Material flow indicators

Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia

Environmental statistics and accounts divistion

Bojana Kržalić Milenković

Statistician-analyst

5 Milana Rakića, Belgrade

bojana.krzalic@stat.gov.rs

00381 11 3087 001

Not applicable.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) are the framework for compiling statistics involving flows of materials from natural resources to national economy. EW-MFA are descriptive statistics, in physical units (in thousand tonnes per year). They are consistent with the principles and system boundaries of ESA2010 and follow the residence principle. This means that EW-MFA are also a part of SEEA.

EW-MFA are consistent compilations of the overall material inputs into national economies, the changes of material stocks within the economic system and the material outputs to other economies or to the environment according to Regulation (EU) 691/2011.

The main indicators of material flow accounts:

-          domestic extraction (DE): DE indicates the total amount of material extracted by resident units from the natural environment for further processing in the economy;

-           imports (IMP): imports of products in their simple mass weight;

-          exports (EXP): exports of products in their simple mass weight;

-          physical trade balance (PTB): physical imports minus physical exports;

-          direct material input (DMI): DMI indicates the direct input of material into the economy. DMI includes all materials which are of economic value and which are availble for use in production and consumption activities. It is calculated as the sum of domestic extraction plus physical imports: DMI = DE + IMP;

-          domestic material consumption (DMC): DMC indicates the total amount of material actually consumed domestically by resident units. DMC can be calculated as direct material input minus physical exports: DMC = DMI – EXP. 

Resource productivity provides ratios of gross domestic product (GDP) over domestic material consumption (DMC).

Domestic material consumption per capita is defined as the total amount of material directly used in an economy per capita. For the 'per capita' calculation of the indicator the average population is used.

EW-MFA record physical flows of materials broken down by type of flow – e.g. domestic extraction (i.e. natural input), imports and exports (i.e. product) and by type of material.

The EW-MFA classification of materials is hierarchical with main material flow categories (1-digit level); i.e. MF.1 to MF.6. Each main category is further broken down, maximal down to 4-digit-level:

·  1-digit: material category;

·  2-digit: material class;

·  3-digit: material group;

·  4-digit: material sub-group.

The type of material corresponds in a certain way to the type of flow. The classification of MF.1 'biomass', MF.2 'metal ores', MF.3 'non-metallic mineral', and MF.4 'fossil energy materials/carriers' is based pragmatically on the statistical data sources employed to compile domestic extraction for these type of materials, e.g. agriculture, forestry, fishery, and energy statistics. In EW-MFA traded products are presented by type of material and not by product classification. For this, each CN (Combined Nomenclature) code is assigned to one and only one MF class.

The data refer to national economy as defined in the system of national accounts (see ESA2010).

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) belong to the international system of environmental economic accounting (SEEA-Central Framework).

EW-MFA are closely related to concepts and definitions of national accounts. Most notably they follow the residence principle, i.e. they record material flows related to resident unit's activities.

The statistical population is defined in the statistical surveys from which data taken over. EW-MFA include all materials (excluding water and air) crossing the system boundary (between the environment and the economy) on the input side or on the output side. The economy is demarcated by the conventions of the national accounting system (resident units).

The economy or the Republic of Serbia determined by resident units. 

Starting from 1999 the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia has not at disposal and may not provide available certain data relative to AP Kosovo and Metohija and therefore these data are not included in the coverage for the Republic of Serbia (total).

2001 – 2020.

Not applicable.

Thousand tonnes.

For resource productivity RSD/kg.

For DMC per capita tonnes per capita

Calendar year.

National legislation:

Not applicable.

Data confidentiality is stipulated by:

- Official Statistics Law (Official Gazette of RS, number 104/2009), Articles 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49.

(www.stat.gov.rs/media/2322/zakon_o_statisticie.pdf)

- Rulebook on statistical data protection in the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia

(www.stat.gov.rs/media/2343/rulebook-on-statistical-data-protection-in-sors.doc ) 

- Guidelines on measures of data and information protection in the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia

(www.stat.gov.rs/media/2341/guidelines-on-measures-of-data-and-information-protection-in-the-sors.doc )

Confidentiality is based on the principles according to the Official Statistics Law (“Official Gazette of RS” no. 104/09).

Confidential data are not published.

Calendar of releases is available at SORS website:

http://www.stat.gov.rs/en-US/calendar

Annual.

Not applicable.

Via statistical release Material flow accounts 2020

Via data base.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Some methodological frameworks is possible to find within SORS`s ad hoc publication " Material flow accounts in Republic of Serbia 2001-2011".

Quality report are provided, according to Regulation 691/2011.

Data are collected from reliable sources in line with methodology and ensuring a high degree of comparability.

The key users of Material Flow Accounts are the state institutions (Ministries, agencies etc), other national users (environmental analysts, non-government organizations, students, general public etc.), EU and international institutions.

No systematic user satisfaction survey related to Material Flow Accounts.

The data are updated up to 2020.

The quality of the accounts is only as good as the quality of the underlying basic statistics.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Data are available with a timeliness of  T+ 12 months after the end of the reference year.

Data are published in line with Release Calendar.

The data are comparable and available from 2001 onwards.  

The data are coherent with National Accounts and Environmental Accounts.

The data reported are internally coherent (totals are equal to the sum of the breakdowns).

Not applicable.

The published data should be regarded as final, unless otherwise stated. Corrections and revisions might occur.

EW-MFA is based on a variety of statsitical data sources (industry, agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics, energy statistics, foreign trade statistics).

In some cases estimation procedures are applied where no data sources are available (Eurostat provides standardised estimation procedures).

Annual.

Data are taken over from stratistical sources.

Methodological and logical checks between different variables are performed and the consistency of data over time is checked as well.

The main aggregates are derived using bottom-up approach, i.e. by summing up data.

Not applicable.

No comment.