The concept of Factor 4 was introduced in a book written by L. Hunter Lovins and Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute and Ernst von Weizacker of the Wuppertal institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in 1998.
The book presented the concept as an easy means for businesses to achieve four times the efficiency of energy use and materials without the use of new technologies and also presented examples of projects that have saved money and at the same time reduced pollution.
Factor 4 efficiency gains can also be phrased as a reduction of energy and materials by 75%. Its goal is to be twice as productive with half the resources or productivity using 1/4th the material and energy or 4 times as effective with the same resources.
