Ministry for an Ecological Transition (France)

General commisionner for sustainable development Data and Statistical Studies Department

CGDD Orléans,  5 route d'Olivet, CS 16105, 45061 cedex 1

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.

The french economic territory, classically used in the national accounts.

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.

Statistical secrecy is defined by french law n° 51-711 of 7 June 1951

Law relating to statistical confidentiality in France

MFA statistics are published each year on the websites of the Data and Statistical Studies Department.
We do not have a release calendar.

The release calendar is not published on our website.

Data are published on the website of the statistical service. These data are publicly available to all Internet users.

Data are disseminated annually.

The data can be downloaded from the internet. The files are in Excel format. There are no restrictions on their use.

Articles (from two to four pages) accompanies the data, with updated comments :

https://notre-environnement.gouv.fr/themes/economie/article/l-utilisation-des-ressources-naturelles

The french NSI regularly publishes articles (with our collaboration) : for example INSEE Références : https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/3280952

There is no news releases related to MFA.

The data can be downloaded from the internet. The files are in excel format. There are no restrictions on their use.

Articles (from two to four pages) accompanies the data, with updated comments, are available on the website:

https://notre-environnement.gouv.fr/themes/economie/article/l-utilisation-des-ressources-naturelles

Other related studies are on https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/matieres-mobilisees-par-leconomie-francaise?rubrique=33

No online database.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data online is available in a more agregate format than the detailed level of the MFA questionnaire, but it can be sent to searchers if particular demand.

No other dissemination format

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

For Biomass (domestic extraction) :

https://agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr/agreste-web/disaron/!searchurl/searchUiid/search/

http://www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/en

For Mineral Ores, Non-metallic minerals and fossil energy materials/carriers (domestic extraction) :

https://www.insee.fr/fr/metadonnees/source/serie/s1193

For Fossil energy materials/carriers (domestic extraction):

https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/donnees-mensuelles-de-lenergie?rubrique=22&dossier=188

For Trade statistics (imports and exports) : https://lekiosque.finances.gouv.fr/site_fr/etudes/methode/elaboration.asp

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Quality related documents are not available online.

The Data & Statistical Studies Department belongs to the SSP (Public Statistical Service) wich includes the SSM (ministerial statistical services) and the french NSI (INSEE).

Created in 2008, the ASP (public statistic autority) brings the garanty to respect the profesional independance, with principles such as objectivity, impartiality, pertinence and quality of the data produced. The Data & Statistical Studies Department is regularly audited by the ASP, as every SSM.

https://www.autorite-statistique-publique.fr/

In may 2021 an european quality audit (by the quality reference of the european statistic system) involved our SSM with Eurostat : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2018-12/KS-02-18-142-FR-N.pdf

The questionnaire provides many checks to validate tables filled with all the data collected : the data sources are obtained from statistical services, in particular from surveys made by the ministries of Agriculture (biomass data), Economy - INSEE (metal & minerals), Environment (fossil energy)... Their practices include validation at their level, so using their data brings a garanty assurance for quality.

To analyse the coherence of the annual evolutions of quantities (for all items of the MFA classification) we read the studies made by all the SSM concerned : agriculture, extracting sectors,..or by professionnal syndicates. It helps to understand (and validate) variations, explained for instance by the weather (agriculture) or the construction crisis (minerals)...

As seen before, the overall quality results from the quality of each national contributor, from the level of the french SSM concerned to our NSI (INSEE).

Users need the data (mainly at agregate level) to follow series of indicators (DE, trade, DMC, productivity...) : they are mainly institutionnals users (INSEE, Cerema, ..)

Some other users (searchers, students..) often use directly the Eurostat Database because they find more recent data.

No measurement, but contact is easy with the Department, always answering the more completly and rapidly possible.

All data are available

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.

Usually we begin collecting data in february-march , some data are not available before april (EAP, metals and minerals from INSEE).
Data for Table F is available in september-october. Since data processing was very short this year (less than a month), some revisions may occur for 2021 data.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

We depend on the data (metal and minerals given by the annual survey EAP from INSEE) not available before April.
This year we sent the estimated data on the 27 of April, some modification may come in the following months.

Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.

Data reported follows all Eurostat guidelines & recommandations, so that for all countries, easing comparability between them.

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):

no particular checking

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

No incoherence known with NA, INSEE  calculating and using financial data more than physical quantities.

If needed, imports and exports (quantities & values) are used from the official Finance ministry source (Douanes = Customs).

Data are internally consistent

In the PAT (annual work program) the MFA reporting task is estimated as 35 days and related articles updating as 15 days...

No financial estimation costs because data collection is mainly linked with other Statistical Ministry Services (free exchanges of data).

Internal Service is in charge of publications on the website (we don't use no more paper issues)

The statistical service of the Ministry publishes its methodological review policy on its website https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/donnees-et-etudes-statistiques

INSEE can publish revisions (data, methodology...)    https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2016815

A new methodology with new sources were used for the line 1.4.3 in Table A (hunting and gathering).

For Table A, the figures for MF.1.3.1 and MF.1.3.2 were recalculated for the period 2017-2022 by our national source. For Table A, MF.2 and MF.3 will from now one be revised for the previous years as the database (EAP) is revised and adjusted.

For Table A, the figures for MF.1.1 and MF.1.2, data from 2020 can be revised by the source.

For Table A, the figures for MF.3 from 2009 to 2022 can be revised each year with the update of Eurostat annexes.

For Table A, the figures for MF.4.2.2 were revised for the period 1990-2020 because some sources have been updated and/or changed.

For Tables B and D, the figures were recalculated for the period 2011-2022 using the last Eurostat Annex. The original data (custom) is the same and have not been revised.

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.

RME tool is used. This table have not been updated yet due to lack of time.

Annual collection

As already seen before, every year the data collection is launched for

   biomass data : comes from the ministry of Agriculture statistical service (Agreste) and from FAO

   Metals & minerals : data from INSEE (EAP : annual production survey)

   fossil energy materials : from Database Pegase (Ministry of environment)

(We don't analyse the methods/questionnaires used by these statistical services)

The questionnaire is checked before sending, but before this, we validate the coherence of figures evolutions by articles or studies (by SSM, professional syndicates...) commenting the conjonctural evolutions (agriculture, construction...)

Data we use is given by producers such as INSEE and Statstical Services of other ministries, that validate their surveys.

(We don't adjust nor calibrate nor estimate them)

Not applicable.

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

Not necessary : statistical data exist,

we have statistical sources giving the information needed : detailed quantities extracted in biomass (from ministry of agriculture statistical service), in metals & minerals (EAP survey by INSEE) and fossil energy (database Pegase, Ministry of environment), no need to estimate.

Eurostat correspondence tables are used.

We don't use the conversion factors.

We use coefficients to convert the consumption (Ktep) into Ktonnes for fuels (motor gasoline, liquefied petroleum gases, natural gas liquid kerozen,...) :

my colleague (Manuel Baude, in care of AEA) provides the corresponding annual series (for resident units abroad and for resident units domestically) about transports by land, water and air.

We obtain the total annual consumption for the two categories and their three ways of transports : it fills the MF.4.2.3 lines in the Tables B and D (and are included in the calculation for Table I).

No significant problems for France, because we have quality data sources : from validated national surveys,vith  coherent, accurate and reliable series...

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

Not applicable.