Title page, contents

Preface and acknowledgments

Key findings

Introduction. In the emerging discipline of industrial ecology, researchers view modern economies, metaphorically, as living organisms. Industrial economies "ingest" raw materials, which are "metabolized" to produce goods and services, and they "excrete" wastes in the form of discarded materials and pollution.

Approach and methodology. Our present methodology provides a conceptual model orthe complete material cycle in the industrial economy.

Study findings. The study findings provide policy-relevant information about the links between economic growth and population growth, economic structure, quantities and types of material outputs, and the fate of materials in the economy or the environment. The findings also help to explain how and why patterns of material outputs are changing over time.

Policy applications. Material flows into an economy are a measure of that economy\'s dependence on resource extraction and potential associated environmental impacts. Material flows out of an economy are a measure of the effective loss of useful materials. Together with domestic hidden flows, they are an indicative measure of that economy\'s burden on the planet\'s assimilative capacity.

Next steps. The study findings and discussions with officials in the five study countries lead us to propose future activities that could enhance the usefulness of physical accounts and materials flow analysis in policy development and industrial decision-making.

Notes

Annex 1: Data summary: National comparisons. A series of tables that present the indicators that have been used as the basis of analysis throughout this report.

Annex 2: Country reports

Material flows : Austria
Authors: Christof Amann, Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Walter Hüttler, Heinz Schandl, Helga Weisz

Material flows: Germany
Authors: Stefan Bringezu, Helmut Schütz

Material flows: Japan
Authors: Yuchi Moriguchi

Material flows: The Netherlands

Authors: René Kleijn, Ester van der Voet

Material flows: United States

Authors: Emily Matthews, Christian Ottke, Eric Rodenburg, Don Rogich