Factors of Material Consumption in EU Countries in 2000–2015

Abstract

The use of natural resources is an important factor for environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. This problem is reflected in EU strategic documents, including Europe 2020 strategy, where one of the main initiatives is ”resource efficient Europe”. Materials Flow Accounts (MFA) are currently being developed, allowing to estimate the aggregate measures of demand and consumption of materials by each country. The aim of the study is to determine the influence of selected factors on the amount of resources consumed in selected European countries using panel regression models. Due to the availability of data, the study is limited to 2000–2015 period and European countries. According to the results obtained, the combined share of the construction, industrial and agriculture sectors, GDP PPS and final energy consumption per capita increase the demand on materials. The impact of environmental policy instruments in the form of taxes and fees has not been confirmed. In developed countries GDP growth is possible with a relatively smaller increase in material demand. This may be due to structural changes in the economies of developed countries, technological change, the implementation of recycling, and the use of incentives, such as environmental taxes. Undoubtedly, further studies of factors determining the volume of material demand are needed.