In the previous column, "factor 4" states that "in order for the world to overcome poverty and maintain a balance between affluence and the global environment, it is necessary to at least quadruple resource productivity." I explained my thoughts. And conversely, we have given some examples showing that we are ridiculously wasting resources so that we can more than quadruple resource productivity.

● 人口急増と資源不足で「生産性」の意味が変わる！

In the preface of the book "factor 4", the following sentences are written.
"Even though 8 billion people are looking for jobs, a strange idea to boost labor productivity has been developed, and in keeping with that, the waste of limited natural resources continues."

Until now, productivity in a factory has meant "how many things can be produced with a few people" in a certain amount of time. In other words, it can be said that "productivity = labor productivity."

However, in the future, the world population will increase steadily, and on the contrary, resources will be in short supply, soaring, and heading toward depletion. This means that it is of course more important to use resources that are becoming more and more depleted as efficiently as possible, rather than extremely saving the growing labor force. It means that we will be in a world where "how few resources are consumed" is more important than "how few people are".

In this sense, I think we will move from "labor productivity" to "resource productivity". Or isn't it forced to move? I think.

● Direction toward the realization of the resource productivity revolution

Now, in an era where such resource productivity is important, the direction for realizing a resource productivity revolution such as factor 4 can be classified as follows.

(1) Reduce the resources used when producing things.

Energy saving and resource saving of production process

(2) Reduce resource consumption when things are used.

Energy saving and resource saving of various Equipment If you raise the points of energy saving and resource saving in (1) and (2)

• Energy conversion (fuel → electricity, fuel → power, electricity → power, electricity → heat, etc.) Improvement of efficiency
• Reduction of friction and resistance
• Insulation.
• Use of waste heat
• Resource recycling
• Weight saving
• Suppression of over-performance and over-operation
• These include the use of renewable resources (plants, wind, rain, waves, sunlight, etc.).

(3) Reduce resource consumption by changing the way things are used.

1) 3R activities of reduce, reuse and recycle
Save resources by "if possible, don't use things, use them as many times as you use them, and finally recycle them so that they can be used in different ways."

2) Transition from a "ownership of goods" economy to a "use of services" economy
By shifting from the era when "owning things" is the norm to use things to "using services" only when necessary, we can save dramatic resources.

In the next column, I would like to talk about the "transition from the" ownership of goods "economy to the" use of services "economy" for "changing the way things are used to reduce resource consumption."

April 30, 2009 Hironobu Matsui