material flow accounts a tool for assessment of alternatives? frances irwin, world resources...
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MATERIAL FLOW ACCOUNTS
A Tool for Assessment of Alternatives?
Frances Irwin, World Resources Institute
Lowell, Dec. 1-4, 2004
• Material Flow Accounts track the amounts of materials--as classes or individual substances--that enter national economies, accumulate in capital stock, and exit to the environment during extraction, manufacturing, use, recycling/reuse, disposal.
What are Material Flow Accounts?
Foreign Hidden Flows
DomesticHidden Flows
DomesticHidden Flows
DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT
ECONOMICPROCESSING
Imports
STOCKS
DomesticExtraction
DomesticOutputs
The Materials Cycle
Exports
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Status of Material Flow Accounts
• European Union--guidance, analysis, and indicators
• OECD--research on methods
• United States--NRC report, prototype database and template for entering data
Prototype U.S. Database
• Developed by WRI, USEPA, and USGS with other govt. agencies
• Includes bulk of materials flowing through economy, about 180
• Inputs, Uses, Recycling, Outputs
• Times series for 1975-2000
Example Sources of Data
• Raw material supply--expert estimates, ag and energy agencies, trade associations
• Production--Mineral Commodity Summaries, govt. agencies, associations
• Use--Commodity Summaries, ag chemical use database, Census Materials Summary
• Release/disposal--expert estimates, EPA databases such as TRI and waste reports
Indicators at Level of Economy
• Create demand for substitution by providing government and public with broad indicators, use to set priorities
• Dematerialization--total materials, per person, per unit of GDP, hidden flows
• Detoxification--dissipation of hazardous materials
-
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Ma
teri
al I
np
uts
(D
MI)
, in
de
xe
d (
19
75
= 1
.0)
Total
Per Capita
Per GDP (constant $US)
Trends in Material Inputs to the U.S. Economy, 1975-2000
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
-
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Do
me
sti
c P
roc
es
se
d O
utp
ut
(DP
O),
in
de
xe
d (
19
75
= 1
.0)
Total
Per Capita
Per GDP (constant $US)
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Trends in Material Outputs to the U.S. Economy, 1975-2000
Correlation of Population Density with Domestic Material Consumption per Capita
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
- 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Population Density (persons/km2)
Do
me
sti
c m
ate
ria
l c
on
su
mp
tio
n
(me
tric
to
ns
pe
r p
ers
on
)
European Union
IrelandDenmark
Germany Belgium
NetherlandsUnited KingdomItaly
Sweden
United States
Portugal
Finland
France
Austria
Greece
Spain
Metals and Minerals Recycling per Capita and as a Percent of Use, 1975-2000
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
-
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
To
tal R
ecyc
ling
(m
illio
n m
etri
c to
ns
per
ca
pit
a)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Recyclin
g as a P
ercent o
f To
tal Use
Total recycling per capita Recycling as a percent of total use
Crop Production and Pesticides Consumption, 1975-2000
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
cro
p p
rod
ucti
on
(m
illio
n m
etr
ic t
on
s)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450 pestic
ide c
on
su
mp
tion
(tho
usan
d m
etric
ton
s)
Crop Production
Conventional Pesticides Consumption(agricultural sector)
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Flow Characterization
• Mode of First Release--to air, water, or land as gas, liquid, or solid
• Quality--biodegradable, chemically active, persistent
• Velocity--years in economy, over 30 stock
• In future--use weighting scheme such as EPA’s TRACI
Characterization of Outputs in kg per person
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Added to Stock
Discharged to air
(diffuse sources)
Other
Discharged into water
Controlled on Land (solid)
Controlled to Land (liquid)
Dispersed on Land
Discharged to air (point
sources)
Potentially Hazardous Outflows to the U.S. Environment, 1975–
96
0
100
200
300
400
500
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995
Mill
ion
met
ric t
ons
Other
Chlorine
Heavy Metals
Asbestos
Salt
Synthetic OrganicChemicals
Fuel-relatedContaminants
Disaggregating the Accounts
• Develop standard Material Flow Data Sheet for entering data
• More detail on outputs at each stage of life cycle
• Add more detail on synthetic organic chemicals
Material Flow Data SheetMetadata Inputs Outputs
Name of material Production Extractive waste
Resource sector Secondary production Processing waste
Level Byproduct production Manufacturingwaste
Economic sector Changes in inventory Uses
Codes (SIC, CAS) Imports/Exports ofmaterials, finishedgoods
Recycling fromeach use
Associated flows Incidental outputs
Life Cycle Information
RawMaterialSupply
Production Use Disposal
Recycle ReuseRemanufactureRecycle Reuse
Inputs
Outputs to the Air, Water, Land
RawMaterialSupply
Production Use Disposal
Recycle ReuseRemanufactureRecycle Reuse
Inputs
Outputs to the Air, Water, Land
Data Availability for Five Waste Minimization Priority Chemicals
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Information about Individual Flows
• Are dissipative flows of persistent materials decreasing?
• What materials are accumulating in durable goods, stock?
• How will substitution of a material shift flows?
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Housing and Construction Materials in the United States
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Ars
en
ic O
utp
uts
to t
he U
.S.
En
vir
on
men
t (th
ou
san
d m
etr
ic t
on
s)
Other
Glass
Woodpreservatives
CoalCombustion
Agriculturalchemicals
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
Arsenic Outputs to the U.S. Environment, 1975-2000
Cadmium Uses, 1975-2000
Source: World Resources Institute 2004
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Met
ric
To
ns
Ni-Cd battery Imports
Ni-Cd battery production
Coatings and Plating
Pigments
Other *
Note: "Other" releases of Cadmium are from plastic stabilizers, coal combustion emissions, and alloys.
Advancing Material Flow Accounts
• Test Material Flow Data Sheet--how make make useful for assessing alternatives
• Propose materials to add to database
• Propose ways to present and disseminate data to encourage material substitution
Institutionalize US Accounts
• Material Flow Accounts need a home in United States; NRC recommends partnership
• Build links with data providers, media, investors, industry leaders, NGOs.
• Work with Congress to establish Accounts useful in assessing alternatives