IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jecstr/v5y2016i1d10.1186_s40008-016-0060-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Consumption-based accounting of steel alloying elements and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the metal use: the case of Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Hajime Ohno

    (Tohoku University)

  • Kazuyo Matsubae

    (Tohoku University)

  • Kenichi Nakajima

    (National Institute for Environmental Studies)

  • Keisuke Nansai

    (National Institute for Environmental Studies)

  • Yasuhiro Fukushima

    (Tohoku University)

  • Tetsuya Nagasaka

    (Tohoku University)

Abstract

Metal extraction and smelting cause considerable impacts on the environment. Consumption-based impact accounting highlights the responsibility of metal-consuming industries for the impacts and may drive a system-wide improvement in the structure of related supply chains. To drive the improvements, policies at national level coordinated for respective product types across the nations is needed. However, nationwide responsibility for specific use of metals is difficult to identify because metals are manufactured into composite products (e.g., vehicles) in a country that is in many cases, different from the country where mining is practiced. The final product environmental footprints would not reveal the location where the various impacts are caused. This study presents a method to support the policy coordination by identifying the magnitude of the responsibility of metal-consuming countries for environmental impacts occurred in mining countries so that the countries sharing large responsibilities can find partner countries to jointly work on reduction in environmental impacts effectively. An input–output-based material flow analysis model is used to track the flows of metals included in products made in Japan throughout the international supply chain. In 2005, Japanese industries collected steel alloying elements (manganese, chromium, nickel, molybdenum) embodying 3200 kt-CO2eq and distributed them as both intermediate and final products. For steel mill products, Asian countries were the main destination, while alloying elements contained in other products were relatively evenly exported to Asia, Europe, and North America. By consuming products made in Japan, South Korea, China, the USA, and Taiwan shared approximately 10% each in terms of share of responsibility for greenhouse gas emission embodied in alloying element collected by Japan. Japan shared 40% of the responsibility with domestic consumption of own products. These findings suggest that Japan, a collector and distributor of steel alloying elements, must work on its own resource use reduction policies coordinating with these countries to globally develop sustainable resource use system.

