SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal description
«[…] Sustainable consumption and production aims at “doing more and better with less,” increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life. It involves different stakeholders, including business, consumers, policy makers, researchers, scientists, retailers, media, and development cooperation agencies, among others. […]»
Swiss target 12.2(a): The overexploitation of natural resources in Switzerland and abroad is avoided. The environmental impacts of consumption and production are markedly reduced. The materials footprint is reduced substantially and in harmony with the 1.5-degree target set in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Significance of the indicator
The indicator shows domestic raw material consumption (RMC), also known as material footprint, in tonnes per person. As well as raw materials extracted in Switzerland, the material footprint also takes into account the total amount of raw materials used abroad during the production and transport processes of goods and services consumed in Switzerland. In the interests of sustainable development, global economic exchanges should encourage the sparing use of natural resources in Switzerland and in countries from which Switzerland imports goods and services. In this respect, a reduction in this per person footprint is therefore a step towards sustainable development.
International comparability
The flows in raw material equivalents cannot be measured directly and therefore have to be modelled. Several statistical approaches can be used at the international level to estimate these flows. The approach used for measuring this indicator has been developed by Eurostat. Only a few European countries currently publish this kind of indicator. Eurostat publishes these data at EU level.
Tables
Methodology
This indicator describes per capita raw material consumption caused by domestic final demand.
Imports in raw materials are counted in the Federal Statistical Office's environmental accounts, which are satellite accounts of the National Accounts. They are in keeping with the UN's System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). The data presented in this indicator are based on an adaptation of a methodology developed by Eurostat that converts a country's imports and exports into raw material equivalents (RME). The RME indicators are the result of modelling and are less reliable than the indicators of direct flows. They should, therefore, be treated as estimates.
The population data used to calculate this indicator are taken from the Population and Households Statistics (STATPOP) published by the Federal Statistical Office. The material footprint is divided by the permanent resident population at the end of the year. Domestic final demand is calculated according to the national accounts and corresponds to the total final consumption expenditure of households and public administrations, gross fixed capital formation and changes in inventories.
Targets
Swiss target 12.2(a) : The overexploitation of natural resources in Switzerland and abroad is avoided. The environmental impacts of consumption and production are markedly reduced. The materials footprint is reduced substantially and in harmony with the 1.5-degree target set in the Paris Climate Agreement.
International target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Environment, Sustainable Development, TerritoryEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
- Tel.
- +41 58 460 58 46
Monday - Friday:
09.00 - 12.00 / 14.00 - 16.00