ABSTRACT
Part I of this book focused on presenting a whole system approach to resource productivity based on best practices across a range of industries to demonstrate that Factor Five improvements were not only possible, but often being achieved. The chapters adhere closely to an academic style, with comprehensive referencing and notes, to ensure a rigorous presentation. The innovation over that of the work presented in Factor Four lies in this whole system design 1 approach to resource productivity gains – a transition that may be called ‘transformational’ – but it's still based on facts and figures. Chapters 6–8 then described a range of existing policies and instruments that are being used to underpin efforts to improve productivity. Chapter 8 ended with the observation, grim as it may be from an environmental point of view, that improvements in efficiency in the past were almost always overwhelmed by additional overall consumption, be it by an increase of population, higher standards of living or just by consumer behaviour; moreover, that in the real world, many of the exciting opportunities lying in the efficiency revolution remained mostly unrealized.
