Material Input per Service Unit (MIPS)

Material input per service unit is a measure of ecoefficiency, developed at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, a German sustainability research institution that focuses on the intersection of ecology, economy, and society. The basic idea behind the concept is that, at some point down the line, every material input (natural resources, energy) becomes an output in the form of waste or emissions. The subsequent argument is that measuring the inputs thus allows for a rough approximation of the overall environmental burden. The Wuppertal Institute defines MIPS as “an elementary measure to estimate the environmental impacts caused by a product or service. The whole life cycle from cradle to grave (extraction, production, use, waste/recycling) is considered. MIPS can be applied in all cases ...