Community resources

Metabolism
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Community resources

A large body of literature, data, software, videos, and educational material is available to support SEM research globally. The community standards guide the research towards high transparency and reproducibility. The Section’s Bylaws guide the activities of the Board. This page lists the main resources of our field.

Seminal research articles and reviews

Please see the references listed in the overview of our research field on the page “About SEM”: https://is4ie.org/sections/metabolism/pages/40

Main textbooks, framing pieces of the field, and method papers

Main textbooks

  • “Baccini and Brunner: “Metabolism of the Anthroposphere - Analysis, Evaluation, Design. by Peter Baccini and Paul H. Brunner. The MIT Press , ISBN: 9780262549547
  • „Brunner and Rechberger“: Handbook of Material Flow Analysis For Environmental, Resource, and Waste Engineers, Second Edition. by Paul H. Brunner and Helmut Rechberger. Routledge, 2017, ISBN 9781498721349
  • Sustainable Materials: With Both Eyes Open, by Julian M Allwood and Jonathan M Cullen. UIT Cambridge (2012), ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1906860059 https://www.uselessgroup.org/publications/book/chapters
  • "Industrial Ecology and Sustainability", by T.E. Graedel and M.J. Eckelman, published in 2023. 512 pages, ISBN-13: 9789811277603, Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company.
  • See also the ISIE’s textbook collection under https://is4ie.org/resources/educational

Guidelines and standards

  • Guidelines for Data Modeling and Data Integration for Material Flow Analysis and Socio-Metabolic Research. Issued by the Board of the Topical Section for Research on Socio-Economic Metabolism (SEM) of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE): https://doi.org/10.6094/UNIFR/217970
  • Guidelines and Good Practice Examples for Complete Traceability of Workflows and Reproducibility of Results in Industrial Ecology Research. Endorsed by the Board of the Topical Section for Research on Socio-Economic Metabolism (SEM) of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE): https://doi.org/10.6094/UNIFR/255618
  • Guidelines for economy-wide MFA. Fischer-Kowalski et al. (2011), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00366.x
  • Compilation of classifications for materials, products, and industries in SEM research: https://github.com/IndEcol/SEM_classifications

Historic, framing, and review pieces

  • Classical reading: "The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth", by Kenneth E Boulding (1968), which contains a vision for the circular economy: https://www.industrialecology.uni-freiburg.de/Content/IEooc_Background1_Reading2_Boulding_SpaceshipEarth.pdf
  • Theodor Weyl: A Pioneer of Urban Metabolism Studies. Jakob Lederer, Ulrich Kral. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 19, Issue 5, pages 695-702. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12320
  • The Metabolism of Cities. Abel Wolman, 1965. Scientific American, Volume 213, Pages 179—190, DOI 10.1038/scientificamerican0965-178
  • Society’s Metabolism. The Intellectual History of Materials Flow Analysis, Part I, 1860– 1970. Marina Fischer-Kowalski. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 61-78. 1998. https://doi.org/10.1162/jiec.1998.2.1.61
  • Society's Metabolism - The Intellectual History of Materials Flow Analysis, Part II, 1970-1998. Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Walter Hüttler. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2008. Volume 2, Issue 4, Pages 107-136. https://doi.org/10.1162/jiec.1998.2.4.107
  • Fischer-Kowalski, M., Weisz, H., 1999. Society as hybrid between material and symbolic realms: toward a theoretical framework of society–nature interaction. Adv. Hum. Ecol. 8, 215–251.
  • The role of in-use stocks in the social metabolism and in climate change mitigation. Stefan Pauliuk and Daniel B. Müller. Global Environmental Change, Volume 24, January 2014, Pages 132-142 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.11.006
  • Socioeconomic metabolism as paradigm for studying the biophysical basis of human societies. Stefan Pauliuk and Edgar G. Hertwich. Ecological Economics, Volume 119, November 2015, Pages 83-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.08.012
  • On the materials basis of modern society. T. E. Graedel, E. M. Harper, N. T. Nassar, and Barbara K. Reck. PNAS 112 (20) 6295-6300, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312752110
  • Material Flow Analysis from Origin to Evolution. Thomas E. Graedel. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53, 21, 12188–12196. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b03413
  • Contributions of sociometabolic research to sustainability science, by Helmut Haberl, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Stefan Pauliuk, Fridolin Krausmann, Daniel B. Müller & Marina Fischer-Kowalski. Nature Sustainability volume 2, pages 173–184 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0225-2
  • Conceptualizing energy services: A review of energy and well-being along the Energy Service Cascade. Kalt, G., Wiedenhofer, D., Görg, C. & Haberl, H. Energy Research & Social Science 53, 47–58 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.02.026
  • Quo vadis MFA? Integrated material flow analysis to support material efficiency. Joris Baars, Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar, Oliver Heidrich. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 1487-1503, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13288

Papers on accounting methods

  • Methodology and Indicators of Economy-wide Material Flow Accounting. Fischer-Kowalski, F. Krausmann, S. Giljum, S. Lutter, A. Mayer, S. Bringezu, Y. Moriguchi, H. Schütz, H. Schandl, H. Weisz. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 15, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 855-876. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00366.x
  • A General System Structure and Accounting Framework for Socioeconomic Metabolism. Stefan Pauliuk, Guillaume Majeau-Bettez, Daniel B. Müller. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 19, Issue 5, Pages 728-741. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12306

