Resurssivaatima

Resurssivaatima is a Finnish term referring to the amount of resources required to support a process, product, or system. It covers energy, materials, water, land, and other inputs, and is used to assess how resource-intensive a given activity is. The concept is closely tied to ideas of resource efficiency and sustainability.

The word comes from resurssi (resource) and vaatima (to demand or require). In practice, resurssivaatima is quantified in relation to outputs, allowing comparisons between designs, products, or scenarios. It can be examined at different scales, from a single product to an entire organization or economy.

Methods for assessing resurssivaatima include life cycle assessment indicators, material and energy intensity per unit of output, and footprint metrics such as material, water, or energy footprint. The choice of metric depends on the objective, whether reducing energy use, minimizing material throughput, or lowering environmental impact.

In policy and planning, reducing resurssivaatima supports sustainability goals by guiding decisions on technology, sourcing, efficiency improvements, and circular economy strategies. It is also used in life cycle optimization and supply chain design to identify hotspots of resource consumption.

See also: resource efficiency, resource intensity, ecological footprint, material footprint, life cycle assessment.