KAZALCI OKOLJA

Key message
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The exploitation of natural resources produced or extracted in Slovenia showed an upward trend until 2007, when it began to decline. In 2014 it increased again (27 million tonnes). Looking at domestic extraction (24.6 million tonnes in total), compared to 2013, the use of biomass increased by 17% and mineral resources by 26%, whereas extraction of fossil fuels decreased by 20%. Compared to 2013, imports and exports increased by 4 and 11 per cent, respectively.

 


This indicator shows domestic material consumption and direct material input, the structure of domestic material consumption and international comparison of material consumption per capita.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) is used to measure the total mass of all solid, liquid and gaseous materials (with the exception of water and air that are not directly contained in materials) obtained from natural resources (domestic natural resources + import and export) that enter production and consumption processes in a certain country within a year. Direct material flows are divided into six main groups: biomass (from agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting and gathering), metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, fossil energy sources, waste and other.

Direct material input (DMI) is used to measure direct input of materials to be used in an economy, i.e. all materials that have economic value and are used in manufacturing activities and consumption; DMI includes materials obtained (and used) within a certain country and the total import of materials.


Charts

Figure OD06-1: Material import and export to Slovenia and from Slovenia
Sources:

SI-STAT, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2016

Show data
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Imports mio t 11.788 13.306 13.55 14.917 16 15.264 17.626 21.685 20.565 16.546
Exports mio t 7.609 7.629 7.943 8.51 8.783 9.387 11.236 12.318 13.018 12.007
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Imports mio t 17.096 17.43 16.802 17.372 18.034
Exports mio t 12.392 13.161 13.341 14.075 15.63
Figure OD06-2: Direct Meterial Input Structure in Slovenia
Sources:

SI-STAT, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2016

Show data
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Domestic material consumption million t 34.18 33.598 34.86 37.711 38.133 37.029 43.126 47.744 42.023 34.723
Biomass million t 4.27 5.441 5.871 5.693 6.655 6.079 5.734 5.835 5.045 3.673
Metal ores million t 0.675 0.699 0.716 0.856 0.902 0.729 0.905 0.927 0.835 0.34
Non metal minerals million t 21.082 19.627 19.841 22.435 21.584 21.566 27.648 32.128 26.36 22.032
Fossil energy sources million t 8.301 7.987 8.612 8.882 9.119 8.769 8.989 8.981 9.84 8.865
Other products million t -0.148 -0.157 -0.172 -0.143 -0.12 -0.113 -0.151 -0.128 -0.056 -0.187
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Domestic material consumption million t 32.822 29.565 25.614 25.118 26.989
Biomass million t 4.196 4.471 3.739 4.031 4.901
Metal ores million t 0.501 0.608 0.475 0.537 0.613
Non metal minerals million t 19.457 15.658 12.925 12.962 14.856
Fossil energy sources million t 8.843 8.992 8.654 7.788 6.847
Other products million t -0.173 -0.163 -0.177 -0.197 -0.222
Figure OD06-3: Comparison of real GDP and Direct Material Input trends in Slovenia and the EU-28
Sources:

EEA report More From Less – material resource efficiency in Europe, Country profile, 2015

Show data
2000 2007 2014
Italy tonnes per capita 16.65 14.177 8.278
Spain tonnes per capita 17.135 20.601 8.322
United Kingdom tonnes per capita 12.542 11.722 8.714
Croatia tonnes per capita 7.51 13.587 9.314
Netherlands tonnes per capita 12.732 12.196 10.28
Hungary tonnes per capita 12.044 12.133 11.821
France tonnes per capita 14.55 14.282 11.96
Malta tonnes per capita 9.527 8.736 12.287
Cyprus tonnes per capita 24.314 27.313 12.337
Greece tonnes per capita 14.189 22.178 12.353
Slovakia tonnes per capita 10.072 13.399 12.562
EU-28 tonnes per capita 15.485 16.575 13.079
Slovenia tonnes per capita 17.185 23.658 13.089
Belgium tonnes per capita 14.928 16.901 14.252
Portugal tonnes per capita 19.48 21.185 14.298
Serbia tonnes per capita 14.514 14.455
Lithuania tonnes per capita 8.336 15.082 14.835
Czech Republic tonnes per capita 17.853 19.095 15.18
Germany tonnes per capita 17.695 16.268 16.109
Poland tonnes per capita 14.094 13.491 17.215
Bulgaria tonnes per capita 12.353 18.834 19.448
Denmark tonnes per capita 23.576 26.475 20.086
Latvia tonnes per capita 14.643 22.382 20.467
Luxembourg tonnes per capita 25.575 26.551 20.591
Austria tonnes per capita 23.098 24.975 21.034
Romania tonnes per capita 7.684 20.557 21.327
Ireland tonnes per capita 34.177 41.544 21.537
Sweden tonnes per capita 20.179 22.515 23.055
Norway tonnes per capita 25.331 28.179
Estonia tonnes per capita 12.445 29.013 29.324
Finland tonnes per capita 33.73 38.75 31.074
Switzerland tonnes per capita 12.534 12.304
Turkey tonnes per capita 9.537 11.558
Iceland tonnes per capita

