Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO)

Section Environment, Sustainable Development, Territory

Federal Statistical Office
Espace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

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.

Switzerland

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. Since the 2nd December 2019 this Regulation is included in the Annex A to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on cooperation in the field of statistics.

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

The statistical production is mainly framed by the Federal Statistics Act (FStatA) of 9 October 1992 (Status as of 1 January 2016) and the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) of 19 June 1992 (Status as of 1 March 2019) in Switzerland. The latter aims to ensure data protection within federal statistical bodies and that published data are aggregated in a way that the persons or enterprises concerned are not recognisable.

Not relevant (no microdata are used in the production of EW-MFA).

At national level, the complete data set including first estimates for the previous year for domestic extraction, imports and exports is annually published in July.

A national dissemination calendar is available in the section “agenda” of the website of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The date of dissemination is generally communicated four weeks before publication.

The data are publicly disseminated on the webpage “Material flows” of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The users who are interested in these data may subscribe a news mail (available in French, German and Italian) for being informed about the dissemination of data and other publications in the area “Territory and environment”.

Yearly

There is usually no specific press release for the annual dissemination of data on EW-MFA. A newsmail is sent to registered users at the time of publication.

Data are published in French, German, English and Italian on our website in form of indicators, Excel tables and Interactive databases (including complete data set at the finest level of details):
F: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/fr/home/statistiques/espace-environnement/comptabilite-environnementale/flux-matieres.html,
G: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/raum-umwelt/umweltgesamtrechnung/materialfluesse.html
E: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/territory-environment/environmental-accounting/material-flows.html
I: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/it/home/statistiche/territorio-ambiente/contabilita-ambientale/flussi-materiali.html

Data are disseminated, in French, German, English and Italian, in three online databases:

Material flow accounts - Direct input flows and their aggregates: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0204000000_101/px-x-0204000000_101/px-x-0204000000_101.px

Material flow accounts - Domestic Processed Output DPO: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0204000000_102/px-x-0204000000_102/px-x-0204000000_102.px

Material flow accounts - Indicators: https://www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch/pxweb/en/px-x-0204000000_103/px-x-0204000000_103/px-x-0204000000_103.px

Not relevant for EW-MFA.

EW-MFA derived indicators are also nationally used in the Sustainable development indicator system (MONET 2030), in the system of Environmental indicators in the Monitoring of the legislature plan and in the indicator system for the measurement of well-being. These four indicator systems are published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

EW-MFA data are computed based on the Eurostat’s manual “Economy-wide material flow accounts handbook” and the specificities for Switzerland are described in the annexes to this quality report.

The description of the methodology used by the FSO is also published in form of a summary in this publication (page 22) : https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/fr/142-9414 

More details can be found in this publication (but not all information is up to date because it is the initial methodological report, no updated report has been published yet) : https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/672-0500-05

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Not available.

Automatic quality checks and controls are implemented as much as possible in the production process, in order to detect potential problems as early as possible. The preliminary outputs of the EW-MFA data compilation process are systematically compared with the results of the last data transmission. At this stage, detailed controls at the most detailled level are implemented. If relatively important changes are observed from one year to the next, an explanation has to be found in order to validate the result. It implies to analyse in detail the variations in the data sources and to check the entire production process if necessary. When needed, the producer of the basic data is consulted.

The EW-MFA is annually produced since 2005, and therefore improvements in the accuracy already took place during this period. The last major improvement which took place in submission 2015 concerns the estimation of domestic extraction of minerals. There are no general deficiencies.

The data are used among others in various indicator systems (see 10.5). It also covers part of the need for data on the circular economy.

A meeting with the main users of Environmental Accounts within of the Federal administration is organised annually to, among other things, collect needs.

Switzerland provided all the mandatory and non-mandatory data to Eurostat

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

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.

See below.

First estimates are published at national level, 7 months after the end of the previous year.

Material flow accounts are using source data from many different sources becoming available at different points in time. This implies that not all data can be considered final at the same time. (see 17.1 for details). 

