What do we see?
Over the period from 2012 to 2018, a steady increase is initially visible in the moving average, from 216 to 261 million tonnes. From 2019 onwards, the material footprint has been falling. Overall, the figure for 2024 is 1% lower than that for 2012; expressed per capita, we see a fall from 33.9 to 31.2 tonnes per capita, a reduction of 8%.
What’s the aim?
The materials footprint encompasses all raw materials required, directly and indirectly, for Flemish consumption and thus provides insight into the global material impact of our economy. As this material consumption is associated with significant environmental impacts, Flanders is aiming to reduce the materials footprint by 30% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. Recent figures point to a downward trend, but further data after 2024 is needed to confirm whether this decline is structural.
