Brazil's material flows and footprints

To understand a country’s environmental footprint, we should look beyond its borders. This analysis takes a consumption-based approach to calculating both material and carbon footprints—capturing not only the impacts generated within Brazil, but also those embedded in the raw materials and products it imports. This methodology offers a more holistic and realistic picture of Brazil’s global contribution to resource use and GHG emissions. For materials, this means accounting for all raw material consumption in Brazil, regardless of whether those materials were extracted domestically or abroad. [44] The same logic applies to carbon: this footprint includes emissions generated within Brazil—such as those from heating homes or powering industries—as well as emissions embodied in imported goods and services. Together, these metrics reveal Brazil’s demand on planetary resources and the full scope of its environmental impact. This holistic view helps identify pressure points, material losses and opportunities for circular interventions across the economy.

Brazil's material and emissions profile

There are different approaches to tracking material flows: production-based material accounting and consumption-based material accounting. One tracks impacts at the source, the other at the point of use. This analysis takes a consumption-based approach, as it offers a fairer representation of where materials are extracted, consumed, and where emissions occur—contextualising Brazil’s material and emissions footprints within the global economy. Notably, while the Sankey in Figure one provides a valuable overview of material flows, it does not currently capture the extent of material reuse or recirculation within Brazil—potentially obscuring areas of progress or opportunity.

The figures below compare national and global figures for material extraction and consumption and carbon footprint. Note that Brazilian, EU and global averages have been drawn from different data sources and are therefore not directly comparable. Due to data gaps and the limited availability of harmonised global data, assumptions and data collation have been necessary to present as comprehensive a picture as possible. These limitations should be considered when interpreting the results. The figures are intended to broadly illustrate Brazil's position within the EU and global contexts.