In 2023, Switzerland transmitted the complete dataset to Eurostat in April, covering the years 1990-2021 and a second time in July to provide the most recent data including the first 2022 estimates. The same data set was published on the 6th of July 2023 on the website of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

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):

For domestic extraction of biomass, data are provided by the Economic Accounts for Agriculture and by the Economical Accounts for Forestry, which are themselves based on official production statistics. The same sources are used for data sent to international organizations like FAO. There is therefore a good coherency of the available data in this domain.

Domestic extraction of minerals is mainly based on estimates (see Annex 2). We regularly compared our results with those of the industry and of one-shoot sectorial studies (like for example material flows in the construction sector). In December 2017, The Federal Council took note of a report on the significance of the mineral resource in Switzerland. One of the proposed objectives in this report is to improve data availability and quality in this domain. In 2018, works on this topic started at the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (Geological services are based there) and at the Swiss Federal Office for Environment in collaboration with the Statistical office. One objective is to coordinate and harmonize data production in this domain. The first works were conducted on cement and hard rock and reports were respectively published in 2020 and 2021. Data delivery to USGS, World Mining and BGS are coordinated.

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

EW-MFA are consistent with ESA.

The data reported are internally coherent.

About 0.25 full-time equivalents of work are required to compile the EW-MFA data in Switzerland, to publish the results at the national level (in the form of indicators, summary tables and interactive tables as well as analysed in thematic studies) on the website of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and to transmit the data and the quality report to Eurostat.

Three types of revisions are defined: routine revisions, methodological revision and non-scheduled revisions.

Routine revisions are carried out every year and are:

• For domestic extraction, figures of the last 3 years are revised if basic data sources were also revised (changes from estimate to provisional or to definitive status)
• Import and export figures are directly definitive except the adjustments for the residence principle, which can be revised if the traffic model is revised (see 18.5.5)
• The main data sources for DPO and Balancing items are the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory. Both inventories are yearly revised (all changes are described in the national inventory reports). To maintain the coherence between EW-MFA and the inventories, these changes are adopted each year inducing small changes (in general less than 1%) over the complete time series.
• For flows in raw material equivalent (RME), the complete times series is actualized at each update of the Eurostat coefficients and at each revision of the National accounts.

Methodological revisions can be divided into 2 categories:

• Benchmark revisions are induced by new or revised basic data and new methods.
• The "conceptual revisions" are induced by new international recommendations.

These revisions appears every 5-10 years. Data for the complete time series are recalculated according to the new data or concepts and nomenclatures of the new system. 

Non-scheduled revisions :

In the case of non-scheduled revisions the times series is fully revised.

Revision in the 2023 EW-MFA questionnaire:

- Table A - MF.1 and MF.3: At the end of the times series (2016-2020), some figures were revised when basic data sources were also revised (changes from estimate to provisional or to definitive status)

- Table B and D – MF.4.2.3: The calculation of this flow depends on the greenhouse gas inventory. Small revisions occur in the inventory inducing the recalculation of the complete time series.

- Table F:

- MF.7.1 and MF.7.4.8: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.
- MF.4.1: Coefficients to estimate manure quantities based on animal figures were revised in the greenhouse gas inventory and consequently adapted here.

- Table G - MF.8.1.1 and MF.8.2.1: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.

- Table I: Last update of the Eurostat coefficients and of the National accounts were included inducing changes over the complete time series.

Revision in the 2021 EW-MFA questionnaire:

- Table A:

- MF.1: The Swiss national accounts were revised in 2020. This involved revisions of the economic accounts for agriculture EAA, which is the main data source for domestic biomass extraction. This revision induced changes for the complete 1990-2019 time series. Most revisions have minor effects on the results except the revision of the fodder balance, which implies important changes for the grazed (MF1.2.2.2) and the grassland harvest quantities (MF1.2.2.1). The new approach takes better account of fluctuations in grassland production due to annual weather conditions. This implies that the estimated quantities now show larger annual variations. As a consequence, not only the total biomass but also the domestic extraction now also show larger annual variations.
- MF.3.6: Our data provider detected a systematic mistake between 2002 and 2019. This was corrected.
- MF.1 and MF.3: At the end of the times series (2016-2019), some figures were revised when basic data sources were also revised (changes from estimate to provisional or to definitive status)

- Table B and D – MF.4.2.3.1: The figures of the complete time series were recalculated, which resulted in a systematic increase of the annual values (maximum +12%).

- Table F:

- MF.7.1 and MF.7.4.8: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.
- MF.4.2: A new data source that gives us the actual weight of fertilisers directly is being used from 2011.

- Table G - MF.8.1.1 and MF.8.2.1: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.

- Table I: Last update of the Eurostat coefficients and of the National accounts were included inducing changes over the complete time series.

Revisions in the 2020 EW-MFA questionnaire:

- Table A - MF.1 and MF.3: At the end of the times series (2015-2018), some figures were revised when basic data sources were also revised (changes from estimate to provisional or to definitive status)

- Table B and D – MF.4.2.3.1: The traffic model of the greenhouse gas inventory was revised. Because the residence adjustment for road transport is based on this traffic model (see 18.5.5), the complete times was consequently revised.

- Table F - MF.7.1 and MF.7.4.8: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.

- Table G - MF.8.1.1 and MF.8.2.1: Revisions in the greenhouse gas inventory and the air pollutants inventory induced changes over the complete time series.

- Table I: Last update of the Eurostat coefficients were included, inducing changes over the complete time series.

Revisions in the 2019 EW-MFA questionnaire:

- Table A - MF.1 and MF.3: At the end of the times series (2014-2016), some figures were revised when basic data sources were also revised (changes from estimate to provisional or to definitive status).

- Table F - 1990-2016 - MF.7.1: Small revisions in greenhouse gas inventory and air pollutants inventory induce small change over the complete DPO time series.

- Table G - 1990-2016 - MF.8.1.2 and MF.8.2.2: We revised the coefficients used for human and livestock respiration. This affects the complete times series both on Input and Output sides of the balancing items.

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.

Detailed data sources for questionnaire tables A, B, D, F and G are described in Annex 1.

To compile the EW-MFA in Raw material equivalent, the approach of the Eurostat's country RME tool is used. However, because our original trade data are not classified according to the CN (Combined Nomenclature) nomenclature but are following the HS (Harmonized System) nomenclature instead, we cannot use the RME tool in a straightforward manner. We therefore developed a R base tool which make the same calculations as the Eurostat Excel tool. We also had to develop a correspondence table between HS and the RME products. Because CN and HS are identical at 6 digits, this implies that correspondence is made with the CN at 6 and not at 8 digits (this has only a marginal impact on the results because there are only few cases with one position at 6 digits being classified in two different products at 8 digits). This light adaptation of the original Eurostat correspondence table should not significantly affect the comparability of the Swiss data with the one of the EU countries. Finally, to calculate exports in RME, we are following the hybrid approach proposed initially in the first version of the tool (combined IOT / coefficient approach of the 2015 version of the Handbook). We are producing provisional data for t-2 years based on t-3 years Eurostat coefficients. To take into account price changes, the coefficients are adjusted with price indices. 

We made three specific alterations:
1) coefficients of electricity imports/exports are adjusted to reflect Swiss particularities;
2) the results for precious metals (gold, silver and platinum) that showed heavy fluctuations are smoothed (moving average);
3) gold bars (customs tariff code 7108.12) are excluded from the analysis. Including this product implies very large RME flows on both export and import sides that induce high fluctuation of the RMC and hide the general trend.

Annually

Source data are coming from other units within the Statistical office, from other Swiss federal offices, from cantons or from other organizations. For each source data, if possible, data are downloaded on the respective websites/databases. If data are not publicly available, a request is addressed every year (approximately in the same period) to a contact person in order to collect the data. The same data structure is generally reused year after year and simply completed with the additional year. The updating is facilitated by keeping the same data structure.

Controls and plausibility checks are implemented as often as possible in the various steps of the production process in order to detect possible problems as early as possible. The source data is mainly controlled by checking the changes from year to year and also by comparing it with other data sources when available. If some data seems suspicious, the data provider is contacted to get additional information and clarify.

See sub-concepts 18.5.2 to 18.5.5

Not applicable.

Estimation approaches for those characteristics in Table A 'Domestic extraction' which cannot be derived directly from statistical sources are described in Annex 2.

