Resource-miser business models

In 1994, the 'Factor 10-Club' was founded to draw the attention of engineers and society at large to the need to dematerialise the economies of industrialised countries by 90%, or a Factor 10. This ecology-based approach neglected the need for new business models. Around the year 2000, a new political vision of sustainable growth was formulated that was more influenced by economists and policy makers, that is still struggling today. The main challenge of resource efficiency is a change in the economic mindset that goes with it, from the industrial economy of production optimisation to a service economy optimising the performance of goods in utilisation. This paper sketches some of this challenge.