Environmental input–output analyses can be a useful decision support tool at the subnational level, because of its ability to capture economic and environmental impacts at other geographical levels. Yet, such analyses are hindered by the lack of subnational IO tables. Furthermore, the lack of physical product and waste flows in what is known as a “hybrid” table prevents a range of consumption‐based and circular‐economy‐type analyses. We demonstrate the development of a multiregional hybrid IOT (MRHIOT) along with environmental extensions at the subnational level and exemplify it for the case of Belgium. The development procedure discloses a novel approach of combining national hybrid tables, subnational monetary tables, and physical survey‐based data. Such a combination builds upon a partial‐survey approach that includes a range of techniques for initial estimation and reconciliation within a balancing procedure. For the validation of the approaches, we assessed the magnitude of deviations between the initial and final estimates and analyzed the uncertainties inherent to each initial estimation procedure. Subsequently, we conducted a consumption‐based analysis where we assessed the carbon footprint (CF) at the subnational level and highlighted the CF inherent to the interregional linkages. This study provides methodological and application‐based contributions to the discussion on the relevance of hybrid subnational tables and analyses compared to national ones. The proposed approach could be replicable to some extent for further developing subnational MRHIOT. The study is expected to foster more research toward the development of further subnational MRHIOT as well as its associated wide‐ranging applications.

In this paper, material flows and resource potentials for plastics at a national level in Denmark are mapped using an Environmentally Extended Multiregional Input-Output (EE-MRIO) database. EE-MRIO offers an operative improvement to current and prevalent methods for assessing the industrial and societal metabolism of resources, including plastics. The Exiobase is applied to map (1) the major sources, (2) calculate the total supply, (3) uses of plastics and waste generation, and (4) end of life pathways in order to indicate the potentials of plastics in the circular economy in Denmark with a focus on recycling. Furthermore, it elaborates how and why this method for performing Mass Flow Analysis (MFA) differs from mainstream assessments of material flows and from default uses of national statistical data. Overall, the results are that Denmark has a total supply of ≈551 kilotonnes (Kt) of plastics, out of which ≈522 Kt are used domestically and ≈168 Kt of plastic waste are generated annually. Out of the yearly amount of plastic waste, ≈50% is incinerated and 26% is recycled. These results indicate significant potentials for applying circular economy strategies and identify relevant sectors for closing the plastic loops. However, other initiatives are necessary, such as improvements in product design strategies, in the collection and sorting systems as well as in cross-sectoral collaboration.

African economies, reliant on resource extraction and exports, face rising demand for their critical minerals essential to the green transition and net-zero targets. To capitalise on these opportunities, Africa must address environmental concerns and regulatory, technological, and financial challenges in decoupling growth from resource use while pursuing decarbonisation. This study applies an environmentally extended input-output analysis, leveraging the Resolved Exiobase database, to estimate the global raw material footprints of 51 African nations from 1995 to 2018. It employs the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and panel regression models to quantify the effects of diverse variables on these footprints. The findings showed that the raw material footprints of Africa’s production and consumption grew by 60 per cent (3.65-5.76 Gt) and 58 per cent (2.85-4.55 Gt), respectively, from 1995 to 2018, mainly due to biomass and non-metallic minerals. Our findings also show that Africa’s share of outsourced consumption footprints increased from 14-32% over the studied period, while over 40% of its production footprint embodied in exports. These findings underscore the urgent need for policy reforms in Africa to address the challenges of resource overexploitation, extreme rent-seeking and bad governance. Such reforms are critical for decoupling economic growth from Africa’s material consumption and its related environmental impacts to achieve sustainable development in the region.