A Household's Burden – The Embodied Resource Use of Household Equipment in Germany

Jens Teubler, Johannes Buhl, Michael Lettenmeier, Kathrin Greiff and Christa Liedtke

Ecological Economics, 2018, vol. 146, issue C, 96-105

Abstract: The paper describes patterns of resource use related to German households' equipment. Using cluster analysis and material flow accounting, data on socio-demographic characteristics, and expenditures on fuel, electricity and household equipment allow for a differentiation of seven different household types. The corresponding resource use, expressed in Material Footprint per person and year, is calculated based on cradle-to-gate material flows of average household goods and the related household energy use. Our results show that patterns of resource use are mainly driven by the use of fuel and electricity and the ownership of cars. The quantified Material Footprints correlate to social status and are also linked to city size, age and household size. Affluent, established and/or younger families living in rural areas typically show the highest amounts of durables and expenditures on non-durables, thus exhibiting the highest use of natural resources.

Keywords: Resource use patterns; Material footprint; Carbon footprint; Cluster analysis; Households (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:146:y:2018:i:c:p:96-105

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.10.004

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