustlyself-sustaining and respecting thecarrying capacity of the economic orecological system.
A key tool in resource efficiency is measuring different aspects of resource use (e.g.carbon footprint,water footprint,land footprint ormaterial use), then identifying 'hot spots' where the most resources are used or where there are the best opportunities to reduce this resource use. For example,WRAP has published information on hotspots for 50 grocery products likely to contribute most to theenvironmental impacts associated with UKhousehold consumption.[4] WRAP have created a range of tools and guides to help improve business resource efficiency.[5]
UNEP works to promote resource efficiency andsustainable consumption andproduction (SCP) in both developed anddeveloping countries. The focus is on achieving increased understanding and implementation by public and private decision makers, as well as civil society, of policies and actions for resource efficiency and SCP. This includes the promotion of sustainableresource management in alife cycle perspective for goods and services.[6]
The resource-efficient Europe "flagship initiative" was one of seven such initiatives set out in theEurope 2020 Strategy (2010-2020), the EU's growth strategy for a smart, inclusive andsustainable economy. It supports the shift towardssustainable growth via a resource-efficient,low-carbon economy.[7] TheEuropean Commission argued that recycling practices, reducedgreenhouse gas emissions and reduced reliance onfossil fuels provided evidence that the EU was already making progress with resource efficiency but the pace of change needed to be accelerated. The Commission stated that there were strong synergies between resource efficiency and other policy aims which could be beneficial, such as green growth industries providing secure employment, but a number of trade-offs needed to be managed, for example the promotion of green vehicle technologies supported the continued reduction in fossil fuel usage but also introduced new resource pressures such aselectricity supply and sufficiency in the supply ofrare-earth elements andlithium for vehicle batteries.[8]
The European Commission published aManifesto for a Resource-Efficient Europe in December 2012, in which it stated that "a resource-efficient and resilient economy should be achieved in asocially inclusive and responsible way".[9]
A review of progress to 2014, taking account of the2008 financial crisis, argued that delivery of the EU's resource efficiency targets,reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 20%, and moving towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency, were still broadly achievable by 2020.[10]
Resource Efficient Scotland is a Scottish government-funded programme which helps businesses and the public and third sectors save money by using resources more efficiently.[11]
In October 2012Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) launched a development program for Resource Efficient Technologies for the period 2013–2018.[12]
This article incorporates text published under the BritishOpen Government Licence: HM Government,Unlocking Resource Efficiency: Phase 1 Executive Summary, DESNZ Research Paper Series Number 2023/039, published in November 2023, accessed on 30 December 2024