ecological backpack

The ecological backpack: versatile indicator for

sustainable consumption

12.09.08 ConAccount Conference 2008, Prague

Lähteenoja, Lettenmeier, Salo

Satu Lähteenoja, Michael Lettenmeier, Marja Salo

ConAccount conference 2008, Prague

This presentation is about

• Confusion faced with different indicators• MIPS and ecological backpack• One case project on how it can be used



• One case project on how it can be used• How to compare the indicators• Does backpack bring something new to

the discussion?• Conclusions and further questions

Sustainable consumption – target for ecological cities?

Sustainable consumption is understood as “the use of goodsand services that respond to basic needs and bring a betterquality of life, while minimizing the use of naturalresources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and



resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste andpollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize theneeds of future generations” (The Norwegian Ministry ofEnvironment 1994).

You can’t manage what you can’t measure...

Ecological footprint

CO2-equivalents

Carbon footprint

Water footprint

A jungle of indicators



QuickTime™ jaTIFF (pakkaamaton) pakkauksen purkuohjelma

tarvitaan elokuvan katselemiseen.

Carbon footprintMIPS

Ecological backpack

Total Material RequirementToxics

Best known: ecological footprint


Sustainablelevel

FinlandThe people in



Source: Happy Planet Index

TIFF (pakkaamaton) pakkauksen purkuohjelmatarvitaan elokuvan katselemiseen.

these countrieshave the same

level of happiness

Earth overshoot day



The day that we begin livingbeyond our ecological means

CO2-emissions vrs.Carbon footprint?



Carbon footprint is nowadays used justto tell how many tonnes of CO2 isconsumed=> it’s not telling about



=> it’s not telling aboutarea

Source: footprintnetwork.org, Yahoo green

Water footprint?

The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of





business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. Water use is measured in terms of water volumes consumed (evaporated) and/or polluted per unit of time.

Source: waterfootprint.org

Why is it called footprint?

Area of water needed? Can not be measured as an area...



Source:waterfootprint.org

material input

= life-cycle-wideresource consumption

MIPS (Material Input Per Service)



service unit

= total benefit obtained

Ecological backpack

= resource consumption(non-renewable and renewable resources and



renewable resources and erosion)

of a commodity over its whole life cycle(g, kg, tonnes)

Not just one backpack

Abiotic resource backpack

Biotic resource backpack

TMR



Soil backpack

Water backpack

Air backpackCO2 backpack?

What do different backpacks tell?”Average EU consumer”

TMR backpack of household, EU average

(Total 28 tonnes per person in a year)

9 %

12 %

40 %

26 %

9 %4 %

Housing

Energy use at home

Mobility

Food and beverages

Household goods

Waste management

Air backpack of household, EU average

(Total 5 tonnes per person in a year)

52 %

30 %

15 %

2 %

0 % 1 %

Housing

Energy use at home

Mobility

Food and beverages

Household goods

Waste management

TMR backpack Air backpack



40 %

"One did it" backpack of household, EU

average (Total 33 tonnes per person in a

year)

18 %

37 %

25 %

8 %

4 %

8 %

Housing

Energy use at home

Mobility

Food and beverages

Household goods

Waste management

Also possible:- CO2 backpack- Water backpack- Non-renewable backpack- Renewable backpack- Waste backpack

”One did it” backpack

Case: FIN-MIPS Household research project 2006-2008

1. MIPS studies covering different aspects• pre-study on existing data

• 6 master’s theses



• 6 master’s theses

2. Application of the MIPS data to households• 27 different households monitoring their consumption

• piloting and assessing the use(fulness) of MIPS

3. Illustration and conclusions• suggestions and conclusions: How to reach factor-targets?

The natural resource backpack of Finnish households

TMR by consumption sectors, average

9,900 9,800 9,400

4,4006,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

kg/p

erso

n/y

ear



4,400

2,900 2,400

200 200

2,000

4,000

6,000

Mob

ility

Touris

m

Housin

g

Foods

tuffs

Leisu

re tim

e ac

tivitie

s

Goods

and

app

lianc

es

Packa

ging

Was

te m

anag

emen

t

kg/p

erso

n/y

ear

Summary of the households TMR

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000



0

20,000

40,000

60,000

P G S R E V B O H F W C N Q Y D L J T

Housing Foodstuffs Packaging Waste management

Mobility Goods and appliances Tourism Leisure time activities

One did it -ecological social network

www.onedidit.com



Easy tips for everyday actions

Test your ecological backpack

Community to compare the resultsof improved eco-efficiency

One did it -ecological social network

www.onedidit.com

The best is yet to come...

By the end of year 2008The onedidit.com site will freshen up totally withcool new features!



Conclusions - what do different indicators tell?

• CO2 => energy

• Ecological footprint => energy and agriculture



=> energy and agriculture• Water consumption

=> agriculture• Abiotic resource backpack

=> infrastructure and non-renewable materials

Conclusions

• MIPS is rough but easy, still less used and perhaps underestimated

• With one method, it is possible to study



• With one method, it is possible to study different aspects of resource consumption by different backpacks

=> Good experiences from Finland

Conclusions

• Footprint is clearly understandable, when used to describe area needed

• However, it lacks with taking infrastructure into account



• However, it lacks with taking infrastructure into account

• It confuses when the term footprint is used to tell about CO2 emissions (kilogramms) or water (cubic meters / tonnes)

We need many indicators, but...

• Let’s not spoil the great success of footprint by mixing it with everything (e.g. ”mobility footprint”)



(e.g. ”mobility footprint”)• Instead, we could talk e.g. about CO2

backpack and water backpack to indicate the amout of these resources used in kilograms, when not indicating it to the needed land.

Thank you for your attention!

Waiting for your comments!

www.mips-online.fi



www.mips-online.fisatu.lahteenoja_at_sll.fi

michael.lettenmeier_at_wupperinst.orgmarja.salo_at_onedidit.com

ecological backpack

Health & Medicine