Istat

DIPS/DCCN/CNB

Istat, Directorate for National Accounts
Division chief, Final demand, labour and capital input, environmental accounts
Via Depretis,74/b 00184 Rome, Italy

femia@istat.it

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) provide an aggregate overview, in thousand tonnes per year, of the material flows into and out of an economy. EW-MFA cover solid, gaseous, and liquid materials, except for bulk flows of water and air. Like the system of national accounts, EW-MFA constitute a multi-purpose information system. The detailed material flows provide a rich empirical database for numerous analytical purposes. Further, EW-MFA are used to derive various material flow indicators.

The National Statistical Institute (NSI) sent to Eurostat on yearly basis the EW-MFA. The accounts comprise the following reporting tables:

• Table A 'Domestic extraction (DE)': records material flows from the environment into the economy in a detailed breakdown by type of material
• Table B 'Imports - total imports (intra- and extra-EU) and Table D 'Exports – total exports (intra- and extra-EU)': These physical trade tables record the imports and exports of products in thousand tonnes and grouped by materials.
• Table F 'Domestic processed output (DPO)': records material flows from the economy to the domestic environment (e.g. emissions to air, water and soil)
• Table G 'Balancing items': reports some memorandum items which are necessary to have the full material balance related to a national economy
• Table H 'Indicators': presents the EW-MFA derived indicators which are automatically calculated from Table A to G
• Table I 'Material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (RME)': records material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (MFA-RME). Some items are calculated automatically based on data reported in Table A and Table I

EW-MFA record physical flows of materials broken down by type of flow and by type of material.

The type of flow dimension corresponds to the EW-MFA questionnaire reporting tables and derived indicators, namely:

• domestic extraction (Table A)
• physical imports (Table B)
• physical exports (Table D)
• domestic processed output (Table F)
• balancing items (Table G)
• direct material input (indicator)
• domestic material consumption (indicator)
• physical trade balance (indicator)

The breakdown by type of material employs a classification of materials. This EW-MFA classification of materials is hierarchical with main material flow categories (1-digit level). Each main category is further broken down, maximal down to 4-digit-level:

    1-digit: material category;

    2-digit: material class;

    3-digit: material group;

    4-digit: material sub-group.

The data refer to national economies as defined in the system of national accounts.

Conceptually economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) belong to the international system of environmental economic accounting (SEEA-Central Framework). Furthermore, EW-MFA is one of several physical modules of Eurostat's programme on European environmental economic accounts. It is covered by Regulation (EU) No. 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts.

EW-MFA are closely related to concepts and definitions of national accounts. Most notably they follow the residence principle, i.e. they record material flows related to resident unit's activities, regardless where those occur geographically.

Further methodological guidelines are provided in various publications by Eurostat (see Eurostat website > Environment > Methodology, heading: 'Material flows and resource productivity').

For more detailed information please see also 3.1.

Statistical units change according to the different data sources (e.g. agriculture, forestry and fishery statistics, production statistics, geological surveys, energy statistics, foreign trade statistics etc.) which EW-MFA are based on.

EW-MFA refer to the entire national economy of the reporting country (see also 3.3 'Coverage - sector')).

EW-MFA include all materials (excluding water and air) crossing the system boundary (between the environment and the economy) on the input side or on the output side. The economy is demarcated by the conventions of the national accounting system (resident units).

Material inputs to the economy cover extractions of natural resources (excluding water and air) from the natural environment and imports of material products (goods) from the rest of the world economy (ROW).

Material outputs are disposals of materials to the natural environment and exports of material products and waste to the ROW. Information on natural resources extracted and traded products is provided by different statistical units.

Please see the table in 3.8.1.

Not applicable because EW-MFA are not reported as indices.

The unit of measure is thousand tonnes.

The data refer to the calendar years.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) are legally covered by Regulation (EU) 691/2011 on European Environmental Economic Accounts.

Not applicable in national level this information is required at European level only.

The MFA data will be made available in the Istat warehouse as soon as they pass Eurostat's control. Foreseen date is 30 May 2024

The calendar is set on a weekly basis for releases not accompanied by a briefing for the press.

Data are uploaded in Istat' datawarehouse (dati.istat.it ), accessible to everybody on the same terms, in a section dedicated to environmental accounts, within the larger "national accounts" area.
The general public informed through a note on the website after publication.
Known users and possibly interested subjects are informed through an email message.
No press release.

Data are disseminated annually.

No press release.

