Statistical presentation

Data description

The detailed material flow accounts present information on flows of materials (natural resources, waste and other residuals), which take place in relation to the economic activities.

The flows are measured in tonnes per year.

The material flow accounts include all types of materials, that are used or produced in Denmark. The flows are allocated by industries, etc. and by supply or use.

The material dimension of the accounts include four main groups:

1) Natural resources

2) Goods

3) Residuals

4) Balance

Each of the three first main groups are further allocated to a number of more specific groups.

The supply and use dimension includes on one side information on where the materials come from (nature, imports, output from industries or from accumulations). On the other side, it is shown in what way the materials are used (emissions to nature, intermediate consumption, private or government consumption, exports or accumulation).

The accounts are balanced, which means that the quantity of materials an industry uses is equal to the quantity that leaves the industry as sold products and residuals (waste, air emissions, etc.).

In principle, the accounts have a complete coverage in the sense that all Danish material flows are described.

At the most detailed publishing level, the accounts include 182 material types and 48 categories for supply and use.

The categories for supply and use follow broadly speaking the classification used by the national accounts for industries and other uses in the form of private and government consumption, capital formation, exports, etc.

Classification system

The detailed material flow accounts include two dimensions (besides the time dimension):

A) Type of materials and B) supply and use categories.

A) Material type consists of four main groups :

1) Natural resources are grouped according to type (biomass, minerals, fossil energy) and whether they are e.g. primary crops, crop residues, wood, fish, chalk, sand, gravel, crude oil and natural gas, etc.

2) Goods are in general grouped according to the principle in Classification of products by activity in the European Union (CPA)
(see CPA classifikation). However, certain adjustments of codes and text has been made in order to clarify the content in relation to the material flow accounts.

3) Residuals are grouped according to the following:

• Primary waste include the same types and quantities, which are included in the waste accounts (see Statistical declaration for waste accounts),i.e. quantities which have been collected but are not treated yet.

• Secondary waste are the results of primary waste, which to some extent have been treated by a waste treatment facility before being brought to recycling.

• Waste products, not elsewhere counted, are similar to waste, but is not recorded in the waste accounts (typically scrap).

• Waste for incineration are quantities of waste, which are actually incinerated with energy production.

• Other residuals include manure, materials to sewer and materials spread in environment (e.g. salt and wood chips).

• Emissions to air, energy related cover carbon, sulphur, water, hydrogen, etc. included in fuels and released to the atmosphere during combustion. Oxygen, etc., which originates form combustion air is not included.

• Emissions to air, process related include substances, which are released by various chemical processes, for instance emissions generated by cement production.

4) Balance is an accounting item, which expresses a lack of full coherence between supply and use for a given industry or other category, when natural resources, goods and residuals are considered. If, for instance, the use of natural resources, products and residuals in a specific industry (inputs) is bigger than the supply from the industry (outputs), the balancing item will make sure that total supply equals total use.

The balancing item can be interpreted partly as uncertainties related to other items in the accounts, partly as materials that are (de-)accumulated in the industry/category. Also evaporation of water, not included elsewhere, will be part of the balancing item.

The most detailed level (StatBank tables MSR3O, MSR3T, MSR3A) presents 182 material types. At the intermediate level (StatBank tables MSR2O, MSR2T, MSR2A) they have been aggregated to 57 groups. The most aggregated StatBank tables (MSR1O, MSR1T, MSR1A) include 24 groups.

B) Categories of sypply and use The categories on the supply side (tables MSR1T, MSR2T, MSR3T) show the origin of the materials:

• Extraction of natural resources (origin in the environment)

• Imports (materials received from abroad )

• Residuals from private and government consumption (waste and other residuals)

• Disposals and scrap from capital, etc.

• Reductions in inventories

• Industries' output

Industries are - with minor changes - classified as in the national accounts (10a3, 19a2 and 69a3, see the classification of the national accounts)

• Total supply is the sum of the above items

• Output from industries, total is the sum of supply from all industries

• Other supply, total is the sum of extraction of natural resources, imports, residuals from private and government consumption, disposals and scrap from capital, etc. and reductions in inventories

Categories on the use side (tables MSR1A, MSR2A, MSR3A) show the recipients/destinations of the materials:

• Residuals to the environment (e.g. emissions to air)

• Exports

• Private and government consumption

• Capital formation

• Increases in inventories, etc.

• Industries' intermediate consumption. Industries are classified in the same way as on the supply side (see above).

• Total use is the sum of the above items

• Intermediate consumption, total is the sum of intermediate consumption of all industries.

• Other use, total is the sum of residuals to environment, private and government consumption, capital formation and increases in inventories, etc.

The categories on the supply and use side may be interpreted as representing the same units (environment, rest of the world, industries, households, capital and inventories)

Sector coverage

The accounts includes the entire Danish economy.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Consumption in production: The value of the goods and services used in production, including the cost of repair and maintenance.

Statistical unit

The units used in the accounts are all physical flows between industries, households,capital, inventories, rest of the world and the environment.

Statistical population

The accounts cover all physical flows, which takes place within the Danish territory. However, also physical flows abroad related to Danish transport companies' bunkering, etc. for ships air planes and vehicles are included.

Reference area

Denmark exclusive of the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Time coverage

The accounts cover 2018

Base period

Not relevant for these accounts.

Unit of measure

Tonnes per year.

Reference period

The accounts cover physical flows, which have taken place during the year.

Frequency of dissemination

Has not been decided yet.

Legal acts and other agreements

The accounts are implemented as part of the work on environmental-Economic Accounts (cf. the Finance Act for2021 $15 (in Danish))

Cost and burden

The accounts are based on data, which are collected by Statistics Denmark in relation to other kinds of statistics. Thus, there is no direct response burden in relation to the compilation of these accounts.

Comment

Further information can be obtained by contacting

Ole Gravgård, +45 3917 3488, ogp@dst.dk