Resource productivity

Resource productivity in the broader sense is the productivity of every resource , irrespective of which production factor it is assigned to. In the usual (and narrower sense) it is used to denote the productivity of natural resources , in contrast to labor productivity and capital productivity . H. of the production factor soil .

This describes the (quantity) ratio of products ( output ) to the resources (raw materials and energy) ( input ) used in the production process:

${\displaystyle {\text{Produktivität}}={\frac {\text{Ausbringungsmenge}}{\text{Einsatzmenge}}}={\frac {\text{output}}{\text{input}}}}$

In the current view of productivity, resource productivity is so neglected that it is viewed as an unexplained component of total factor productivity . The increase in soil productivity is, however, rightly attributed to the development of technical progress .

In the course of increasing environmental awareness , the importance of resource productivity in society is being seen more clearly again and the danger of unrestrained consumption of resources and the need for sustainable development are being emphasized (see The Limits to Growth ).

In the field of economics in Germany, Gerhard Scherhorn and Raimund Bleischwitz from the Wuppertal Institute in particular call for a shift to resource productivity instead of labor productivity .

See also

• Input-output analysis
• Material input per service unit (MIPS)
• Soil yield

literature

• Bleischwitz, Raimund: End of labor productivity. From the productivity of labor to the productivity of resources. In: Universitas, 1998, pp. 369-377
• Hawken / Lovins / Lovins: Eco-capitalism. The industrial revolution of the 21st century. Prosperity in harmony with nature. Bertelsmann, Munich 2000
• Scherhorn, Gerhard: Nature and capital: on the conditions of sustainable business. In: Natur und Kultur, 5 (2004), 1, pp. 65–81.
• v. Weizsäcker, EU , Lovins, AB and LH : Factor 4 . Twice the prosperity - halve the consumption of nature. Munich 1995