We group trade data by material category and by degree of processing using the Eurostat correspondence tables (Annex 4 and 5 of the questionnaire). However, our original data are not classified according to the CN (Combined Nomenclature) nomenclature but are following the HS (Harmonized System) nomenclature instead. This implies that correspondence is made with the CN at 6 and not at 8 digits (this has only a marginal impact on the results because there are only few cases with one position at 6 digits being classified in two different material categories at 8 digits). This light adaptation of the original Eurostat correspondence table should not significantly affect the comparability of the Swiss data with the one of the EU countries.

Since Switzerland is not part of the EU countries, there are no intra-EU imports/exports and therefore completeness of the data is ensured. In some rare cases, the statistic does not give the weight but only the price in CHF or the number of pieces. In these cases we use coefficients (in priority the one in kg by piece) to complete the data. Because we could not directly use the Eurostat correspondence table (Euro instead of CHF), we developed our own coefficients on existing data (time series 1988-2010). The effect of such as correction is limited (in average 1990-2010: import: 0.004%, export: 0.023%).

Adjustments for the residence principle are similarly implemented for EW-MFA, AEA and TAX to establish consistency between these three accounts. They are summarized below.

1. Road transport
The Swiss overall energy statistics give the amount of gasoline and diesel oil sold in the country. From these quantities, the off-road consumption and the fugitive emissions are subtracted, leading to the fuel sales on the territory for road transport. The off-road consumption is estimated by a traffic model developed by INFRAS (consulting group, Zurich and Bern) under the mandate of the Federal office for the Environment. A second traffic model, also developed by INFRAS, uses emissions factors from the Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA) to estimate the on-road fuel consumption on the territory. The output of this model includes data on fuel consumption and emissions for six vehicle types (passenger cars, light duty vehicles (LDV), heavy goods vehicles (HGV), coaches, urban buses and motorcycles) and four types of fuel (gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas [CNG] and biodiesel). The model also provides information about the “tank tourism”, which is the difference between the fuel purchased abroad for journeys on the territory and the fuel purchased on the territory for journeys abroad. The adjustments related to residents are calculated by combining the results of the on-road model described above and various national transport statistics. Calculations are done separately for the six types of vehicles. For each vehicle type, national transport statistics are used to define the proportion of non-residents fuel use on the territory which is added to the Exports and the proportion of abroad fuel use of residents which is added to the imports.

2. Air transport
The federal office of civil aviation (FOCA) maintains a movement database for the Swiss airports containing departure and/or destination airports of all flights from and to Switzerland by companies and by type of engine. Each year, the FOCA is calculating the consumption and emissions of the Swiss airlines companies with a bottom-up approach based on this detailed database (the same model is used in the framework of the UNFCCC inventory) and provides these data to the FSO. The data are cross-checked with the companies reports. Discrepancies exist sometimes (but rarely, companies figures being slightly higher): we consider that this difference can be explained by abroad-abroad flights which are not listed in the database. For producing the bridging items, we consider that half of the kerosene used by the Swiss companies is bought on the Swiss territory, the other half being bought abroad. This last figure is added to the imports. For the exports adjustments are not necessary since kerosene sold to non-resident companies is already included in the foreign trade statistics figures.

3. Water transport
International water transport is marginal in Switzerland, and is limited to the Basel-Rotterdam river route and to navigation on Lake of Geneva (bordering France) and Lake Constance (bordering Germany and Austria). The fuel consumption by Swiss vessels on the Rhine River has been estimated combining the tonnage transported over the year, the average distance of each travel and the average emissions per ton-kilometre. The estimation of the amount of fuel bought by non-residents on the Swiss territory is estimated using the amount of fuel bought by “Marine” bunkers (source: UNFCCC inventory) and the share of national vs. foreigner vessels in the tonnage transported. The rest is considered to be bought by residents. This last figure is deducted from the total consumption of the Swiss vessels (see above) and added to the imports. For the exports, adjustments are not necessary because these flows are already included in the trade statistics figures.
Moreover, it can be noted that some Swiss companies are operating vessels in international sea water (e.g. container ships, oil tankers, …). Although the fuel consumption of these vessels may be significant, currently available data are too limited to produce reliable estimates.

There is no significant problem.

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

Not applicable.