Using streamlined MIPS to evaluate environmental performance: a case study of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China campus

Abstract

This article reports on a Chinese application of the material input per service (MIPS) concept used to characterise and quantify the relationships between MIPS provided by a university campus. The case study area chosen is the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) campus. Materials flow accounting is applied to quantify the stock and flow of key construction materials inputs within the campus from 2008 to 2015. The number of degrees conferred (unit of service provided by a university campus) in a year is then factored to the materials input of that particular year. It is concluded that MIPS – which links a service (in this case, university education) enabled by a given product (campus facilities) to the amount of materials, energy, and emissions used or produced in creating that product – offers an interesting way to evaluate the environmental performance of a product if the service unit is properly defined.

Keywords:

• MIPS
• material flow
• university campus
• environmental performance