Resource productivity

Description

This metadata refers to two datasets based one and the same data collection:

1. Material flow accounts (env_ac_mfa): detailed material input flows into the national economy (in tonnes)
2. Resource productivity (env_ac_rp): various ratios of gross domestic product (GDP) over domestic material consumption (DMC)

  1. Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) compile material flow inputs into national economies. EW-MFA cover all solid, gaseous, and liquid material inputs, except for water and air, measured in mass units per year. Like the system of national accounts, EW-MFA constitute a multi-purpose information system. The detailed material flows provide a rich empirical database for numerous analytical purposes. Further, EW-MFA are used to derive various material flow indicators such as:

• Domestic extraction (DE): total amount of material extracted for further processing in the economy, by resident units from the natural environment;
• Imports (IMP): imports of products in their simple mass weight;
• Direct material input (DMI): measures the direct input of material into the economy; it includes all materials which are of economic value and which are availble for use in production and consumption activities (DE+IMP);
• Exports (EXP): exports of products in their simple mass weight;
• Domestic material consumption (DMC): measures the total amount of material actually consumed domestically by resident units (DE+IMP-EXP). Note: IMP and EXP are distinguished into extra-EU-trade and total trade.

  2. Resource productivity (GDP/DMC) is defined as the ratio of gross domestic product (GDP) over domestic material consumption (DMC) and commonly expressed in Euro per kilogram of material. The data set env_ac_rp employs different types of GDP for calculating this ratio, depending on the analytical perspective (see item 4). The term designates an indicator that reflects the GDP generated per unit of resources used by the economy. This is typically a macro-economic concept that can be presented alongside labour or capital productivity.