Resource Use

Natural resources in the form of materials, water and energy, as well as the land  are the basis of all living beings on our planet. Without the constant use of natural resources, neither our economy nor our society could function. However, the natural resource base on which our societies are built on is in severe danger of overexploitation, as worldwide resource demand and related pressures on the environment are steadily increasing. Reducing material, energy, water and land used for production and consumption, is therefore a key requirement for achieving a sustainable development in Europe and on the global level.
In order to implement effective strategies towards higher resource efficiency, SERI measures and analyses human resource use. Our work includes the development of methods and indicators of environmental statistics, calculations of resource use at the global, national, sectoral and product level and the compilation of international environmental databases. We communicate our results to different groups in society who can contribute to a reduction in resource use: political decision makers, companies, civil society organisations as well as consumers.