EEA: Investigating material stocks in Europe

The knowledge on material flows in and out of the EU economy is well-investigated and data is regularly collected in the form of resource extraction and consumption as well as waste generation and treatment. However, a large part of material inputs to the EU economy are accumulated as material stocks. Data on additions to stocks, discards from stocks and their material composition are less well investigated, in particular if compiled in a fully mass-balanced way considering service lifetimes of stocks. For an in-depth evaluation and future planning of circular economy measures, a proper understanding of stock-flow relations is required. Hence, this project will look into material stocks with the view of improving the knowledge base around the conceptual coverage of material stocks in relation to flows, understanding the links between material accumulation and circularity and proposing ways to monitor the material stocks’ contribution to an EU circular economy.