Goals

  • To decouple economic growth from resource use, increase competitiveness and improve reliability of supply;
  • To improve economy efficiency while reducing pressures on the environment.

 


Our economy and well-being are highly reliant on natural resources that are imported or obtained at home. The use of natural resources, whether renewable (e.g. biomass) or non-renewable (such as fossil fuels and mineral resources) has been indispensible for our economic activities for centuries. However, certain resources have become extremely rare or are only available in certain geographic regions, which is why they are subject to various speculations at the global level. In addition, the use of natural resources is closely connected with various pressures on the environment, including waste generation.

After 2000, when the monitoring of direct input and domestic consumption of materials was initiated in Slovenia, consumption peaked in 2007, after which it declined until 2013. In 2014, it increased again (by 7% compared to 2013).

In 2014, Slovenia produced and imported a total of 42.6 million tonnes of various materials. Almost half of these materials are mineral materials obtained in Slovenia, mostly technical stone, gravel and sand that are used for construction. The quantity of raw materials for construction obtained in Slovenia, which had been increasing up to 2007 (amounting to 23.6 million tonnes) and contributed significantly to the increase of material consumption per capita (DMC per capita), began declining after 2007. In 2014, consumption of materials per capita amounted to approximately 13 million tonnes. However, the total mass of materials and imported products still represents about a third (33% in 2014) of materials consumed in Slovenia in a year. In 2014, Slovenia exported 18 million tonnes of raw or processed materials.

The share of renewable materials (agricultural products, catch and wood biomass) obtained within Slovenia represents approximately 28% of the total mass of materials.

Exploitation of natural resources produced or extracted within Slovenia increased until 2007, after which it decreased until 2013. In 2014, when a slightly increase was recorded, 24.6 million tonnes of natural resources were utilised. Compared to the preceding year, the quantity of utilised biomass increased (a 26% increase from 2013). The quantity of utilised fossil energy resources decreased (a 20% decrease from 2013) in the same year.

The import of materials increased until 2008 (from 11.7 million tonnes in 2000 to 20.6 million tonnes in 2008), after which it started decreasing and increased again slightly in 2014 (18 million tonnes), while the export of materials from Slovenia gradually increased. In 2000, 7.6 million tonnes of raw or processed materials were exported, while in 2014 the export amounted to 15.6 million tonnes. In 2014, the import of materials exceeded their export by 2.4 million tonnes.

Direct material input per capita varies widely between EU countries as well as globally. In 2014, the highest material input per capita (approximately 30 million tonnes) was recorded in Finland and Estonia. The lowest input (approximately 8 million tonnes per capita) was recorded in Italy, United Kingdom and Spain. The EU average for 2014 amounted to 13 million tonnes per capita. Slovenia ranks at the average of EU countries. In 2014, 13.09 million tonnes of materials per capita were consumed in Slovenia.

Although the indicator ‘domestic material consumption’ presents a good picture of the consumption of materials, it fails to give a clear picture of the impact of the consumption of various types of materials on the environment. Therefore, which material consumption indicators (DMI, DMC, RME [Raw Material Equivalents], TMR [Total material Requirements], TMC, etc.) are the most appropriate for international comparison and for measuring the exploitation of natural resources, and the resulting impacts on the environment, is still being debated at various levels.

 

 

 


Methodology

Date of data source summarization