Interactive Material Flow Analysis Dashboard

Key findings Link to heading

  • The EU-27 reduced Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) per capita by approximately 18% between 2007 and 2020, yet its Material Footprint — which accounts for materials embedded in imports — remained broadly stable, suggesting that apparent efficiency gains are partly attributable to the externalisation of extraction to trade partners.
  • MERCOSUR-4 economies exhibit the inverse pattern: rising domestic extraction paired with a persistently negative trade balance in material terms, consistent with a structural role as net suppliers of primary commodities to industrialised blocs.
  • Material intensity (DMC per unit of GDP) declined across both blocs over the period, albeit at markedly different rates; the EU-27 trajectory follows a punctuated path — improvements concentrated during recessionary years — whilst MERCOSUR-4 shows a slower, commodity-cycle-dependent trend.
  • Biomass and construction minerals dominate MERCOSUR extraction profiles, whereas the EU-27 displays a more diversified composition with a comparatively larger share of fossil fuels and metal ores embedded in its footprint via imports.

Data and method Link to heading

The dashboard draws on the UNEP Global Material Flows Database, which provides harmonised economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) for over 200 economies from 1970 to 2024. Four core indicators structure the analysis: Domestic Extraction (DE), Domestic Material Consumption (DMC), Physical Trade Balance (PTB), and Material Footprint (MF). The first three are derived directly from EW-MFA accounting identities; Material Footprint is estimated via multi-regional input-output (MRIO) modelling, attributing global extraction to final demand in each economy.

Two normalisation methods are available — z-score and min-max — enabling comparisons across countries of vastly different size. All indicators can be viewed in absolute terms (Mt) or per capita (t/cap), and the temporal window is adjustable between 1970 and 2024.

How to use the dashboard Link to heading

Launch Dashboard

  • Regional comparison: select EU-27, MERCOSUR-4, or individual countries for focused analysis.
  • Normalisation: toggle between z-score and min-max to emphasise relative or absolute patterns.
  • Temporal range: adjust the year slider to isolate specific periods (e.g., pre- and post-2008 crisis).
  • Six interactive charts: temporal evolution of DMC; material flow composition by category; trade balance dynamics; material intensity trends; import/export patterns; and a material footprint heatmap across countries and years.