Policy-relevant Indicators for National Consumption and Environment

This executive summary describes the PRINCE project, a three-year research initiative led by Statistics Sweden and commissioned by Naturvårdsverket and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. The project developed a hybrid modeling approach combining Swedish environmental-economic data with the EXIOBASE multiregional input-output (MRIO) model to estimate the environmental pressures associated with Swedish consumption both domestically and abroad. This framework was specifically designed to monitor Sweden's 'Generational Goal,' which aims to solve domestic environmental problems without increasing impacts outside Sweden's borders.

• Between 2008 and 2014, Sweden experienced an absolute decoupling between economic growth (measured by value added) and several key environmental pressures from consumption. During this period, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) all decreased, and land area used for consumption decreased, although total material flows by weight increased.
• The majority of environmental pressures resulting from Swedish consumption occur outside of Sweden. In 2014, 60% or more of the pressures for most indicators occurred abroad, with sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions exceeding 90% and water consumption exceeding 80% occurring outside Swedish borders. Land use was the only indicator where the majority of pressures occurred within Sweden.
• China is a primary geographic hotspot for environmental pressures linked to Swedish consumption, ranking among the top five countries for blue water use, material resource use, and all emissions to air. Other significant regions include the Rest of Asia and Pacific, Russia, Germany, Denmark, and Spain.
• The most significant 'hotspot' product groups contributing to various air emissions include construction and civil engineering, food and agricultural products, and direct household use of fuels for vehicles and heating. For natural resource pressures (water, land, and materials), agricultural and forestry products are particularly important.
• Preliminary 2014 data on hazardous chemicals indicates that the use and emissions of these substances associated with Swedish consumption primarily occur abroad. Specifically, the use of hazardous chemical products and veterinary medicines mostly takes place in other EU countries, while pesticide use and hazardous substance emissions occur mainly outside the EU.
• International trade is a major driver of tropical deforestation. Between 2010 and 2014, agricultural and forestry expansion into tropical forests caused approximately 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions per year, with 29% to 39% of these emissions driven by international trade. Cattle and oilseed products (including soy and palm oil) accounted for over half of these emissions.

APA

Trimmer, C. (2019). Policy-relevant Indicators for National Consumption and Environment. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/prince-project-summary-booklet.pdf

Chicago

Trimmer, Caspar. Policy-relevant Indicators for National Consumption and Environment. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/prince-project-summary-booklet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trimmer |first1=Caspar |title=Policy-relevant Indicators for National Consumption and Environment |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2019 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/prince-project-summary-booklet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trimmer2019policyrelevant, author = {Trimmer, Caspar}, title = {{Policy-relevant Indicators for National Consumption and Environment}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/prince-project-summary-booklet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }