물질흐름분석 기반 자원생산성과 자원순환성 평가 연구

This study examined resource efficiency based on resource productivity and resource circularity between 2000 and 2018 in Korea. Various indicators were used to determine whether economic growth and material consumption were decoupled in the period. Korea is a country with limited land area and a high population density. Therefore, the decoupling of economic growth from raw material use in Korea is vital for relieving pressure on the environment and achieving sustainable development. This study found that the resource productivity between 2000 and 2018 increased 60%, indicating relative decoupling between economic growth and material use was observed. However, the resource productivity (2.54 million USD/1000 ton) in 2017 was relatively low compared with those from the OECD G7 countries (average of 3.6 million USD/1000 ton). Resource circularity increased 2.5 times between 2000 and 2018, while landfilling decreased to 38%. Resource recycling, one of the critical components for resource efficiency, enabled significant savings of raw materials for manufacturing and production in industries. Waste minimization and prevention is still a challenging task due to the ever-increasing waste generation over time. Several indicators for resource productivity and circularity can be used for national targets of resource efficiency towards a circular economy in Korea. More detailed methodology and calculations for the indicators with official and reliable data are still needed to eliminate the uncertainty of material flows in temporal and spatial boundaries.