Source and methods of data collection

The source of data on the economic material flow accounts is the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

The economic material flow accounts are one of the several physical modules of the Eurostat’s programme of European environmental economic accounts. They are covered by the Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 6 July 2011 on European environmental economic accounts.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) record flows of natural inputs (domestic extraction of materials) and products (import, export) in a detailed breakdown by approximately 50 material categories. Material flow data presented in this First Release employ the following main material categories:

1.         Biomass and biomass products: crops and products thereof, crop   residues and fodder crops

2.         Metal ores and concentrates and products thereof

3.         Non-metallic minerals and products thereof

4.         Fossil energy material/carriers and products thereof (coal, petroleum, gas etc.)

5.         Other products and waste.

Definitions 

Biomass refers to the biodegradable components of products, waste and residue of agriculture (including plant and animal matter), forestry and wood industries, as well as biodegradable parts of municipal and industrial waste, the energy usage of which is allowed.

Minerals are natural homogeneous bodies of permanent chemical composition and determined physical characteristics that occur in specific geometric forms (crystals) or undetermined physical characteristics.

Ore is a mineral aggregate from which it is technically viable and economically justifiable to produce metals and/or other minerals usable in industry.

Concentrates are products of ore enrichment that have a significantly increased metal content compared to ore contents and are appropriate for further metallurgic processing and production of metal.

Non-metallic mineral raw material are raw materials which do not produce new raw materials as a result of melting, and are usually integrated in sedimentary rocks (quartz raw materials, clay, salt, dolomite, phosphorite, graphite, bauxite and cement raw materials).

Fossil energy materials/carriers are produced naturally beneath Earth’s surface during a long period of time from biological remains. Fossil fuels are not renewable energy sources. There are three main forms of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Waste is every substance or object that was, is going to be or has to be discarded by its owner. Every discarded object and substance the gathering, transport and processing of which are necessary for the protection of the public interest is considered waste.

Domestic extraction used (DEU) is the annual amount of raw materials (except for water and air) extracted from the natural environment to be used in the economy.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) is defined as the total amount of material directly used in the economy.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) = domestic extraction used + import – export

Direct material input (DMI) = domestic extraction used + import

Physical trade balance (PTB) is calculated by subtracting the amount of export in physical units from the amount of import in physical units, as follows:

- physical trade balance (PTB) = import – export.