Definition: Domestic material consumption

Category: Regional statistics

The "Domestic material consumption" (DMC) indicator measures the total amount of material directly used in the economy. It is defined as all materials directly entering the national economy (used domestic extraction plus imports), minus the materials that are exported.

In economic terms, DMC reflects consumption by the residents of a national economy. Exports are deducted to distinguish the consumption driven by domestic demand from that driven by the export market. It is defined in the same way as other key physical indicators such as gross inland energy consumption, and is the consumption indicator most akin to GDP, in terms of equivalence with national accounts aggregates.

In environmental terms, DMC is a proxy for all the pressures associated with the use of materials within the economy of a country throughout their life cycle, irrespective of whether the pressures occurred in the country itself or in the country from which it was imported. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/coded_files/sustainable_europe_2005.pdf#page=119