MIPS analysis consists of the quantification of the material resources used by a product to develop its function. It estimates the Material Input (MI) to a product, i.e. the quantity of abiotic raw materials, biotic raw materials, soil, water and air that have been used directly or indirectly along the product’s life cycle. The MIPS index is the result of dividing the Material Input by the number of services performed by the product during its useful life.

Considering a single environmental aspect such as materials consumption, you can identify the critical components or life cycle stages of your product. A simple comparison of different design options, such as used materials, can also be carried out using this tool. Due to the simplicity of the comparison you should be aware of possible trade-offs with other relevant environmental aspects that are not assessed, such as energy consumption or toxic emissions.

This tool was developed by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, which periodically publishes the Material Inputs of different types of materials, energy sources and transport systems. The use of this data simplifies the application of MIPS, greatly reducing the required time and data. More information can be downloaded from MIPS-online web page.