Indicator 8.1 Raw material input productivity

Text from the Indicator Report 2022 

To calculate this indicator, it is necessary to determine the mass of all raw materials required to produce the imports. The calculation of this variable, referred to as imports in raw material equivalents, is based on a complex model that employs data from various official and unofficial sources.

Due to the monetary and physical inclusion of imports, the indicator takes into account the value added and raw material use across the entire production chain both inside and outside of Germany. In this way, the economic interdependence with foreign countries is also taken into account comprehensively. The raw material use mapped in the indicator covers not only domestic final use but also exports. It should therefore not be confused with a resource footprint for Germany.

The indicator includes not only the raw materials that were considered to be non-renewable, that is, mineral raw materials and fossile fuels, but also plant-based products from farming and forestry activities. This means that double counting occurs to a limited degree. For example, both the mass of an agricultural product at harvest time as well as that of the mineral fertiliser used to produce it are recorded.

The value of the indicator increased by 26 % from 2000 to 2018. This increase results in particular from the growth of the numerator: the value of the final use (domestic consumption and domestic investments as well as exports) increased by 46 % during the reference period. The removal of domestic raw materials fell moderately between 2000 and 2018; at the same time, however, the mass of imports in raw material equivalents increased, causing a slight increase of 16 % in the indicator’s denominator.

Domestically extracted raw materials as well as imports are also being exported (again) to an increasing degree. Consequently, the indicator’s denominator does not point to increased global raw material extraction for consumption and investment in Germany, but reflects generally more intensive links between the German economy and the outside world.

The year 2009 should be considered an outlier due to the exceptional economic situation in the European financial market and economic crisis. In 2010 and 2011, investments and exports, as well as the associated input of raw materials, rose sharply again. This marked a resumption of the trend that had been seen in the period up to 2008. Although raw material input productivity slightly decreased or stagnated at some points in time, the general trend tended to improve. The indicator increased by 5 percentage points in 2017 compared to the preceding year, however, 2018 recorded a slight decline by 1 percentage point. In total, raw material input productivity increased from 2010 to 2018 by 9 percentage points with an average annual growth of 0.9 % and, thus, lies below the target of the Federal Government.

The synoptic table provides information about the evaluation of the indicator in previous years. It shows if the weather symbol assigned to an indicator was rather stable or volatile in the past years. (Evaluation of the Indicator Report 2022 )

Indicator	8.1 Raw material input productivity
Target	Trend of the years 2000–2010 to be maintained until 2030
Year	2015	2016	2017	2018
Evaluation