Switzerland needs 87 million tons of material per year

Buildings, industrial plants, roads, cars, gasoline, electricity and all our consumption: What does Switzerland consume per year? How much of it is exported or disposed of? How much flows back into the economy? And what are the consequences for the environment? For a research team from Empa's "Technology and Society" department, finding precise answers to these questions was a complex task. The MatCH project ("Material and energy resources and associated environmental impacts in Switzerland"), commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (Bafu), began in 2013 and spanned several stages. The first part covered all material and energy flows in the construction sector; the second covered mobility. And Part 3 was dedicated to the production and consumption of the other goods that are imported, domestically produced and exported.

Operating masses for a whole country

This data mosaic is now summarized in the fourth part: a synthesis report as a snapshot of the mass and energy flows for 2018. Some key figures from it:

Domestic material consumption amounts to 87 million tons net per year: the necessary mass to keep the Swiss economy running.

Examples of outflowing masses: 12 million tons went to final disposal; export amounted to 18 million tons.

A large proportion of the inflowing material remains in the system - and causes the "stockpile," as the authors of the study call Switzerland's total inventory, to grow. On balance, it increases by 1.6 percent per year - as of 2018 - or by 52 million tons. The total weight of Switzerland's "material stockpile": around 3.2 billion tons.

Data from many sources 

In order to be able to determine such data, the Empa team evaluated numerous sources. In the "Mobility" category, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office provided useful information; in the "Consumption and Production" category, data from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration was helpful. And for the built inventory, including buildings and traffic routes, the experts drew on earlier studies. On balance, according to the Empa researchers, these data ensured a good approximation to reality, even if they do not replace the official statistical data from the federal authorities.

In the construction sector, the current consumption figures are also interesting: almost half of the new material used is concrete - just under 40 million tons per year. The entire construction sector comes to 62 million tons, while the "production and consumption" sector only consumes just under 18 million tons: one fifth of the total mass consumed.

In terms of environmental impact, the study focuses in particular on greenhouse gas emissions. The outstanding cause is fuel consumption with almost 25 million metric tons, a share of around a quarter of annual emissions. It is followed by fuels (just under 20 percent), food for humans (more than 18 percent), electricity (just under 6 percent) and steel (just under 5 percent). However, textiles and leather, as well as basic chemicals, also make a notable contribution at 4.5 percent each.

The influence of personal lifestyle

A special feature of the study is the differentiated consideration of the influence of the Swiss population. In addition to per capita consumption data, the researchers also analyzed the impact of personal scope for action in climate protection: If all inhabitants behaved like the fifth of the Swiss population with the most exemplary lifestyle, Switzerland's total greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 16 percent. If, on the other hand, everyone behaved like the fifth with the least ecological lifestyle, emissions would increase by 17 percent.

Synthesis from three "MatCH" studies

The report "Material and Energy Flows of the Swiss Economy" covers the entire Swiss economy and summarizes the reports of the MatCH trilogy "Construction" (2016), "Mobility" (2017) and "Production & Consumption" (2018).

In detail, 28 consumption areas were distinguished and 18 material categories defined, which include solid materials such as mineral raw materials, metals, plastics, but also foodstuffs as well as fuels and electricity. The raw material water is not included.

The cross-border and Switzerland-internal mass flows were expressed as "domestic material consumption". Environmental impacts were calculated by the experts using a simplified life cycle assessment approach, which is explained in the synthesis report.

You can find the three individual reports of the MatCH trilogy here.

You can find the final synthesis report here.