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Sat, 21 Nov, 2015 12:21:09 AM FTimes Report, Nov 21  Total material requirement by material groups in 1970 to 2014. Source: Economy-wide material flow accounts 2014, Statistics Finland. The extraction of sand, gravel and other stone from soil for building materials decreased by five to six per cent in 2014 from the previous year, according to Statistics Finland’ data.
The extraction of stone has fallen to 78 million tonnes, almost to the same level as in the deepest recession years of the 1990s, the statistics on economy-wide material flow accounts show.
Stone is used for the production of concrete and asphalt and for support and foundation structures of buildings, roads and railways.
Crushed rock has a share of nearly 60 per cent in total material requirement of stone. Stone has been replaced with waste material, such as scum, ash and crushed concrete, which may in part have diminished the need for stone.
The volume of quarrying in ore mines dropped by 16 per cent and the volume of ore even more than that, by over one third, according to the data.
In contrast, nearly the same volume of industrial minerals was recovered as in the year before.
Material intensity of Finland's economy in 1975 to 2014. Source: Economy-wide material flow accounts 2014, Statistics Finland. A total of 75 million tonnes of ore, useful stone and waste stone were extracted last year.
In all, 40 tonnes of wood were used as direct inputs, domestic and foreign ones combined.
The figure in the early millennium was lowest in 2009, when the extraction of wood was 29 million tonnes, that is, around one quarter less than at the moment.
Silage comes first in the extraction of plants and wild animals. Its annual material requirement is nearly two million tonnes. It is followed by cereal crops, barley, wheat and oat.
Each euro earned in Finland is tied to a material input of over one kg and to 3.5 kg of total extraction of natural resources.
In the EU, the average material productivity is two to three-fold compared to Finland.
Finland's figures of total extraction are particularly enlarged by the imports focusing on large items of raw materials and manufactured products, such as minerals, wood and building materials.
Last year, the imported volume of raw materials was 33.7 million tonnes.
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