Suggested Citation

  • Hajime Ohno & Kazuyo Matsubae & Kenichi Nakajima & Keisuke Nansai & Yasuhiro Fukushima & Tetsuya Nagasaka, 2016. "Consumption-based accounting of steel alloying elements and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the metal use: the case of Japan," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-17, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jecstr:v:5:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1186_s40008-016-0060-9
    DOI: 10.1186/s40008-016-0060-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s40008-016-0060-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1186/s40008-016-0060-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arnold Tukker & Arjan de Koning & Richard Wood & Troy Hawkins & Stephan Lutter & Jose Acosta & Jose M. Rueda Cantuche & Maaike Bouwmeester & Jan Oosterhaven & Thomas Drosdowski & Jeroen Kuenen, 2013. "Exiopol - Development And Illustrative Analyses Of A Detailed Global Mr Ee Sut/Iot," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 50-70, March.
    2. Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Yasushi Kondo & Sangwon Suh & Rokuta Inaba & Kenichi Nakajima, 2009. "Improving The Completeness Of Product Carbon Footprints Using A Global Link Input-Output Model: The Case Of Japan," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 267-290.
    3. Peters, Glen P., 2008. "From production-based to consumption-based national emission inventories," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 13-23, March.
    4. Lenzen, Manfred & Murray, Joy & Sack, Fabian & Wiedmann, Thomas, 2007. "Shared producer and consumer responsibility -- Theory and practice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 27-42, February.
    5. Kondo, Y. & Moriguchi, Y. & Shimizu, H., 1998. "CO2 Emissions in Japan: Influences of imports and exports," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(2-3), pages 163-174, February.
    6. Yosuke Shigetomi & Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Susumu Tohno, 2016. "Influence of income difference on carbon and material footprints for critical metals: the case of Japanese households," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.
    7. Shinichiro Nakamura & Kenichi Nakajima & Yasushi Kondo & Tetsuya Nagasaka, 2007. "The Waste Input‐Output Approach to Materials Flow Analysis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 11(4), pages 50-63, October.
    8. Hajime Ohno & Kazuyo Matsubae & Kenichi Nakajima & Shinichiro Nakamura & Tetsuya Nagasaka, 2014. "Unintentional Flow of Alloying Elements in Steel during Recycling of End-of-Life Vehicles," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(2), pages 242-253, April.
    9. Shigetomi, Yosuke & Nansai, Keisuke & Kagawa, Shigemi & Tohno, Susumu, 2015. "Trends in Japanese households' critical-metals material footprints," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 118-126.
    10. Erik Dietzenbacher & Bart Los & Robert Stehrer & Marcel Timmer & Gaaitzen de Vries, 2013. "The Construction Of World Input-Output Tables In The Wiod Project," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 71-98, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kotaro Shimizu & Shuji Owada, 2024. "Mineral Resources Policy for a Circular Flow of Critical Minerals: An Input–Output Approach to the Case of Their Final Destination in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Shigetomi, Yosuke & Nansai, Keisuke & Kagawa, Shigemi & Kondo, Yasushi & Tohno, Susumu, 2017. "Economic and social determinants of global physical flows of critical metals," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 107-113.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Grebel, 2019. "What a difference carbon leakage correction makes!," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 939-971, July.
    2. Yosuke Shigetomi & Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Susumu Tohno, 2016. "Influence of income difference on carbon and material footprints for critical metals: the case of Japanese households," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Pothen, Frank & Tovar Reaños, Miguel Angel, 2018. "The Distribution of Material Footprints in Germany," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 237-251.
    4. Shigetomi, Yosuke & Nansai, Keisuke & Kagawa, Shigemi & Tohno, Susumu, 2015. "Trends in Japanese households' critical-metals material footprints," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 118-126.
    5. Franco Solís, Alberto & F.T. Avelino, André & Carrascal-Incera, André, 2020. "The evolution of household-induced value chains and their environmental implications," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    6. Anke Schaffartzik & Dominik Wiedenhofer & Nina Eisenmenger, 2015. "Raw Material Equivalents: The Challenges of Accounting for Sustainability in a Globalized World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-26, April.
    7. Karl Steininger & Pablo Munoz & Jonas Karstensen & Glen Peters & Rita Strohmaier & Erick Velazquez, 2017. "Austria’s Consumption-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Identifying sectoral sources and destinations," EcoMod2017 10472, EcoMod.
    8. Christian Lininger, 2013. "Consumption-Based Approaches in International Climate Policy: An Analytical Evaluation of the Implications for Cost-Effectiveness, Carbon Leakage, and the International Income Distribution," Graz Economics Papers 2013-03, University of Graz, Department of Economics.
    9. Serrano, Mònica & Dietzenbacher, Erik, 2010. "Responsibility and trade emission balances: An evaluation of approaches," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 2224-2232, September.
    10. Xu, Xueliu & Wang, Qian & Ran, Chenyang & Mu, Mingjie, 2021. "Is burden responsibility more effective? A value-added method for tracing worldwide carbon emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    11. Wencheng Zhang & Shuijun Peng, 2016. "Analysis on CO 2 Emissions Transferred from Developed Economies to China through Trade," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 24(2), pages 68-89, March.
    12. Li, Meng & Meng, Bo & Gao, Yuning & Wang, Zhi & Zhang, Yaxiong & Sun, Yongping, 2022. "Tracing CO2 emissions in global value chains: Multinationals vs. domestically-owned firms," Sustainable Global Supply Chains Discussion Papers 2, Research Network Sustainable Global Supply Chains.
    13. Boya Zhang & Shukuan Bai & Yadong Ning & Tao Ding & Yan Zhang, 2020. "Emission Embodied in International Trade and Its Responsibility from the Perspective of Global Value Chain: Progress, Trends, and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-26, April.
    14. Xiang Gao & Sandy Dall'erba & Brenna Ellison & Andre F. T. Avelino & Cuihong Yang, 2022. "When one cannot bypass the byproducts: Plastic packaging waste embedded in production and export," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1460-1474, August.
    15. Hongguang Liu & Xiaomei Fan, 2017. "Value-Added-Based Accounting of CO 2 Emissions: A Multi-Regional Input-Output Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.
    16. Chang, Ning, 2013. "Sharing responsibility for carbon dioxide emissions: A perspective on border tax adjustments," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 850-856.
    17. Misato Sato, 2014. "Embodied Carbon In Trade: A Survey Of The Empirical Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 831-861, December.
    18. Peng, Shuijun & Zhang, Wencheng & Sun, Chuanwang, 2016. "‘Environmental load displacement’ from the North to the South: A consumption-based perspective with a focus on China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 147-158.
    19. Zheng, Shuxian & Zhou, Xuanru & Tan, Zhanglu & Liu, Chan & Hu, Han & Yuan, Hui & Peng, Shengnan & Cai, Xiaomei, 2023. "Assessment of the global energy transition: Based on trade embodied energy analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    20. Chen, B. & Yang, Q. & Zhou, Sili & Li, J.S. & Chen, G.Q., 2017. "Urban economy's carbon flow through external trade: Spatial-temporal evolution for Macao," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 69-78.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jecstr:v:5:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1186_s40008-016-0060-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.