The indicator Raw Material Consumption (RMC) is not only a key reporting variable for assessing the global use of primary raw materials for consumption and investment purposes in Germany, but also an internationally established indicator in the context of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (the so-called Sustainable Development Goals,SDGs): As “global material footprint” indicator, it has been internationally established for the macroeconomic monitoring of progress towards Sustainable Development Goals "Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all" (SDG 8) and "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns" (SDG 12).

For this (as well as many other) footprint indicators, the Global Developments and Resources team at GWS has the necessary expertise to identify current trends through applications of global Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) analyses and to extrapolate future developments through ex-ante scenario modelling. The resource conservation and climate protection nexus represents a central focus of our research activities in this regard. We work on corresponding projects in close cooperation with the "Energy and Climate" department. The bioeconomy is also located at the interface of climate and resource conservation policies and has therefore already been addressed by us for years in close cooperation with the "Energy and Climate" department.

We also cover a wide range of additional services: Conceptual studies on the contents and structures of an ecologically sustainable welfare concept or multi-dimensional sustainability reporting systems are handled by us, as are research projects on the integrated assessment of SDG indicators by applications of system-dynamics modelling approaches. Customised service contracts for monitoring current indicator developments complete our range of activities in this thematic area. By developing tailor-made statistical-econometric algorithms, we provide our clients with stand-alone routines for automated trend detection and nowcast purposes.
 

Models and Methods

- GINFORS
- Customized analyses of global MRIO databases (such as GLORIA, EXIOBASE or FIGARO)
- Stand-alone statistical-econometric analysis algorithms