Longevity and circularity as indicators of eco-efficient resource use

Natural resources are limited and need to be used efficiently. Several different concepts have been proposed in this context. The circular economy concept aims to close loops and to use resources repeatedly to arrive at their more eco-efficient use. To be able to track progress towards a circular economy indicators and measures are needed. The majority of measures try to capture the circularity of resource flows. More recently an indicator has been proposed that concentrates on the duration of resource use. Circularity does not provide any information about how long resources are used. The duration of resource use does not indicate the degree to which a resource flow is circular. Both, circularity and longevity, are required for a sustainable resource use. Based on the existing measures we develop and further develop indicators for both circularity and longevity that focus on the contribution corporations and other resource users make to the sustainability of resource use. By combining both indicators we enhance their explanatory power.