Raw material, fuel and water reserves

This indicator shows the status of the material reserves needed for the building stock in Flanders. It gives us an idea of how much raw material is currently available compared to how much raw material is required for housing.

911,900 kt sand

  • In Flanders there is a reserve of 18,600kt of loam, 24,200kt of clay and 911,900kt of sand available for housing.
  • Each year, 8,666,968,100 m3 of water is reserved for use in industry, the production chain, private households and in the agricultural sector.

What do we see?

In Flanders we have a limited amount of raw material reserves. For example, there is a lack of coal, crude oil and gas, even though these raw materials are essential for the generation of electricity and heating. Furthermore, we also do not have enough iron ore (needed to produce steel).

The table below gives an overview of the clay, loam and sand reserves available in Flanders. Each one is an important raw material for the construction and maintenance of our building stock. However, the data we currently have access to is not completely up-to-date, which means we cannot draw any conclusions about the current status of the reserves.



What’s the aim?

For several years now, there has been a growing demand for materials for our current building stock. However, in a circular economy, this demand should actually be decreasing due to more efficient use and better recovery of raw materials. This would not only decrease the demand for materials but also reduce our carbon footprint. 

What does this indicator measure?

This indicator gives a better idea of the current raw material reserves needed for the construction sector in Flanders. In addition, it also indicates the degree to which we need to rely on imports to meet our needs.

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