Abstract
Recent literature on material flow analysis has been focused on quantitative characterization of past material flows. Fewer analyses exist on past and prospective quantification of stocks of materials in-use. Some of these analyses explore the composition of products' stocks, but a focus on the characterization of material stocks and its relation with service delivery is often neglected. We propose the use of the methods of human demography to characterize material stocks, defined herein as stock demographics, exploring the insights that this approach could provide for the sustainable management of materials. We exemplify an application of stock demographics by characterizing the composition and service delivery of iron, steel, and aluminum stocks of cars in Great Britain, 2002-2012. The results show that in this period the stock has become heavier, it is traveling less, and it is idle for more time. The visualization of material stocks' dynamics demonstrates the pace of product replacement as a function of its usefulness and enables the formulation of policy interventions and the exploration of future trends.
Highlights
Many human activities depend on services provided by stocks of materials in the form of products:[1] transportation requires vehicles, shelter is provided by buildings, and production is enabled by machines
Global physical constraints require the promotion of resource efficiency and the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions.[1−3] Pursuing these objectives could be facilitated by enhanced knowledge on the composition of material stocks and their relation to service delivery
Material flow analysis has been used extensively to characterize the transformation of materials along supply chains
Summary
Many human activities depend on services provided by stocks of materials in the form of products:[1] transportation requires vehicles, shelter is provided by buildings, and production is enabled by machines. The analyses above provide compelling insights into past and prospective product and material flows and stocks, and their environmental impacts This has been the case for some integrated assessment models, which have been used extensively for policy analysis, these models often do not comply with the principles of mass balance and they have not been focused on material composition of stocks.[25] Most existing dynamic material flow analyses model the cohort composition of stocks over time, and some of them explore the relationship between stocks and service delivery.[14] a representation of material stocks’ performance, exploring the patterns of use of stocks, has barely been explored.
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