What do we see?
The largest components of the material footprint in 2021 consist of the purchase of vehicles (0.26 tonnes per capita), their use (0.22 t/cap) and their repair and maintenance (0.21 t/cap). In 2020 and 2021, the values are down 15-20% compared to 2019. We probably see here the effect of the COVID crisis: less purchase of vehicles and less use of mobility.
What’s the aim?
The material footprint captures the consumption of materials inside and outside Flanders to meet the needs of passenger mobility. Linked to this consumption are environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions or emissions related to waste. The Flemish Government has therefore adopted a target for this indicator: the total material footprint must be reduced by 30% by 2030 and by 75% by 2050. Specifically for mobility, the Flemish mobility vision states the objective of reducing the materials footprint by 60% by 2050.
What does this indicator measure?
The figures show the direct and indirect consumption of materials linked to consumption within Flanders within the domain of passenger mobility; the transport sector is not included in the figures. The figures were obtained through a methodology based on input-output analysis. Based on the interregional model for the data year 2015, a time series was modelled for several more recent years, using annual statistics on the Flemish and Belgian economies. In this way, it is possible to analyse a macroeconomic time series of the materials footprint and break down the total footprint according to consumption domains and activities. The methodology is different from the one used to calculate the RMC.
