Material/Waste Flow Analysis (M/WFA) is a crucial tool in the field of industrial ecology and sustainability assessment. It provides a systematic way to assess the flow and stocks of materials and wastes within a defined system over a specific period. The analysis is based on the law of conservation of mass and, when applied to energy systems, the conservation of energy.

M/WFA serves as an accounting tool for tracking goods and substances as they move through a system, whether it’s at the global, national, industrial, enterprise, or city level. It can be used to examine various aspects related to sustainability, resource management, waste generation, and environmental impact.

M/WFA involves a systematic examination of material and waste flows within a given system, which helps identify patterns, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. The analysis tracks the movement of resources, materials, and products within the system, as well as the generation and disposal of waste.

M/WFA can be applied at different scales, ranging from large-scale analyses of the global or national economy to smaller-scale studies focusing on specific industries, enterprises, or cities.

M/WFA can be applied to various contexts, such as understanding resource consumption, waste generation, circular economy practices, and the environmental impact of specific processes or sectors.

Providing a comprehensive view of material and waste flows, M/WFA helps decision-makers and stakeholders make informed choices to enhance resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.