Raw material consumption

From 2010 to 2023, the EU’s per capita material footprint decreased by 5.7%. In 2020, the material footprint dropped sharply, heavily influenced by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it increased again in 2021. Between 2022 and 2023, there was another sharp decrease of 4.5%, mainly due to reduced consumption of metals and fossil fuels. While the decline in fossil fuel consumption aligns with the EU’s decarbonisation efforts and market diversification in response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the 20% drop in metals consumption is more substantial and notable. The EU reduced its metal imports from Russia and increased exports to Ukraine, contributing to a lower overall metals footprint. It remains to be seen whether this decrease is temporary — with markets recalibrating through alternative supply chains — or a more permanent shift toward sustained lower metals consumption.

The EU’s total material footprint remains above the global average and far exceeds those of low- and middle-income countries. This level of resource use goes beyond the planet’s ‘safe operating space’ for resource extraction, meaning that if global consumption matched that of the EU, the planet’s capacity to provide these resources would be exceeded.

The fact that the EU’s per capita consumption footprint is not decreasing suggests that current efforts to prevent waste generation may be insufficient. Stronger measures are needed to transform consumption and production patterns and effectively reduce waste generation.