Material Flow Accounts

This policy brief advocates for the use of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as a tool for environmental policy in the United States, detailing a pilot database developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to track the life cycle of over 190 commodities.

• Material Flow Accounts (MFAs) are presented as a data management tool capable of addressing critical environmental policy challenges, specifically by tracking pollutants across different environmental media, measuring progress on national environmental quality tools, improving communication between Federal offices and the public, and identifying priorities for policy intervention.
• The World Resources Institute (WRI) has created a pilot MFA database and protocols to categorize materials in the U.S. economy. The project aims to transition the periodic compilation and dissemination of these accounts from civil society to the federal government.
• The pilot MFA database tracks more than 190 commodities across five primary resource sectors: minerals, metals, non-renewable organic materials (such as fossil fuels), forestry, and agriculture. It monitors the entire chain from primary feedstocks—including industrial roundwood, salt, and petroleum—to processed materials like lumber, chlorine, gasoline, and benzene.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Material Flow Accounts. https://www.wri.org/research/material-flow-accounts

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Material Flow Accounts. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/material-flow-accounts.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Material Flow Accounts |url=https://www.wri.org/research/material-flow-accounts |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendmaterial, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Material Flow Accounts}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/material-flow-accounts}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }