Dematerialization - Material balance and MIPS measurement

With the aim of transforming human activity in a way that is more favorable to the natural environment and consistent with sustainable development, a number of approaches have been developed over the years to systematize environmental protection actions. These approaches aim first and foremost to provide a clear understanding of environmental problems, so that they can be mitigated using a range of tools and strategies.

Here, we present one such approach, "dematerialization", which takes as its starting point a simple idea: the industrial system is based on the input of materials extracted from the natural sphere, such as water, oil, wood or air. Within the industrial system, these resources are transformed into products and services with economic value, but also into emissions, waste, wastewater and so on. Every movement of matter in the economy sooner or later has an impact on the environment. In other words, the source of any environmental problem is a material flow from nature. Dematerialization therefore aims to reduce these flows, in order to reduce their impact on the environment.

We first present the roots of material flow thinking, and describe how this thinking has evolved since the 1960s, making it easier to understand the dematerialization approach. This is followed by a definition of the concept and a brief explanation of its implementation. Finally, the last two sections are devoted to the practical application of dematerialization, at macro and product level. Essentially, we present two tools for measuring material flows, including the MIPS indicator ("Material Input Per Unit of Service") developed at the Wuppertal Institute in Germany, and discuss a few avenues for implementation at national and product level.