At national level data will be made available on the Istat’s warehouse http://dati.istat.it/?lang=en -
Section: national accounts – environmental accounts – National materials' use accounts -  after publication by Eurostat.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

No micro-data are disseminated.

A national publication presenting results from various Environmental accounts, including EW-MFA, was realised in 2021.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Dati.istat.it tables are accompanied by the main metadata.
More detailed metadata are provided through the Institute's quality of statistics documentation system: http://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/visualizza.do?id=8888979.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Quality report is reported on the Istat Information system on quality of statistical production processes at this link:
http://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/visualizza.do?id=8888979.

Since the 90s Istat adopted a systematic approach to ensure quality in both statistical information and service to the community. For this purpose, the Italian National Institute of Statistics has defined a quality policy providing itself with appropriate tools as well as management changes to carry it out.
Istat quality policy is aimed at the improvement of statistical outputs and processes through the development of appropriate methodologies and tools as well as an appropriate scientific and technical support, provided to the personnel directly involved in the production and dissemination of statistical information.
Istat quality policy is coherent with the European framework developed by Eurostat, taking up its main principles and definitions stated in the European Statistics Code of Practice and useful to ensure and strengthen the accountability and governance of the European Statistical System and of the National Statistical Systems.
For details: https://www.istat.it/en/organisation-and-activity/institutional-activities/quality-commitment

Overall data quality is quite high for some items. It is medium or low for other. See "Accuracy" for details.

Istat is constantly interested in understanding who the users of the statistics it produces are, what the information needs are, whether they match production and if the statistics produced satisfy users. To this aim, together with the analysis of user requests received through the Web Contact Center service, tools for direct consultation were developed, such as the annual online survey of customer satisfaction and indirect tools such as analysis of accesses and of users' browsing paths on the web site.

The system is complete and fully complying with relevant regulations/ guidelines.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

EW-MFA constitute accounts and as such they are compiled from a variety of data sources. The majority of EW-MFA characteristics are based on statistical data sources. Some characteristics even need to be estimated because adequate statistical data sources do not exist.

Please use Annex 3 for providing an assessment of the overall quality of the reported data.

Not applicable because data are not based on a sample survey.

Not applicable because data are not based on a sample survey.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Italy transmitted the data to Eurostat on 27.04.2023

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data on EW-MFA are compiled according to harmonised guidelines provided by Eurostat and hence comparable across European countries reporting EW-MFA data to Eurostat.

Not applicable because physical imports and exports as recorded in EW-MFA are not specified by origin and/or destination.

Please see the table in 15.2.1.1.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Please use below table for explaining b)-flags (breaks in time series):

The other related statistical results, often used as a source of data for the MFA, are consistent with the EW-MFA.

Not applicable; reported EW-MFA data are only annual.

Italian EW-MFA are consistent with ESA.

Internal coherence is full.

Restricted from publication.

The data for years t-2 is calculated at each year t. Furthermore, the entire historical series are recalculated whenever new data sources or new estimation methods can be used.

Revisions of previously released data generally take place whenever there is a general revision of sources and methods of the entire national accounting (new benchmark).

nothing to report

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data sources used to produce economy-wide material flow accounts are described in the sub-concepts 18.1.1 (and Annex) and 18.1.2.

Please use Annex 1 to report the detailed data sources for questionnaire tables A, B, D, F and G.

The data in Table I are derived from the processing carried out with Country-RME-tool_March2023.xls. The sources of the data in it are as follows:

Annually.

No data are directly collected.

As for the outputs, the validation is based on:
- quality guidelines: Eurostat suggested checks on the results reported in the questionnaire guide us to identify unjustified outliers;
- use of best practices: new best practices are implented as much as posssible at every general revision of the National
Accoubts, when the compilation system is thoroughly reconsidered;
- self-assessments: the interrelations between MFA and other environmental as well as with core national accounts oblige to continuosly self-assess the quality of the work done on the basis of e.g. the likelyhood of characteristic ratios.

Data sources used to produce economy-wide material flow accounts are described in the sub-concepts 18.1.1 (and Annex) and 18.1.2.

Not applicable.

Please use Annex 2 to describe estimation approaches for specific items.

Nothing to report.

Nothing to report.

Adjustments may change in the future as for air transport, due to the possible reclassification of some units/of domestic flights operated by foreign companies.

Nothing to report.

Not applicable; i.e. in EW-MFA no time series adjustment necessary.

Not applicable.