Since 2010, the so-called raw material footprint of Dutch consumption has decreased by more than 30 percent. In 2020, an average of more than 7 thousand kilos of raw materials were extracted per inhabitant to meet Dutch consumption needs. In 2010 this was still 11 thousand kilos. About 90 percent of the raw material footprint of Dutch consumption lies abroad. Statistics Netherlands reports this based on new figures.
The raw material footprint is the amount of raw materials extracted for all products and services that Dutch people consume. In particular, the use of fossil fuels and non-metallic minerals, such as sand and gravel, has declined in the past decade. It is still unknown whether this downward trend will continue. The year 2020 fits in with the downward trend, but that year was special because of corona. In 2018, the penultimate year in which the footprint was measured, the use of biomass, metals and fossil fuels was higher than in 2012.
The extraction of raw materials is responsible for a significant part of the environmental impact of the economy, both at home and abroad. Reducing raw material use plays an important role in the transition to a circular economy.
Raw material footprint largely abroad
Of Dutch consumption of products made in the Netherlands, 89 percent of the raw material footprint takes place abroad. If the consumption of foreign products is also included, this is 92 percent.
The Dutch raw material footprint was largest in Russia in 2018, with around 10 percent of all raw materials (16 billion kilos). This involved Russian natural gas for, for example, the direct energy supply in the Netherlands, but also Russian natural gas for factories abroad that make products that are consumed in the Netherlands. Russia thus provided approximately 39 percent of the oil and gas needs of Dutch consumption. By comparison, the Netherlands provided 23 percent of its own oil and gas needs, while Norway and the Middle East provided 10 and 6 percent respectively.
Germany is also important for the raw material footprint (9 percent in 2018), but 24 percent of the total footprint concerns extraction in Asia, especially in India and China. Brazil is also important in raw material extraction for Dutch consumption (more than 5 percent). The raw material footprint of Dutch consumption extends across many different countries: more than 30 percent was realized in countries that are not in the top 10. Two-thirds of this was realized in other European countries, the rest mainly in (South) Africa.
More than 40 percent of the raw material footprint of computers is in China
In specific sectors, the impact of Dutch consumption across the border is relatively large. Of the raw material footprint of Dutch computer consumption, 42 percent was achieved in China, supplemented by 9,5 percent in the rest of Asia and 7 percent in Australia. The latter mainly concerns coal for the energy needs of Chinese factories and the extraction of metals. In addition to the same two factors, the impact on China also lies in the extraction of sand and clay for the construction of factories, among other things. Finally, Russia is also important for this sector, as a supplier of fossil fuels in addition to the Middle East. Most of this is related to the production of computers and parts in the Netherlands. However, this is only a fraction of the total Dutch consumption of computers. By far the largest share of all computers and parts that Dutch people consume is obtained from abroad.
To map the foreign part of the footprint, sources from outside Statistics Netherlands are used, including the Exiobase database. The figures were made with financing from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, in the context of the Integrated Circular Economy Report (ICER). The calculation of the raw material footprint is done using modelling, as precise figures on all raw materials are not available for every country.
The figures illustrate the influence of international trade on the Dutch economy and the interconnectedness of Dutch consumption with raw material extraction in the rest of the world.
Source: CBS
Photos: Frans Berkelaar, pxhere
