Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Material Stocks and Sustainable Development

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Ecology

Part of the book series: Human-Environment Interactions ((HUEN,volume 5))

Abstract

Material stocks are an important part of the metabolism of society. Due to their long service-lifetimes, these stocks induce long-term dynamics of resource use for their regular reproduction, triggering resource flows during construction, use, maintenance, refurbishment and at the end of their useful lifetime in the form of waste. This chapter explores the material stocks of residential buildings and transportation infrastructure in the EU25 and the way these stocks are related to the overall material consumption of construction minerals. Special focus lies on flows required for maintenance and reproduction versus expansion of the stock. The dynamics of stocks and flows are assessed from a systems perspective on inputs, end-of-life waste and recycling flows in 2009, and a trend scenario for 2020. Thus, we explore the potential impacts of the European Waste Frame-work Directive, which strives for a significant increase in recycling. We find that in the EU25, a large share of material inputs are directed at maintaining and refurbishing existing stocks. Proper management of existing transportation networks and residential buildings is therefore crucial for the size of future material flows. Halting, or at least decelerating, ongoing stock expansion is another promising avenue toward more-sustainable resource use.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Throughout this chapter, we use the term construction minerals to denote the group of materials we are actually investigating in this work. In standard material flow accounting, these minerals are part of the category ‘non-metallic minerals’, which includes salt, fertilizers and other non-classifiable nonmetallic materials. Construction minerals typically account for approximately 96 % of the nonmetallic minerals group on a weight basis.

  2. 2.

    Housing growth rates for Spain, Ireland and France have been reduced to the remaining EU average for 2010 onward to take the economic recession into account (Wiedenhofer et al. 2015).

  3. 3.

    This ballpark number is calculated as the inverse of the relative size of the maintenance-related material flows to the stock, from Fig. 12.3.

References

  • Allwood, J. M., Cullen, J. M., Carruth, M. A., & University of Cambridge. Engineering Dept. (2012). Sustainable materials with both eyes open. England: UIT Cambridge Ltd., Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergsdal, H., Bohne, R. A., & Brattebo, H. (2008). Projection of construction and demolition waste in Norway. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 11, 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergsdal, H., Brattebo, H., Bohne, R. A., & Mueller, D. B. (2007). Dynamic material flow analysis for Norway’s dwelling stock. Building Research and Information, 35, 557–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deilmann, C., Effenberger, K.-H., & Banse, J. (2009). Housing stock shrinkage: Vacancy and demolition trends in Germany. Building Research & Information, 37, 660–668. doi:10.1080/09613210903166739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Parliament, Council. (2008). Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives, Directive 2008/98/EC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eurostat. (2012). Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA). Compilation Guide 2012. Eurostat.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faber, M., Frank, K., Klauer, B., Manstetten, R., Schiller, J., & Wissel, C. (2005). On the foundation of general theory of stocks. Ecological Economics, 55, 155–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer-Kowalski, M., & Haberl, H. (2007). Socioecological transitions and global change: trajectories of social metabolism and land use. Elgar, Northampton, MA [u.a.].

    Google Scholar 

  • González, M. J., & García Navarro, J. (2006). Assessment of the decrease of CO2 emissions in the construction field through the selection of materials: Practical case study of three houses of low environmental impact. Building and Environment, 41, 902–909. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.04.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustavsson, L., & Sathre, R. (2011). Energy and CO2 analysis of wood substitution in construction. Climatic Change, 105, 129–153. doi:10.1007/s10584-010-9876-8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haberl, H., Beringer, T., Bhattacharya, S. C., Erb, K.-H., & Hoogwijk, M. (2010). The global technical potential of bio-energy in 2050 considering sustainability constraints. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2, 394–403. doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2010.10.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haberl, H., Fischer-Kowalski, M., Krausmann, F., Weisz, H., & Winiwarter, V. (2004). Progress towards sustainability? What the conceptual framework of material and energy flow accounting (MEFA) can offer. Land Use Policy, 21, 199–213. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2003.10.013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haberl, H., & Zangerl-Weisz, H. (1997). Kolonisierende Eingriffe: Systematik und Wirkungsweise, in: Gesellschaftlicher Stoffwechsel und Kolonisierung von Natur: ein Versuch in Sozialer Ökologie. Verlag Fakultas, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hashimoto, S., Tanikawa, H., & Moriguchi, Y. (2007). Where will large amounts of materials accumulated within the economy go?—A material flow analysis of construction minerals for Japan. Waste Management, 27, 1725–1738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hashimoto, S., Tanikawa, H., & Moriguchi, Y. (2009). Framework for estimating potential wastes and secondary resources accumulated within an economy—A case study of construction minerals in Japan. Waste Management, 29, 2859–2866. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2009.06.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinonen, J., Jalas, M., Juntunen, J. K., Ala-Mantila, S., & Junnila, S., (2013). Situated lifestyles: I. How lifestyles change along with the level of urbanization and what the greenhouse gas implications are—A study of Finland. Environmental Research Letters 8(2). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/025003