SEM research highlights on the circular economy

  • How Circular is the Global Economy?: An Assessment of Material Flows, Waste Production, and Recycling in the European Union and the World in 2005. By Willi Haas, Fridolin Krausmann, Dominik Wiedenhofer, and Markus Heinz. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12244.
  • Efficient use of cement and concrete to reduce reliance on supply-side technologies for net-zero emissions. Takuma Watari, Zhi Cao, Sho Hata & Keisuke Nansai. Nature Communications volume 13, Article number: 4158 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31806-2
  • Losses and lifetimes of metals in the economy. Alexandre Charpentier Poncelet, Christoph Helbig, Philippe Loubet, Antoine Beylot, Stéphanie Muller, Jacques Villeneuve, Bertrand Laratte, Andrea Thorenz, Axel Tuma & Guido Sonnemann. Nature Sustainability volume 5, pages 717–726 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00895-8

Method contributions to dynamic modelling

  • The Material Stock–Flow–Service Nexus: A New Approach for Tackling the Decoupling Conundrum. Helmut Haberl, Dominik Wiedenhofer, Karl-Heinz Erb, Christoph Görg, and Fridolin Krausmann. Sustainability 2017, 9(7), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9071049
  • Predicting future emissions based on characteristics of stocks. Ester van der Voet, René Kleijn, Ruben Huele, Masanobu Ishikawa, Evert Verkuijlen. Ecological Economics, Volume 41, Issue 2, May 2002, Pages 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00028-9
  • Stock dynamics for forecasting material flows—Case study for housing in The Netherlands. Daniel B. Müller. Ecological Economics, Volume 59, Issue 1, 5 August 2006, Pages 142-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.09.025
  • Dynamic material flow analysis for Norway's dwelling stock. Håvard Bergsdal, Helge Brattebø, Rolf A. Bohne & Daniel B. Müller. Building Research & Information Volume 35, 2007 - Issue 5, Pages 557-570 https://doi.org/10.1080/09613210701287588
  • Markov chain modeling of the global technological lifetime of copper. Matthew J. Eckelman, Ichiro Daigo. Ecological Economics, 2008, Volume 67, Issue 2, Pages 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.05.020
  • MaTrace: Tracing the Fate of Materials over Time and Across Products in Open-Loop Recycling. Shinichiro Nakamura, Yasushi Kondo, Shigemi Kagawa, Kazuyo Matsubae, Kenichi Nakajima, and Tetsuya Nagasaka. Environmental Science & Technology, 2014, 48, 13, 7207–7214. https://doi.org/10.1021/es500820h
  • Lifespan of Commodities, Part I. The Creation of a Database and Its Review. Shinsuke Murakami, Masahiro Oguchi, Tomohiro Tasaki, Ichiro Daigo, and Seiji Hashimoto. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2010, Volume 14, Issue 4, Pages 598-612. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00250.x
  • Lifespan of Commodities, Part II. Methodologies for Estimating Lifespan Distribution of Commodities. Masahiro Oguchi, Shinsuke Murakami, Tomohiro Tasaki, Ichiro Daigo, and Seiji Hashimoto. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2010, Volume 14, Issue 4, Pages 613-626. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00251.x

High-resolution stock data

  • The Weight of Society Over Time and Space: A Comprehensive Account of the Construction Material Stock of Japan, 1945–2010. Hiroki Tanikawa, Tomer Fishman, Keijiro Okuoka, Kenji Sugimoto. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 19, Issue 5, Pages 778-791. Special Issue on Frontiers in Socioeconomic Metabolism Research, 2015. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jiec.12284

Integration with other methods

  • Input-Output Analysis of Waste Management. Shinichiro Nakamura, Yasushi Kondo. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages 39-63. https://doi.org/10.1162/108819802320971632
  • Integrating Dynamic Material Flow Analysis and Computable General Equilibrium Models for Both Mass and Monetary Balances in Prospective Modeling: A Case for the Chinese Building Sector. Zhi Cao, Gang Liu, Shuai Zhong, Hancheng Dai, and Stefan Pauliuk. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53, 1, 224–233. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b03633
  • A necessary step forward for proper non-energetic abiotic resource use consideration in life cycle assessment: The functional dissipation approach using dynamic material flow analysis data. Alexandre Charpentier Poncelet, Philippe Loubet, Bertrand Laratte, Stéphanie Muller, Jacques Villeneuve, Guido Sonnemann. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 151, December 2019, 104449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104449
  • Combined material flow analysis and life cycle assessment as a support tool for solid waste management decision making. David A. Turner, Ian D. Williams, Simon Kemp. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 129, 15 August 2016, Pages 234-248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.077
  • A Mixed-Unit Input-Output Model for Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis. Troy Hawkins, Chris Hendrickson, Cortney Higgins, H. Scott Matthews, Sangwon Suh. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007, 41, 3, 1024–1031. https://doi.org/10.1021/es060871u

Data

Software and other research tools

Educational material

Videos and podcasts

Section documents