Recent trends in material flows and resource productivity in Latin America

The Latin America region accounts for about 10% of world consumption of primary materials. As a result, developments in this region do not have a major effect on total global extractive pressures. The reverse is not true. Even modest increases in the resources demand of larger regions, where transferred by trade, can have major effects on material flows in Latin America. The findings of this report are based on the first material flows database, which has been specifically designed to cover the great majority of countries in Latin America, as well as additional countries in the Caribbean region, using standardized material flows accounting methodologies.