    Google Scholar 

  • Krausmann, F., Erb, K.-H., Gingrich, S., Haberl, H., Bondeau, A., Gaube, V., et al. (2013). Global human appropriation of net primary production doubled in the 20th century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(25), 10324–10329. doi:10.1073/pnas.1211349110.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minx, J., Baiocchi, G., Wiedmann, T., Barrett, J., Creutzig, F., & Feng, K., (2013). Carbon footprints of cities and other human settlements in the UK. Environmental Research Letters 8(3). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/035039

    Google Scholar 

  • Monier, V., Hestin, M., Trarieux, M., Mimid, S., Domrose, L., van Acoleyen, M., et al. (2011). Study on the management of construction and demolition waste in the EU., Contract 07.0307/2009/540863/SER/G2, Final report for the European Commission (DG Environment). Bio Intelligence Service S.A.S, Paris, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mudgal, S., Tan, A., Carreno, A. M., Trigo, A. de P., Dias, D., et al. (2011). Analysis of the key contributions to resource efficiency (Final Report Annexes). BIO Intelligence Service, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, D. (2006). Stock dynamics for forecasting material flows—Case study for housing in The Netherlands. Ecological Economics, 59, 142–156. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.09.025.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nemry, F., Uihlein, A., Colodel, C. M., Wetzel, C., Braune, A., Wittstock, B., et al. (2010). Options to reduce the environmental impacts of residential buildings in the European Union—Potential and costs. Energy and Buildings, 42, 976–984. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.01.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pauliuk, S., & Müller, D. B. (2014). The role of in-use stocks in the social metabolism and in climate change mitigation. Global Environmental Change 24(0) (January 2014): 132–142. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.11.006

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauliuk, S., Sjöstrand, K., & Müller, D. B. (2013). Transforming the Norwegian dwelling stock to reach the 2 degrees celsius climate target. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 17, 542–554. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00571.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salat, S. (2009). Energy loads, CO2 emissions and building stocks: Morphologies, typologies, energy systems and behaviour. Building Research & Information, 37, 598–609. doi:10.1080/09613210903162126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sathre, R., & O’Connor, J. (2010). Meta-analysis of greenhouse gas displacement factors of wood product substitution. Environmental Science & Policy, 13, 104–114. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2009.12.005.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiller, G. (2007). Urban infrastructure: Challenges for resource efficiency in the building stock. Building Research & Information, 35, 399–411. doi:10.1080/09613210701217171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze, E.-D., Körner, C., Law, B. E., Haberl, H., & Luyssaert, S. (2012). Large-scale bioenergy from additional harvest of forest biomass is neither sustainable nor greenhouse gas neutral. Global Change Biol. Bioenergy, 4, 611–616. doi:10.1111/j.1757-1707.2012.01169.x.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, F., Huang, T., Tanikawa, H., Han, J., Hashimoto, S., & Moriguchi, Y. (2012). Toward a low carbon-dematerialization society. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 16, 493–505. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00523.x.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steger, S. (2012). Material stock and material flows of road infrastructres in Germany. Some results from the MaRess-Project. Presented at the Conference on Socio-Economic Metabolism Industrial Ecology, Darmstadt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinberger, J. K., Krausmann, F., & Eisenmenger, N. (2010). Global patterns of materials use: A socioeconomic and geophysical analysis. Ecological Economics, 69, 1148–1158. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.12.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanikawa, H., & Hashimoto, S. (2009). Urban stock over time: Spatial material stock analysis using 4d-GIS. Building Research & Information, 37, 483–502. doi:10.1080/09613210903169394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomsen, A., & Van der Flier, K. (2009). Replacement or renovation of dwellings: The relevance of a more sustainable approach. Building Research & Information, 37, 649–659. doi:10.1080/09613210903189335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomsen, A., & Van der Flier, K. (2011). Understanding obsolescence: A conceptual model for buildings. Building Research & Information, 39, 352–362. doi:10.1080/09613218.2011.576328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Voet, E., Kleijn, R., Huele, R., Ishikawa, M., & Verkuijlen, E. (2002). Predisting future emissions based on characteristics of stocks. Ecological Economics, 41, 223–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiedenhofer, D., Steinberger, J. K., Eisenmenger, N., & Haas, W. (2015). Maintenance and expansion: modeling material stocks and flows for residential buildings and transportation networks in the EU25. Journal of Industrial Ecology, published online January 1, 2015. doi:10.1111/jiec.12216

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Social Ecology (SEC), Alpen-Adria University, Schottenfeldgasse 29, 1070, Vienna, Austria

    Dominik Wiedenhofer, Willi Haas, Michael Neundlinger & Nina Eisenmenger

Authors
  1. Dominik Wiedenhofer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Willi Haas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Neundlinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nina Eisenmenger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dominik Wiedenhofer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Alpen Adria University Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Vienna, Austria

    Helmut Haberl

  2. Institute of Social Ecology Alpen Adria University, Vienna, Austria

    Marina Fischer-Kowalski

  3. Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Alpen Adria University Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Vienna, Austria

    Fridolin Krausmann

  4. Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Alpen Adria University Institute of Social Ecology Vienna (SEC), Vienna, Austria

    Verena Winiwarter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wiedenhofer, D., Haas, W., Neundlinger, M., Eisenmenger, N. (2016). Material Stocks and Sustainable Development. In: Haberl, H., Fischer-Kowalski, M., Krausmann, F., Winiwarter, V. (eds) Social Ecology. Human-Environment Interactions, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33326-7_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation