Ressursikesked

Ressursikesked is a theoretical framework used in environmental economics and resource policy to quantify how efficiently and securely economies manage material resources over time. The term is a compound of ressurs (resource) and a suffix indicating a metric or index, and it is commonly described as a composite indicator of resource scarcity, diversity of supply, and resilience of supply chains.

The framework combines several dimensions: stock levels and depletion trajectories; physical resource flows (extraction, production, consumption); price signals and substitution potential; rates of recycling and circularity; and vulnerability to external shocks. Methodology uses data from environmental economic accounts, energy balances, trade and input–output tables; normalizes components; weights them through expert judgment or data-driven methods; and aggregates into an index that can be tracked over time and across sectors or countries.

Applications encompass policy planning, risk assessment, industrial strategy, and management of critical materials; it is also used for corporate due diligence and transparency reporting. In practice, a rising ressursikesked indicates increasing scarcity or fragility, prompting policy responses such as investment in substitutes, expanded recycling, or domestic production.

Critique of the concept notes several challenges: data gaps, cross-country comparability, subjective weighting, and sensitivity to how components are defined (such as recycling rates or lifetime assumptions). Because it is not a fixed standard, different research groups may define components and weights differently, which can affect comparability and interpretation. Despite these caveats, ressursikesked serves as a useful lens for examining resource resilience and guiding strategic decisions in policy and business.