# Figure 4-1-9 Enhancement of material flow indicators and effort indices

## Enhanced Indicators in the New Fundamental Plan (Material flow indicators)

1. Establish new numerical targets with FY 2015 as the target year.

2. Measure the progress of the integrated development of the efforts toward a low-carbon society and a sound material-cycle society.

3. Assess imports and exports of CRs as well as the environmental loads generated overseas through the extraction and use of resources by incorporating international viewpoints into the indicator system.

## 1 Indicators for which Quantitative Targets are Set

(1) "Inlet": Resource Productivity (=GDP/Natural resources and the like input)

(2) "Cycle" : Cyclical Use Rate (=Amount of cyclical use/Total material Input)

(3) "Outlet": Final Disposal Amount (=Final disposal amount of waste)

## 2 Supplementary indicators for which quantitative targets have been set

(1) Resource productivity excluding earth and rock resources input

(2) Coordination with efforts toward low-carbon society

[1] CO $ _{2} $ emission reduction in the area of waste

[2] Greenhouse gas emissions from waste and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel, which can be replaced by recycling of waste into raw fuel, waste power generation and the like (measurement)

## 3 Indicators to monitor changes

(1) Resource productivity of fossil resources

(2) Biomass resources input rate

(3) TMR (Total Material Requirement) as a hidden flow

(Measurement example: About 21 times the import of metallic resources)

(4) Indicators based on international resource cycles

(5) Resource productivity by industry area

## 4 Issues to be examined

Development of inventory concerning the computation of environmental loads and conversion factor that can be share internationally should be clearly defined as agenda to be examined in the future.

## Source : Ministry of the Environment

## Enhanced Indices in the New Fundamental Plan (Effort Indices)

1. Enhance and strengthen effort indices by dividing them into Indices for which targets are set and Indices to monitor changes.

2. Define Indices to promote reduce and reuse, e.g., reduce in general waste and the rate of refill products shipped.

3. Strengthen Indices to measure efforts by local governments, which play a key role in establishing an SMC society, e.g., municipalities most active in promoting the 3Rs and the number of environmental workshops and mutual exchange sessions held.

## 1 Indices to set a target

(1) Reducing the Quantity of Waste

a. Reducing the quantity of municipal solid waste

b. Reducing the amount of industrial waste

(2) Changes in awareness of and attitude toward an SMC society

(3) Promoting SMC Society Businesses

a. Promoting green purchasing

b. Promoting environmental business management

c. Expanding SMC society business market

(4) Steady implementation of individual recycling laws and the like

## 2 Indices to monitor changes

(1) Size of the market for rental and lease businesses and the shipping rate for refill products

(2) Rate of refusal of free plastic shopping bags (rate of "bring my own shopping bags") and the volume of sales of disposable products (e.g. imported chopsticks)

(3) Size of the market for secondhand goods and the rate of use of returnable bottles

(4) Number of stadiums introducing "reusable cups" and the like

(5) Number of fundamental plans for sound material cycles and the like at local levels

(6) Percentage of local governments that are implementing paid garbage collection and top municipalities in terms of waste reduction efforts

(7) Number of resource recovery facilities (recycle plazas and the like)

(8) Rate of recycling of municipal solid waste, total amount of waste collected, top municipalities in terms of recycling efforts, percentage of local governments that are implementing sorted collection, and amount of sorted collection by municipalities by item, and the like

(9) Number of environmental learning and exchange meetings held by local governments and the like, and number of applications to the "Assistance Program for local communities Establishing an SMC Society"