11 Economy-Wide Material Flow Analysis and Its Projection …
163
et al. 2012). In this paper, both direct and indirect material flows correspond to used
materials involved in economic activities.
Meanwhile, RME does not include unused extraction (Moll 2014). Unused materials are the extraction mass which does not enter in economic activities (Eurostat
2007). The unused materials arising from non-economic activities are named hidden
flow (HF) in this paper. HF has a significant impact on overall material utilization
process and environment (Fischer-Kowalski et al. 2011). In addition, the extraction
activities change the landscape, which results in the various critical environmental
and ecological issues such as forest fragmentation and biodiversity mitigation (Patz
et al. 2004).
As such, taking into account HF arising from non-economic activities as well,
total material requirements (TMR) were developed as the most encompassing indicator (Adriaanse et al. 1997). The relations between TMR and environmental and
ecological impacts were presented in the earlier study (Kosai and Yamasue 2019).
Numerous studies addressed the analysis of EW-TMR in individual countries such
as China (Dai and Chen 2010), Uzbekistan (Raupova et al. 2014), Spain (Garmendia
et al. 2016), and Finland (Seppala et al. 2005).
Bringezu et al. chronologically evaluated international comparison of DMI and
TMR with economic growth and stated that the mechanism and composition of
economy-wide TMR depends on each of unique national characteristics (Bringezu
et al. 2004). As such, this study focuses on the economy-wide material flow on the
basis of DMI and TMR in Japan and observes how the national policy affected the
flow. Particularly, most developed countries such as Japan significantly rely on the
import of material from overseas (Achzet and Helbig 2013). Due to the increasingly
vulnerable balance between demand and supply, appropriate material utilization has
been a major concern.
To accurately identify the national economy-wide material utilization pattern, the
highly disaggregated classification is used in this study. While the overall material
cycle flow study based on DMI has been recently conducted including in recycling
materials (e.g. Li et al. 2013), domestic recycled resources have not yet been fully
evaluated in EW-TMR. This study includes the recycling flow in the category of both
DMI and TMR. In most of earlier studies, the value of TMR for each of category
was presented in a top-down manner, whereas this study calculates the TMR of each
of product in a bottom-up manner.
The objective of this research is to chronologically analyze and project the material flow from the perspective of both DMI and TMR in the course of economic
development.
163
et al. 2012). In this paper, both direct and indirect material flows correspond to used
materials involved in economic activities.
Meanwhile, RME does not include unused extraction (Moll 2014). Unused materials are the extraction mass which does not enter in economic activities (Eurostat
2007). The unused materials arising from non-economic activities are named hidden
flow (HF) in this paper. HF has a significant impact on overall material utilization
process and environment (Fischer-Kowalski et al. 2011). In addition, the extraction
activities change the landscape, which results in the various critical environmental
and ecological issues such as forest fragmentation and biodiversity mitigation (Patz
et al. 2004).
As such, taking into account HF arising from non-economic activities as well,
total material requirements (TMR) were developed as the most encompassing indicator (Adriaanse et al. 1997). The relations between TMR and environmental and
ecological impacts were presented in the earlier study (Kosai and Yamasue 2019).
Numerous studies addressed the analysis of EW-TMR in individual countries such
as China (Dai and Chen 2010), Uzbekistan (Raupova et al. 2014), Spain (Garmendia
et al. 2016), and Finland (Seppala et al. 2005).
Bringezu et al. chronologically evaluated international comparison of DMI and
TMR with economic growth and stated that the mechanism and composition of
economy-wide TMR depends on each of unique national characteristics (Bringezu
et al. 2004). As such, this study focuses on the economy-wide material flow on the
basis of DMI and TMR in Japan and observes how the national policy affected the
flow. Particularly, most developed countries such as Japan significantly rely on the
import of material from overseas (Achzet and Helbig 2013). Due to the increasingly
vulnerable balance between demand and supply, appropriate material utilization has
been a major concern.
To accurately identify the national economy-wide material utilization pattern, the
highly disaggregated classification is used in this study. While the overall material
cycle flow study based on DMI has been recently conducted including in recycling
materials (e.g. Li et al. 2013), domestic recycled resources have not yet been fully
evaluated in EW-TMR. This study includes the recycling flow in the category of both
DMI and TMR. In most of earlier studies, the value of TMR for each of category
was presented in a top-down manner, whereas this study calculates the TMR of each
of product in a bottom-up manner.
The objective of this research is to chronologically analyze and project the material flow from the perspective of both DMI and TMR in the course of economic
development.